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Eating at night in my situation -- yes/no?

X

xboxist

Diamond Member
Quick background: I'm 29 years old, 330 lbs. and 6'2". I played for the basketball and cross country team in high school. Had an awful knee injury that left me unable to do much more than walk for the better part of my 20s. After a couple of life-changing surgeries in the past couple of years, I'm finding myself suddenly able and driven to bust out of this sedentary lifestyle I've been living for 10+ years.

So exactly 17 days ago, I decided it's time to change. I've committed to doing 100 days in a row of 30-40 hard minutes on my gym's eliptical machine (low impact is the key). I just finished day 17. With my schedule, I can only workout after work. So I've been eating a lowfat diet of about 2500 calories during the day. I have my final meal at roughly 6:00pm. I get to the gym around 7:00pm. I go to bed between 11:00 and midnight.

I feel STARVED after the workout! I'm not shorting myself on calories; I'm keeping close track of that. I figure it's just because I'm kicking my own ass in the gym? My question is should I snack on something after the workout and before bed? Or should I just suck it up and deal with it, and eat nothing at all after dinner each night?

I ask this not because I can't deal with the hunger, but because I want to make sure I'm not actually hurting my goal of overall weight loss, by not eating when hungry. What do you guys think?
 
I would definitely suggest eating something after your workout even if it is right before you go to bed...as long as it is within your daily calorie budget. Too much is made of eating too late at night. Your body doesn't know the difference...as long as you maintain your daily calorie burn and calorie intake it doesn't matter. You could wake up at 2am eat something and go back to sleep if you wanted (as long as it fits into your daily calorie budget).

You're probably starving because 1) It's the end of the day and you are probably eating fewer calories than you're used to and 2) You just got done working out and your body is in need of nutrients to refuel and recover. So, something with a good blend of carbohydrates and protein. A protein/meal replacement shake might work well here because it's quick and easy.

Question for you...have you implemented a resistance training program into your routine?

 
The whole 'when you eat' thing is kinda dumb. Just keep your total calories in check. You definitely want to eat after your workout. Your body wants protein after a workout.
 
Eat when you feel like it. Just learn how to listen to your body tell you when it's full - not stuffed, but not still hungry. A tasty protein shake might hit the spot.
 
Originally posted by: bossman34


Question for you...have you implemented a resistance training program into your routine?
Click to expand...


No, but I plan to in the coming weeks. I wanted to start off with just cardio to get my body accustomed to the blood flowing and the breathing, so it gets used to general exertion once more.

And thank you for the thoughts.
 
I'm going to stop by GNC tomorrow and see what kind of protein shakes they have. That sounds like a good suggestion.
 
Good deal. Resistance training is an important part of any health and fitness program. The sooner you get started the better.

Also, GNC will have what you're looking for, but I guarantee you can find it online for a lot cheaper if you're willing to wait a few days for shipping!
 
Originally posted by: xboxist
I'm going to stop by GNC tomorrow and see what kind of protein shakes they have. That sounds like a good suggestion.
Click to expand...

Get small bottles, some shakes are pretty nasty tasting and you don't want to be stuck with 5 pounds of the stuff if you don't have to 😉
 
Wait, let me get this straight. You don't do anything for a very very long time and then decide to do 100 days STRAIGHT of fairly intense exercise? That's not how your body works and you're preparing yourself for injury. Rest is just as important as the actual exercise and you need to take at least 1 day off a week (I would highly suggest 2). Especially in going from sedentary to this, you need to be careful. Listen to your body's aches and pains. Also refer to the sticky. If you want to lose mainly fat, you're going to need to get on a sort of resistance program to reduce muscle loss. Please don't do the 100 days straight. That is a bad idea and I would never suggest anyone do that under any circumstances.
 
What does your 2,500 calorie diet consist of? Maybe you might be able to switch to foods that leave you fuller but still end up with the same amount of calories consumed per day. You should definitely eat something after working out. I always pack an extra sandwich or piece of meat left over from a previous dinner or something, and sometimes fruit too, on days I go to the gym right after work. I eat them right after my workout.
 
What does your 2,500 calorie diet consist of? Maybe you might be able to switch to foods that leave you fuller but still end up with the same amount of calories consumed per day. You should definitely eat something after working out. I always pack an extra sandwich or piece of meat left over from a previous dinner or something, and sometimes fruit too, on days I go to the gym right after work. I eat them right after my workout.
 
