Snacks before bed?

How many calories should a typical snack before bed have? I don't mean to be nosy and I know it sort of depends on how many calories you need to have throughout the day...but I'm a bit worried about having "too much" before bed. Thing is, cereal is just so easy for me to add into. I can add stuff and not really "notice" that it's more.  So yeah...is it okay that my snack before bed is calorically a little bit bigger than say, my snack in the afternoon? By little, I really mean little, maybe a 50 calorie difference. Silly thing to worry over I'm sure but somehow I feel nervous about that.

Logically, I know it doesn't matter when I eat the calories as long as I get them in. But I hear so much that its not good to snack before bed, that it shouldn't exceed X amount, etc....so it's kinda starting to make me a bit nervous. Then again, I also have heard numerous times that what time the calories are eaten doesn't have any affect on anything, it only matters that they have been consumed....agh

There is no set time to start or stop eating. Anyone who tells you this is a liar. In turn, it doesn't matter if you eat a lot before you sleep particularly if you're gaining. I have a feeling, Rebel, that you know this is a silly thing to ask and knew that while you were typing it. But also know this: that snack can have as many calories in it as you want, provided you're making your goal for the day.

My usual bedtime snack is 6-700 calories.  But if I'm not over my minimum I've had over 1000, often after a last meal at 10pm.  I don't recommend that calorie cramming route as it is not "fun" but painful, but right now our #1 priority is to get it in.  The subcategory is do it the most comfortable way, which for me means 5-800 calories on regular intervals!

Lala; I did know it was silly. I just kind of needed some assurance that yes, having that big bowl of oats with three or four different toppings was okay, even if it meant it would be "bigger" than something earlier in the day. And I know for a fact it was ED making me insecure about it. After some rational thinking exercises, and recieving some extra reassurance, I feel much more secure in testing out my coconut and dried berry-topped oats this evening. ^.^ I love coconut but haven't had it in ages.

Tears; I've had to do that too. Before I started figuring out meals and snacks in the beginning of the day, I'd get to 8pm and realize I'd only had something like 1200 calories. This resulted in me having to have a cup of icecream with loads of syrup and banana, in addition to whatever else I was having as a snack that night. Not terribly smart. I learned my lesson though - plan it out so its spread out.

Gibbit's Goji Berry Pecan Maple Oatmeal

If I remember right, I've seen Gibbit raving about this helping her as a cal dense but not dense dense evening snack before. ;P

I have a 400 calorie snack right before bed. I mean seriously RIGHT before bed - like ten minutes before I hit the sack. For some reason it doesn't bother me as much when I eat it then. Some people have trouble eating late at night, but I think it's actually easier than eating in the middle of the day when I know dinner is right around the corner.

Ooh that does sound good. It's very similar to what I typically have for breakfast as far as add-ins go (dried fruit, nuts, protein powder, coffee creamer).

I need to experiment more honestly. I'm a bit afraid I'll get stuck in a rut, but its like "okay! A,B, and C give me the calories I need to get, so that's what I'll eat." and then I don't want to be figuring stuff out for everyday, so I eat the same thing for days at a time, just because I know it works. And then I get anxious when I change things up. I always get nervous that its not the same anymore and that somehow I've gone and screwed everything up.:sigh: I'm working on that though. I have resolved to rotate between almonds, chocolate chips, and coconut flakes as add ins to different snacks and breakfasts. And to change between types of peanut butters, and jam or honey.  And to change my dinner a bit sometimes too. I'm starting to actually want to take bigger steps now,  and feel more confident about change. It still makes me nervous, but the paralyzing effect seems to be subsiding.

That'll be the control element of your ED trying to come in. You're not doing things as you "should" be according to ED and so it makes you anxious. You also have to actively break that. So yes, switch up your nuts, your fruits, your nut butter add ins and change up your other meals. For your change at dinner, trying switching your proteins around. Or your veg or carbs, for that matter - even if you, at first, essentially make the same meal with one element differing. Then two. Then all three.

Switching things up is good, even if it's just a minor change, like having almond butter instead of peanut butter or a different fruit for breakfast than what you normally have. I used to eat exactly the same thing every day for every meal, but now I like to have some variety. I usually have similar meals and snacks most days, but I change the main element of the meal or switch up the side items to make every day different.

I used to eat pretty much nothing but peanut butter and almonds as far as nuts go, but now I'll eat anything - I love cashew and almond butter, and pistachios, walnuts, cashews, and pecans are all great nut choices!

::blushes:: Thanks for all the encouragement and ideas guys. I really appreciate it. I'm glad I'm not the only one who had some difficulty with variety in the begining. I think I'm going to make a combination of both your ideas/advice, and try to change one thing at a few meals every day, and then change another element the next day and so on and so forth. I do believe this will be very good for me, on multiple levels. And it is definitly something I can accomplish. I suppose I've been "playing" with variety - but variety tends to happen about once a week. If I take charge a bit more though, variety could become everyday. And that will be good. It will be normal

awww thanks lala :) I feel special being cited in a thread!

