Eating at night.

I'm just wondering peoples opinions on eating at night.  I eat all day but I still have 300 - 400 calories to eat. I am wondering is it better to have a healthy snack to make up my calories or do I just not worry about for that day.  Any suggestions would be great..

I would try to add a snack into the middle of your day, rather than at night.  I have read in numerous places that you shouldn't eat past 7 or 8 so your body has time to digest the food before going to bed.  If I eat anything past 9 I have a terrible time falling asleep and tend to toss and turn all night (but that's just me).  I think that adding another snack earlier in the day would be the best way to do this because if you have too much of a calorie deficit you might end up binging in a few days from too few calories.

Im the complete opposite! I usually eat a big bowl of cereal before i go to to bed or ill wake up hungry int he middle of the night!

Ive been eating like this and maintaining my weight forever.

I think it's a personal thing.  My partner doesn't eat too late in the evening because it keeps him awake.  I on the other hand, probably wouldn't be able to sleep without my milky hot chocolate and snack before bed :o)

I think it's all a case of calories in vs calories out, so if you're happy eating later, it's within your calorie limit and it doesn't affect your sleep I'd say enjoy!

hmm a glass of warm milk or tea with a piece of bread with peanut butter?

(combination doenst keep you awake)

or yoghurt and nuts,

I'd suggest either splitting up those 3-400 calories and tacking them onto your breakfast and lunch, adding a healthy mid-morning snack, or a combo of the two.

It's generally not a good idea to eat before going to bed because your metabolism is at its slowest then. Since you are less-than-sedentary while sleeping, late-night food has little reason to be burned off. This makes it much more likely the food will be stored as fat over the 7-8 hours you're in lala land. (Especially if you're over 25 years of age.)

While the laws of calorie balance still apply (eat less than maintenance level, you lose weight), your body doesn't process food as efficiently while sleeping as you do during the day, as christine alluded to.

With that being said, some people do just that, and it works for them. Experiment to see what works best for you. Personally, if I eat before bed, I have trouble sleeping. However, if I stop eating 2-3 hrs before bed, I wake up feeling thin, and breakfast tastes incredible. :)

I usually eat about 300 calories at night when I get home from school (usually 10pm) and this has not hindered my weight loss.  I divide it up into a protein, a carb and a little bit of fat.  Maybe the science books say differently, but this has been my experience.  For people who work late or go to school, it is sometimes impossible to not eat after 7 or 8 because you are dying of starvation during class haha

I try not to eat after 9 PM. I want to give my body time to digest.

gaining weight from eating at night is a myth. Here's an article that dispels this myth in detail:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/02/ 060202080832.htm

but if you need more supporting documentation then google "eating at night." I think the issue with eating at night and weight gain is probably more the choices people make, a bag of cookies or a slice or two of pizza. More then the 300-400 calories you're talking about.

I eat small meals all through the day and have lost weight and maintained a healthy weight this way. I'm active and I feel that my metabolism is faster now that i"m eating this way. For a later snack, I recommend some plain, whole fruit, maybe a rice cake or two with some hummus on it, or an ear of corn (very sparing amount of butter) or a few slices of turkey, cup of yogurt or cereal...I just eat random healthy small amounts of things and that works for me.  Not heavy stuff but light wholesome healthy stuff.  That way you don't feel all blown out and weight down when you go to bed.

Hi, Not surprisingly, based on the postings you received it seems eating at night works for some people and not for others.  I also have heard that recent research has shown that eating at night leading to weight gain is really a myth.  However, I must say that as someone else mentioned when I don't eat at night I wake up feeling better and really enjoy my breakfast, verses feeling sluggish when I eat late at night.  I think in the end it is what works for you, maybe try both and see which feels right for you. 

Thanks everyone for your help.. I will just have to see what will work for me..