I’ve lost about 20 pounds in the previous several months, and the biggest change I made was to stop snacking late at night. I used to have dinner around 7 p.m., and then a few hours later, I’d grab chips, cookies, or whatever was available while watching TV. These calories accumulated up without my knowledge. I started losing weight once I stopped nibbling late at night.
I’m feeling better overall, but I want to push my fitness to the next level. I have some additional money thanks to a small sports betting victory, so I’m considering purchasing a set of dumbbells or joining a club to begin weight training. I’ve read that gaining muscle can aid with fat loss and overall body composition.
Has anyone else gone from focussing just on nutrition to include strength training? What type of routine did you begin with, and how did it affect your results? I’d appreciate any suggestions on how to get started without overdoing it.
What time in the day did you stop eating? I’m trying not to eat anything after 7 p.m. every night. I find it quite difficult. Late-night munching is my biggest weakness. I can go all day, but late at night, I get carb and sugar cravings.
I halted late-night munching as well, going cold turkey. If you need to snack, try yoghurt, protein bars, or fruits. Anything that is not your typical garbage. Drinking plenty of water. Sleepytime tea with magnesium; the one I use is sweet, so it gives a little of a craving fix.
Increase your fibre intake to reduce cravings as you get more full. Sweet and salty foods can be supplemented with bitter or “funky” flavours such as kimchi or sauerkraut. Trick your body and mind for a while until you can make better dietary decisions.
If you can afford it, join a gym and make it part of your daily routine. It will provide you with many more possibilities. You can find a lot of ideas about what to do on YouTube for free.
I constantly encourage weight training because it has so many health benefits, but weight loss isn’t one of those. Your body may alter with adequate fitness and nutrition, but there are many other benefits that I believe everyone should do to varied degrees.
I would recommend getting a gym membership and showing up routinely. Simply being present for an extended period of time will make you familiar and comfortable enough to experiment. Then you may develop a decent schedule for what muscles you train each day.
It does not matter what time of day you eat. It is a fallacy that consuming x number of calories at night causes you to acquire more weight than eating x amount of calories during the day. Weight loss will occur as long as you maintain a calorie deficit. The timing of your meals has no effect on your caloric intake or the number of calories you burn. I personally do not consume snacks while on a diet. I eat three meals every day and nothing between them. If you want to eat your last meal at midnight for any reason, it will have no detrimental impact on your weight loss.
People with irregular or inconsistent sleep-wake cycles may wake up with the munchies. I’ll call it midnight snacking.
A tiny glass of milk? Fine. But not for me. There are many qualifiers here: the worst-case scenario is ingesting something that causes esophageal contents to reflux (back up) into the throat. It’s similar to vomiting, except it doesn’t include any solids and simply stays inside. Even a head-elevated position in bed will not stop the reflux once it begins. Chronic reflux has been associated to the development of many esophageal structures, including cancer.
So, I’m not a fan of eating at night and then going back to bed. Working the night shift, having breakfast and then napping is not advisable.
If you are sleeping, your calorie burn has decreased to its basic level; therefore, if your body is still processing food while you sleep, those calories must be dealt with, and only a few are burned, so they are stored in fat cells. That’s the only place they can go!
Additionally, the body needs to repair and sustain itself during sleeping. If it receives nutrition from the lower GI tract, it assumes you’re awake and does nothing, contributing to the aging of cells throughout the body.
If your body is still digesting food when you go to bed, your sleep will be less deep and restorative, and excellent sleep has been shown to help you lose weight.
Eating late at night might interrupt sleep patterns and cause weight gain due to lower metabolism and poor meal selection. It’s ideal to eat smaller, more nutrient-dense meals early in the evening and avoid hefty snacks close to bedtime. For additional information on how to optimise meal time for weight loss, visit my Quora profile on Healthy Eating Habits.
Late-night munching is not recommended if you are attempting to lose weight. If you have cravings after dinner, it could signify that you did not consume enough calories throughout the day or at supper. I recommend that you assess your daily calorie intake and meal distribution. Double-check your calorie intake and exercise levels, and make any necessary adjustments.