And yes, rebel, I regularly have 1000 cals at 11 or 12 at night, I always have a large snack a little while after dinner. I think I just like it. I usually do some sort of oatmeal concoction like the one listed above, though there are endless combinations, and it's really good topped off with ice cream!

sometimes I'll also do toast or bagels with lots of nut butter, and dried fruits, with greek yogurt and more dried fruit and nuts in that, perhaps some granola, extra spoonfuls of pb once i'm done too always add in extra cals if I'm worried about it too.

It makes no difference what time you eat, or finish eating either. I am also a terrible sleeper so I usually am up at like 3 am getting another 500 or so cals in. Your body has no idea what time of day it is, it just continues doing its job. Actually changing up not only WHAT you eat, but when you eat it, is a great way of challenging ED. I used to be stuck having the same things at the same times and it would make me really anxious say if lunch was too much earlier or later than 1 pm, or i coudlnt have oats for breakfast, that sort of thing so i started challenging it by having savory breakfasts once in a while, toast and eggs, difernt juices, sandwiches even, and then also switching snacks and meals around, having a "meal" food at a snck time, or not at the same time, or a snack food at a meal time, or whatever time of day ed didnt like. It gets easier!

I love bedtime snacks!! I am the biggest advocate EVER for them! Depending on what i've eaten during the day, it goes up or down. I don't keep track of calories really anymore, but if I had to guess i'd say that on a good day when i've eaten enough, it's around 500-600, and on a day where I haven't had all my cals it's more like 1000-1200.

So, case in point last night.  Even as I sipped my warm lactaid at about 10pm, I calculated myself to have come just over 2000 so far.  Well, after 1 day on 4000 and the next not even making it to 3000, I’ve made a pact to stay over 3000, 30-3500 range, for the next few days [to my next weigh in] because I want to be steady.  Hence-bring on the midnight snacks:

-1.5 ounce nuts + dried cranberries
-bowl of steel cut oats
-cottage cheese [lactaid] + pumpkin and oats
….and then as I could barely hold my eyes open, got out the blender and mixed 3 cups worth of whole milk lactaid, a couple overripe bananas, and flaxseed meal
=1000 calories on the way to bed to get me at 30-3200 total for the day.
  Not ideal timing, but the priority is the total!
[when I say not ideal I mean in terms of how much that late--I'm set on my 5-700 right before bed though, that's what suits me!]

…Now hopefully I can stay ahead of the game since I don’t work today.

I love my nighttime snack and wouldn't give it up ever...I know sometimes I've had nights where I've gone out and gotten home after midnight...but still had it at that hour...my nighttime snacks always tend to be on the dessert-y side...recently I've been having: Strawberry frozen yoghurt (or some variation of ice cream) with 2 of my mum's DELICIOUS whole grain oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (heat them in the microwave so they're freshly baked ish) and then i put loads of berries with the ice cream/frozen yoghurt. DELICIOUS>>>I know it might be a tad sweet for some...but its my sweetest "meal" of the day :)

::shivers:: Finksa, you are a brave soul having ice cream this time of year! Even with warmed up cookies, I couldn't imagine myself being able to tolerate the cold. Though during the summer, I frequently made a very similar sundae for myself when I needed the extra calories at the end of the day.  When I wasn't planning things out carefully enough, I ended up having two milkshakes during the day as well as the sundae on more than one occasion.

i usually do like a jello or a cookie just to satisfy the craving then go to sleep if anything.

Grr Rebel I think this post jinxed me!  2nd day in a row I've had 1000 to go at bedtime.  How did I get this bad again? And I was so sick last night, more due to cramming than what I ate, I think.   Grrr :(

THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS!!! Seriously, I just got finished with my typically massive evening snack, and was just feeling badly about it, wondering if im the only one eating this much at once, this late/if it was bad, etc. then i came across this and it made me feel SO much more at ease to know im not that insane! I have to get in at LEAST 3500 cals a day, wich is so insanly huge, i dont know exactly why i need so much to gain, im really not very active? anyways, i try to get in a lot erlier in the day, but its harder because i dont like eating huge amounts for breakfast and starting the day off feeling bloated and icky.

i really actually ENJOY eating my evening(often later than midnight) snack, and i cant say that much about all the rest of my meals. also, i dont CARE if i go to bed feeling bloated, but i do if i have to walk around all day feeling like ive eaten way too much. my snacks are usually about 800, but are often as high as 12oo when needed.

ive noticed that many of you get your cals in through adding lots of things to cereals,etc. i like to do that occasionally, but personally, i prefer to have a wide variety of foods and enjo them SEPERATLY. so, they may not sound like they "go together" or even appealing together, but if i like it, i eat it:)

example from tonight(started atbout 10)

• 2 cups of cheerios w/ 1 cup of milk
• 1 cup of milk in a glass
• homeade muffin, warmed in microwave
• 1 cup yogurt, frozen( i know, its odd in the winter, but i like it to have some texture)
• 1 box rasins
• large pear