Carbs Before Bed

Why is this so bad?

like what is it doing to the body that makes it so bad?

I've been hearing alot of things about carbs...I don't even know what to think. First they're bad, now they're good. I know that they're not as bad for you as people say.

What I do know is you burn more calories in your sleep than you do watching TV. A little snack or small meal won't hurt too badly.

I think its said that its bad because when you sleep you use energy (obviously) and where does your body look for energy first? carbs. if you dont eat carbs right before you sleep and go on a hungry stomach(3 hours after eating) then your body burns fat when you sleep. =)

I don't think it's that awful. I think the problem is more eating too many or additional carbs or binging on carbs before bedtime. if we follow the "it stops fat burning" logic, it doesn't matter if you eat excess calories in the AM or the PM, your body will use those first.

I dont see much wrong with carbs, but i try to avoide carbs like pasta and such, purley because it is a fast releasing energy source, and i sleep horribly:/

Everything I have read from obesity experts says that all that matters is how many calories you eat on average per day. Time of day doesn't matter. As long as you have a calorie deficit you will burn fat.

There are good carbs and bad carbs. Fruit, milk and wholegrains are good carbs. Sugar and whilte flour are bad carbs.

i agree with cliques... there isn't really anything wrong with carbs before bed, but if you eat carby things and they give you a lot of energy right before bed, that can be a problem, it might disturb sleep.

if i have been a good boy that day, (usually) i have a slim fast at 10 and go to bed at 11:30-12:00. i am losing weight at a good pace so i see on need to change things. 

the reason it is suggested that carbs are not needed before bed, is b/c carbs are supposed to give you energy. if you eat them and go to sleep, you body doesn't need them, so it stores them instead of burning them.

i kind of have to disagree with that. i am doing some quite heavy training getting back into shape. and if i do not have something to eat an hour or so before going to bed, i am more sore in the morning. perhaps my body is using that energy to repair itself rather than just burn fat and try to repair itself. or maybe its all in my head.

i dunno.

If you are doing heavy training, you should probably be upping your protein, as your body needs the protein to repair and build muscle...or so I've been told...

Your body can turn anything into fat or glucose, but can only make protein from protein.

I don't think carbs actually do anything bad to your body while you sleep (in general, obviously different people have different experiences).  I do know that the time between dinner and bedtime is when I (and many others) feel the most tempted to snack, especially on carbs.  So if you find yourself exceeding your calorie limit by eating carbs before bed, you won't lose weight.  But, of course, if you're still within your limit, it shouldn't matter.

I agree with you!  If the medical field would all get on the same page, it would sure be a lot better on us yo-yo dieters, lol!  Ok, the last I had heard was that the body burned calories much the same way asleep as it does awake, so the consensus is that you can eat a light meal before bed and it won't kill you.

HTH!  Helaine