I try not to eat at night because at that point my willpower is gone. that said, you should eat something immediately following a workout. Also no-one does 100 "intense" days in a row. You need rest, even if that means that some of those days you walk instead of running (on the eliptical). I try to do MWF: intense; TTh: moderate; Sat & Sun: off days. By Friday I can tell that I need a day off since Thursday's workout isn't light enough for me to recover fully by Friday, so I give it all I have left, then take two days off.
 
In general, if your caloric and macronutrient intake is kept constant, the timing of your eating isn't terribly important. The ideas that eating many times a day somehow boosts your metabolism or that eating late at night is bad for you are both myths. However, there are a few exceptions:

1. Your body can only absorb and properly process so much food and so many nutrients at a time. Therefore, there would be a difference between eating one huge meal w/ 150g of protein versus 3 smaller meals with 50g of protein each. If you're eating normal sized meals, this is obviously not a concern.
2. Eating smaller meals more often does nothing for your metabolism, but it may be helpful with managing hunger levels. If you ate 3000 calories per day split into 3 large meals of 1000 calories that were 5 hours apart, you may find yourself getting hungry in between and end up eating extra food. However, if you split the same calories between 6 smaller meals of 500 calories spaced out by only 2.5 hours, you are less likely to be hungry in between and will avoid the extra calories.
3. As this paper explains, research indicates that "appropriately timed protein intake is an important component of an overall exercise training program, essential for proper recovery, immune function, and the growth and maintenance of lean body mass." In other words, timing food before and after exercise can make a difference, even if your overall daily calorie/macronutrient intake is kept constant. Although advice generally varies and will depend upon the type of exercise you are doing, the general recommendation is to eat a small balanced meal (carbs, fat & protein) an hour or two before exercise and some high GI carbs and more protein right after exercise. If you are on a calorie controlled diet, it will probably be worth rearranging the meals slightly to accommodate this, as it will likely lead to better exercise performance and better recovery afterwords.

Oh, and I agree with SC: do not do 100 days straight of anything. Even elite athletes have at least 1 day of rest per week and their level of fitness and recovery ability is probably far beyond yours. Rest is an integral component of exercise and improving your health and without it, you're not only slowing your progress, but also setting yourself for injuries and overtraining symptoms.
 
I wanted to take a second to clarify my goals and inspiration:

I was listening to Jim Rome (sports guy) the other day and he had the head coach of the Memphis men's basketball team as a guest. Rome asked him how he motivates his players day in and day out. The coach said he tries to lead by example. And as such, he's ran 5 miles every day for the past 140+ days. That concept hit me upside the head and was a true awakening for me. I know that there are many people in this world who run every day of their lives. And while I can't necessarily run, I can certainly do a lot more than I'm doing and there's certainly no excuse to not get to the gym every day. Especially someone like myself, who has no kids or any real commitments outside of a 9-5 job.

I appreciate the concerns about doing too much and possibly hurting myself. I'm a smart guy who listens to his body. I'm not in the gym pedaling at full speed for 40 minutes. I'm using a no-to-low impact machine. I'm 17-18 days into this goal, and I've had about 3 or 4 "light" days where I just didn't have the energy to go as hard as usually do, and settled for a relatively relaxed session. The point is that I'm getting off of my ass every single day for 100 days straight and doing something. I'm too inspired to break this goal, and I sincerely don't think I need to worry about injuring myself. If I do, I'll be sure to come back and confess to being an idiot.

I thank you all for the continued advice!

 
Originally posted by: Deeko
The whole 'when you eat' thing is kinda dumb. Just keep your total calories in check. You definitely want to eat after your workout. Your body wants protein after a workout.
Click to expand...

There is alot to be said on when to eat as well as what to eat during certain times.

It's almost impossible to become really massive and cut with no thought process behind one's diet.

Some people just get lucky. I am willing to bet though if you put a lot more effort into your nutriition you'd be well past 148lbs..assuming you are of average height.

 
Have a small bit of protein after the workout before bed, otherwise deal with it. It's not fun, but honest to God nothing beats down fat levels like going to bed hungry.
 
Originally posted by: alkemyst
Originally posted by: Deeko
The whole 'when you eat' thing is kinda dumb. Just keep your total calories in check. You definitely want to eat after your workout. Your body wants protein after a workout.
Click to expand...

There is alot to be said on when to eat as well as what to eat during certain times.

It's almost impossible to become really massive and cut with no thought process behind one's diet.

Some people just get lucky. I am willing to bet though if you put a lot more effort into your nutriition you'd be well past 148lbs..assuming you are of average height.
Click to expand...

Who said he wanted to be bigger than 148? Size does not equal good necessarily, especially when it comes to weight classes and sports that require agility. Weight is a poor indicator of anything except maximum possible load.

EDIT: You seem to be trolling around today.
 
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