Late-Night Snacks: Are They Worse?

I think your last paragraph says it all. Monkeys are pretty similar to us, after all. I think the shared genetic material is something like 98%. There seems to be an assumption in the cut-off rules that calories are held in ready-queue for a while and then the body thinks "Oh, not needing those -- guess I'll just use them for fat storage." I don't think our bodies work that way. But Americans who eat late are probably not just having dinner. It's more likely to be snacking while watching TV, in addition to dinner.

I'm certain that it's not eating at night alone, it is how many calories you consume, and how many you've already had during the day.

I used to scarf down pizza, chips, etc. every night, in addition to having already eaten all day. I now control how many calories I have over the course of the day, including a bedtime snack of 100 calories or so. I'm losing an average of 1 pound per week, and I don't lie in bed tossing and turning because I'm hungry.

So, I kind of lean to the last paragraph of your blog being the correct assumption.

One of the philosophies I'm trying to follow now is "Honor your hunger." And if I get hungry late at night, I will eat something small, like a small bowl of cereal or half a peanut butter sandwich with a small glass of milk.

This means that I must be belly-hungry, and not mouth-hungry, i.e., "Boy, I can feel my stomach growling!" and not "Boy, some chips sure would taste good right now!" I find that when I do this, I am better the next day because I'm not starving at breakfast, and throughout the beginning of the morning.

The only thing that keeps me from late night snacking is the- painful- stomach ache that i will get the next morning if i do so. Am i the only one that feels like this?! If i don't eat after say 9pm i won't feel bad in the morning. So i never eat late night snacks.

Anna, I feel the same way. If I eat late in the evening regardless of wether I am eating a late dinner or just snacking I feel horrible the next morning. I usually end up with heartburn and indigestion. So, no you aren't the only one.

Hi! A new reader after Googling "LA Express/LA Weight Loss Center"...definitely adding you to my blog reads.

I'm on LAWL's program after winning a grand prize 8-weelk lifestyle makeover contest. Today is my official first day of exercise and the "plan".

Thanks for all the great info here!

I am over weight and promised myself four things.

One, to eat only when hungry and stop the first time I am content and not when I am full. This usually means I eat half of what is on my plate. If I get hungtry later, I finish off the partially eaten meal.

two, I cut out junk foods and sweets, but I still eat a hamburger but no fries, etc.

three, join a gym to tone muscles.

Four, realize that this is a lifestyle change and not a diet. I am not counting calories or jumping on the scale. When my clothes start to feel loose, I know I am on the right track...I've only been doing this for a week, but I am not starving and I don't feel deprived.

I lost 30 pounds recently, largely by exercising regularly AND not eating late at night, which I used to do all the time after work (I'm a piano bar entertainer, and I finish between 2 and 3am...)I drink quite a lot of beer at work (about 1 gallon every night :-), and no - I don't get drunk) but I know now that the beer itself is not fattening at all. What IS fattening is that it makes you hungry... so when you hear people talking about a BEERGUT, what they're referring to is a FOODGUT. It's very hard to finish work after a bunch of beers and walk past two 7-11s, a Burger King and a McDonalds every night, let me tell you :-)... But the self-control is well worth it.

Also, let me add this... it's pretty well documented now that the average metabolism is very high early in the day and slows down to a crawl after about 6-7pm. That means that anything you eat after that time is going to have a harder time digesting and burning those calories. Two pices of advice, then. 1. Eat a healthy breakfast, it will actually help you lose weight more than if you don't, and 2. NO food after 7pm.

Finally, it's now 4.30am, I'm damn hungry, and I'm going to bed :-)

GEOFF,

"it's pretty well documented now that the average metabolism is very high early in the day and slows down to a crawl after about 6-7pm."

Geoof congratulations on your weigh loss! Actually, your metabolism is at its low in the morning, because your body was fasting during a night. That is why a breakfast is so important – it gets your metabolism going again.

If a person exercises in the evening (as many people do), it is important to provide your muscles with the nutrients, so that they can recover. If you do not eat, it leads to catabolism. Consequently, your metabolism slows down.

Thanks for the kind words and your comments! Another thing I'd like to add is that every individual is different in the way that their body metabolises and handles caloric intake - so if something works for you, do that... and if it doesn't, try another angle. I just found that personally, late night food (and we're talking 4am here) was the worst thing I could possibly do in my battle to lose weight...

Is that a bowl of brain?!

Beverly said:
I am over weight and promised myself four things. [...]

Beverly, you are completely on the right track with all of your points, especially realizing that this is a lifestyle change, congratulations!

I hope you're doing well since I'm leaving this comment months after you left yours. :)

Problem is they don't help curb cravings. The medical world has to come up with ways to RUIN our appetite, so we could maybe put a patch on after dinner that made me slightly (EVER so slightly) nauseous and couldn't possible eat.

I find sometimes saving old coffee, and if you feel like chips, drink a chug of old coffee from earlier in the day, without cream or sugar. It really helps destroy any desire to eat.

That's what we need things that will turn off the stupid carb craving.