Is it a myth that you shouldn't eat late at night?...

[Patty Tanager]

I find it hard to eat in the morning.

I normally have my 1st thing to eat at 12 and because i'm hungry by then i normally make it a meal, so it's not your standard breakfast.

Than i will have another meal at 5 and then a meal at 10ish. I don't go straight to bed though i normally stay up till 1 or 2am (even if i have to be up at 7am).

Is that really bad for you because it's still the same 3 meals going into my body just at different times?.

I've tried the same diet i'm on now but at earlier times and it was hell my stomach was rumbling something crazy at like 9pm and then by 10pm i just end up grabbing junk food .

Thoughts on this please...

[Clegg]

It depends upon your aims.

If you are doing a lot of exercise with the aim of adding muscle or strength or just overall conditioning, then I think it's important to take in nutrients, protein and a moderate amount of good carbs late in the day because your body repairs and recovers while you sleep, and if you've eaten at night then they have more fuel to do this.

If your priority is fat loss then I'd say it's best to not each much late on. Your metabolism slows down later in the day and because you're just sitting around you're not going to burn off the excess calories.

I think you should start eating breakfast either way. The earlier you eat, the earlier your metabolism starts going. Resisting junk food can be hard but if you find yourself getting hungry later on then you can always have something healthy. Just try and prepare in advance, it's a lot easier to eat a bit of chicken or whatever if you've already made it rather than having to wait around 25 minutes for it to cook.

[Patty Tanager]

It depends upon your aims.

If you are doing a lot of exercise with the aim of adding muscle or strength or just overall conditioning, then I think it's important to take in nutrients, protein and a moderate amount of good carbs late in the day because your body repairs and recovers while you sleep, and if you've eaten at night then they have more fuel to do this.

If your priority is fat loss then I'd say it's best to not each much late on. Your metabolism slows down later in the day and because you're just sitting around you're not going to burn off the excess calories.

I think you should start eating breakfast either way. The earlier you eat, the earlier your metabolism starts going. Resisting junk food can be hard but if you find yourself getting hungry later on then you can always have something healthy. Just try and prepare in advance, it's a lot easier to eat a bit of chicken or whatever if you've already made it rather than having to wait around 25 minutes for it to cook.

I'm trying to gain muscle mass, but unfortunately i do have a bit of baby fat on my stomach.

It's a strange one because i am actually quite a skinny guy, but do have a bit of fat around my stomach which may have something to do with all the beer i drink, but i have been cutting down slowly but surely.

I'm going to have to try and force myself to eat breakfast, but i do find it hard for some strange reason .

[BennyST]

You need to eat breakfast. If you want your body to listen and do it's job properly, you must eat breakfast. When they say it's the most important meal of the day, it's not a joke.

Dinner, late eating is not really very important, and as Clegg said, it depends on your aim. If you want to lose some weight/excess fat, do not eat ever eat later than seven. Ever. Anything you eat after you wind down or late at night when your body is winding down will be stored as fat. You have to work doubly hard just to get your body to use it up.

What you eat from the start of the day and up until the meal before your last workout will be used as the energy you need. Anything after, will simply be stored, and needlessly at that.

Instead of having some huge meal late, have your normal dinner around six/seven and then just have a rejuvenation shake thing.

One reason you find it hard to eat breakfast is twofold; you are simply not in the habit. Simple as that. Second, is that you need to wake your stomach/metabolism up first. When you get up, have a small glass of warm water with some honey or lemon (or honey and lemon juice) in it. Wait ten/fifteen and then it will be easier. Do that until you have formed the habit.

[TintaBoricua]

You need to eat breakfast. If you want your body to listen and do it's job properly, you must eat breakfast. When they say it's the most important meal of the day, it's not a joke.

Dinner, late eating is not really very important, and as Clegg said, it depends on your aim. If you want to lose some weight/excess fat, do not eat ever eat later than seven. Ever. Anything you eat after you wind down or late at night when your body is winding down will be stored as fat. You have to work doubly hard just to get your body to use it up.

What you eat from the start of the day and up until the meal before your last workout will be used as the energy you need. Anything after, will simply be stored, and needlessly at that.

Instead of having some huge meal late, have your normal dinner around six/seven and then just have a rejuvenation shake thing.

One reason you find it hard to eat breakfast is twofold; you are simply not in the habit. Simple as that. Second, is that you need to wake your stomach/metabolism up first. When you get up, have a small glass of warm water with some honey or lemon (or honey and lemon juice) in it. Wait ten/fifteen and then it will be easier. Do that until you have formed the habit.

Great post, man.

[Patty Tanager]

You need to eat breakfast. If you want your body to listen and do it's job properly, you must eat breakfast. When they say it's the most important meal of the day, it's not a joke.

Dinner, late eating is not really very important, and as Clegg said, it depends on your aim. If you want to lose some weight/excess fat, do not eat ever eat later than seven. Ever. Anything you eat after you wind down or late at night when your body is winding down will be stored as fat. You have to work doubly hard just to get your body to use it up.

What you eat from the start of the day and up until the meal before your last workout will be used as the energy you need. Anything after, will simply be stored, and needlessly at that.

Instead of having some huge meal late, have your normal dinner around six/seven and then just have a rejuvenation shake thing.

One reason you find it hard to eat breakfast is twofold; you are simply not in the habit. Simple as that. Second, is that you need to wake your stomach/metabolism up first. When you get up, have a small glass of warm water with some honey or lemon (or honey and lemon juice) in it. Wait ten/fifteen and then it will be easier. Do that until you have formed the habit.

Cheers for the advice pal.

I probably should start going bed earlier and then getting up with plenty of time to make breakfast and pull myself together .


Another question...

When people say you can't lose fat and put muscle on, is that accurate?. I'm eating to gain muscle and am on quite a low fat diet and doing quite a bit of training, but like i said earlier i am a pretty skinny guy with a bit of a beer belly , will this go away?. I don't want to put myself on an actually diet to lose weight because i am quite skinny already .

[Clegg]

The best diet for losing weight is not the same as the best diet for gaining muscle. But yes, you can do both. It would probably be a slower process though, but I know it can be done as I've added muscle and lost fat in the past few months. Aside from some occassional jogging and fasted cardio (walking) my main exercise has been BJJ, which is intensive and uses a lot of energy and strength, and my diet has been a mixture really, some days healthy some days not so healthy, but almost always keep protein fairly high without going OTT.

That being said the change has been gradual, not drastic.

[Patty Tanager]

I used whey protein at the start of the year when i 1st started getting in shape (before falling off the wagon ), and it turned my piss yellow . I think i'm going to force myself to eat lots of tuna, even though i don't like it .

[Jack3d]

If your goal is losing weight or cutting, then no carbs after 7pm is the general rule.

[Patty Tanager]

If your goal is losing weight or cutting, then no carbs after 7pm is the general rule.

The goal is to lose the bit of fat on my stomach and put muscle on, i am a relatively skinny guy though .