Waking up late

I know that going to bed early and waking up early would be better for my health and weight loss, I'm just having a REALLY hard time doing this since I don't have a job or any responsibilities really right now. For example, today I woke up at 11. What do I do in terms of eating for the day when I wake up that late? Should I count this as the start of my day and try to get 1,500 calories by the time I go to bed, or just eat when I'm hungry and have a lower amount of calories than normal?

Advice is greatly appreciated!

Good question, I'd like to know the answers to this as well. My first class isn't until 12:40 this summer, so I don't usually roll out of bed til 10:45 or so.

Original Post by elfkittie22:

Should I count this as the start of my day and try to get 1,500 calories by the time I go to bed, or just eat when I'm hungry and have a lower amount of calories than normal?

If you need 1500 calories a day, you need 1500 calories a day, what time you wake up doesn't make any difference.

I don't see why going to bed early and getting up early is any better than going to bed later and sleeping later - as long as you're getting the same amount of sleep and as long as it's fairly consistent with your natural circadian rhythms.  I'm a night owl and I have no problem losing weight on a go-to-bed-late/sleep-late schedule as long as I get my 8+ hours of sleep.  (If I go to bed late but have to be up early, that's a totally different story!)  I just have breakfast when I get up, a late lunch (usually sometime between 2 and 4pm) and either a late dinner or a couple of snack-meals in the evening which add up to a dinner.

As long as your calories and activity levels are okay - and as long as you're getting the hours of sleep you need - exactly when you get them isn't important.  And anyone who disagrees with me on that is a morning person!  :-)

Original Post by floggingsully:

Original Post by elfkittie22:

Should I count this as the start of my day and try to get 1,500 calories by the time I go to bed, or just eat when I'm hungry and have a lower amount of calories than normal?

If you need 1500 calories a day, you need 1500 calories a day, what time you wake up doesn't make any difference.

 

I agree, it's just that when I wake up that late I tend to have to eat even when I'm not hungry to get the correct number of calories :-\

I agree with the others.  As an RN, I tend to work unusual hours.  As long as you meet your goals with activity and intake, it doesn't matter when you start or end your day. 

Original Post by susiecue

...As long as your calories and activity levels are okay - and as long as you're getting the hours of sleep you need - exactly when you get them isn't important.  And anyone who disagrees with me on that is a morning person!  :-)

What is it about morning people? I'm a night person too, sometimes I stay up until 4am, get up around 11am and enjoy a full day, with my "shining time" falling between 3pm and midnight. It's when I get the most done, unfortunately the business world here functions on a 9-5 schedule, so I've had to get into a business that fits me. ...blah blah blah anyway...

I eat "breakfast" when I get up and have my 5-6 mini meals throughout the day. If you're a 3 meals a day person and you're used to having breakfast at 8am, lunch at noon and dinner (or is it supper, I never know) at 6pm, just stagger the hours in the same way to fit your schedule; breakfast at 11am, lunch at 3pm and din-sup at 9pm. If you are eating or cooking with family and they eat at 6, have something small with them and then eat again at 9. There's no set rules when it comes to eating schedules as long as you're eating all of your healthy calories.

Personally I have my alarm set everyday so that whether its a weekend, day off or holidays I always get up by 8:30 so that I can have a regular pattern and also because I feel like I have wasted the best part of the day if I sleep in.

Doesn't really matter if you don't eat breakfast provided you are eating regularly from the time you get up, breakfast in the morning is only there because most people get up in the morning, you though might have lunch, dinner than cereal later at night due to staying up later.

Great Question, If you need to eat 1500 calories start from the point you get up. The goal is to have a 3500 deficet to loose at the end of the week. Time is never a question morning or night owls. I have done both at one time or another. 

hope this helps,