Most days I'm on a fairly tight schedule that looks like this :

6:00 AM HIIT 12-15 mins
6:20 AM Protein shake
7:00 AM 2/3 Cup Oatmeal + water
9:30 AM Ham, Cheese, Bologna on Flax bread
12:00 PM 1 Cup Lettuce, 4 Grape tomato's, pieces of onion, green pepper
3:30 PM 6oz Tuna + 1Tbsp olive oil
4:30 PM (Weights for days I do weights)
6:00 PM 8oz Chicken Breast
10:00 PM Sleep

I eat this pretty much every day but find it a little deficient in calories (Around 1200). Should I add another meal at 9pm if I sleep at 10?

I have some vague memory that you shouldn't eat anything 2-3 hours before you go to sleep else it'll go straight to fat, is this true?

No need to add another meal, just eat more at the meals you have.

Yeah dont eat anything within 3 hours of going to bed your body has trouble digesting it. I'd also be eating a hell of lot more than 1200 cals.

Marcus :tu:

Well, I recommned a protein shake post workout. It will help get protein to your muscles faster and add some needed calories to your diet.

Now my question, adding to his is, what about a protein shake an hour or two before bed? Would that be harmful in any way?

Check out this link I just found. It contends that you do put on weight if you eat before and that will also have more nightmares :eek: :)

http://www.mta75.org/english/effects/eating.html

Marcus

First off, BiT - You need to be gettin way more than 1200 Kcal man! I would add at least another 500-700 (depending on your size) to that. Your body may very well be in starvation mode at that caloric level - which means your workouts are taking from your progress, not helping it along.

As to the eating before bed question, I am of the opinion that a small snack about 1-2hr before be is perfectly fine. Especially, if you eat dinner early and get to bed a bit on the late side. Having a small snack (perhaps a protien shake, some PB and a piece of fruit, etc) can actually help keep your metabolism fired up all night long.

Check out this link I just found. It contends that you do put on weight if you eat before and that will also have more nightmares :eek: :)

http://www.mta75.org/english/effects/eating.html

Marcus

Sorry to post again, but I just read this study. Lets see the "test" subjects were given ice ceam and candy bars 30min before bed. I am willing to contend that eating that stuff at any time of day can contribute to weight gain -- which certainly is a nightmare :confused:

i eat sometimes 30-45 minutes before bed. doesnt hurt me one bit

it depends WHAT your last meal is, your activity level for that day, and where you want to get to with your body.

Most days I'm on a fairly tight schedule that looks like this :

6:00 AM HIIT 12-15 mins
6:20 AM Protein shake
7:00 AM 2/3 Cup Oatmeal + water
9:30 AM Ham, Cheese, Bologna on Flax bread
12:00 PM 1 Cup Lettuce, 4 Grape tomato's, pieces of onion, green pepper
3:30 PM 6oz Tuna + 1Tbsp olive oil
4:30 PM (Weights for days I do weights)
6:00 PM 8oz Chicken Breast
10:00 PM Sleep

I eat this pretty much every day but find it a little deficient in calories (Around 1200). Should I add another meal at 9pm if I sleep at 10?

I have some vague memory that you shouldn't eat anything 2-3 hours before you go to sleep else it'll go straight to fat, is this true?


If at the end of the day it turns out to be that you are eating less calories then you need, even if oyu have a meal before bad, it will not go into fat. I eat 1 serving of non-fat or low-fat cottage cheese 1/2 hour before sleep - it is only 90 calories with 0 fat and only 6 grams of carbs (3 grams of sugar). This way my body breaks down the protein from my stomach when I sleep and not from my muscle. Tha works for me perfectly, and I still lose weight. :claphigh:

Sorry to post again, but I just read this study. Lets see the "test" subjects were given ice ceam and candy bars 30min before bed. I am willing to contend that eating that stuff at any time of day can contribute to weight gain -- which certainly is a nightmare :confused:

Yeah I dont think it was the most scientifically sound study. I just thouhgt it was kind of funny warning of nightmares if you eat before bed :)

Marcus

I've heard that eating before bed helps prevent protein breakdown and enhance muscle recovery while you sleep. I know Body-for-Life and Body Rx both advocate eating before bed, and it comes up a lot on bodybuilding forums.

That being said, I can't point to any studies that come down emphatically one way or the other. In fact, a google search on the subject pulls up tons of conflicting information. I guess I fall back on the line I use a lot: "I know, and know of, many people who've had excellent results from eating before bed (as part of a six-meal a-day eating plan). I do it." I know that when my husband and I eat dinner around 6 or 7 pm, I am ready to eat again before bed.

:confused:

It seems like almost everything to do with bodybuilding and weightloss is an imperfect science.

I always have somewhere between a 1/2 cup to a cup of cottage cheese before bed. It has casein (sp) protein which is slow releasing and is supposedely very good for you before you go to sleep. Many of the guys on Men's Health recommend it too.

I'm only a couple weeks in and haven't seen great results yet. I normally leave work @3:00 get to the gym @4:15-4:30. After my workout I go home and make a protein shake. I then make/reheat dinner around 6:30-7:00 (normally something like an 8oz chicken breast) and go to bed @ 8:00-8:30.

Does this sound like it will be detrimental to me in any way?