How late should I eat?

[WWJD]

Re: How late should I eat?

I eat when I am hungry - doesn't matter what time of day it is. The real trick is not to eat when you aren't hungry. I used to eat a bag of chips in front of the TV too, but it wasn't because I was hungry!

Exactly! That was well said.

[LateNiteDiner]

Re: How late should I eat?

I was told by my nutritionist not to eat after 6-7pm. Your body starts slowing down at night preparing for sleep therefore you do not digest and metabolise food like you do during the day when your awake. It can cause indigestion and also you don't burn the food off like you would when your more active during the day

I had always heard this as well, but then these were the same people who claimed I should follow a high carb, low fat diet.

I agree that you should not snack mindlessly at night, but consider this topic before taking the industry at it's word on night time eating!

[WWJD]

Re: How late should I eat?

I am also a night time eater. Personally, I don't think eating before bedtime is a great habit and I wish I could break the cycle, BUT I also think a calorie is a calorie. If you can eat/snack/binge after dinner WITHOUT going over on your calorie (i.e. BMR) or carb amounts, then technically all should be fine.

My problem is that I tend not to keep track of what I snack on at night so I have no idea if I'm staying on track or not. An 8 oz block of cheese, a bag of pork rinds, or the leftovers from dinner can disappear in a heartbeat if I'm paying more attention to the TV than my mouth!

On Atkins you don't count calories my dear, be careful with that. Please refer to your DANDR (Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution). We watch our CCCL (Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing) thus if you're in induction your food ratio would read: 65% Fat/30% Protein/5% Carbs. After your 2 week induction you will see if you're metabolically resistent if so continue onto Extended Induction, if not then move on to OWL and start climbing the rungs by adding in 5% more carbs each week of permissible foods for that rung. You will know your CCCL level when you stop losing weight or gain. Get yourself a free online food tracker at http://www.fitday.com its wonderful and give you the percentages of what you've consumed for that day.

[WWJD]

Re: How late should I eat?

I have found when I follow the plan, after dinner I'm not as likely to be hungry. Snacking has always been a downfall of mine. I have to admit, once in the groove of the plan, I don't feel the need to eat.... strange! Plus, I do get heartburn at night if I eat late, no matter what I eat. Self-stopping I suppose.

Congrats on getting started and that exercise program!

Tracey

That's a wonderful point Tracey. like now I'm drinking my water, not because I need to get in my water but my body want it. Following Atkins put me back into the natural order of things.

[WWJD]

Re: How late should I eat?

I had always heard this as well, but then these were the same people who claimed I should follow a high carb, low fat diet.

I agree that you should not snack mindlessly at night, but consider this topic before taking the industry at it's word on night time eating!

Thanks for sharing the link.

[LateNiteDiner]

Re: How late should I eat?

On Atkins you don't count calories my dear, be careful with that.

I did not mean to suggest that we need to count every calorie we put in our mouth, but I would respectfully challenge the notion that we can ignore calories completely on this WOE.

There are a large number of posts on this site alone that discuss one's BMR, both in terms of not eating enough calories in a day as well as eating too many. Simply keeping one's calorie breakdown at F65/P30/C5 is not going to achieve steady, healthy weight loss if you are only eating 600 calories a day or splurging daily and eating 4200.

The reason Dr Atkin's claims counting calories is not necessary is because if you follow the plan's eating requirements correctly and only eat when you are hungry (or every 6 hours), odds are your calorie intake won't be an issue.

Whenever I restart on this WOE, I find a site like fitday.com to be critically important not only to ensuring my carb count and calorie breakdown if correct, but also to make sure I'm eating at or close to my BMR (mine is 2300 calories). It's usually a wake up call to see just how many calories one CAN eat and still lose! If I consume significantly more or less, than my BMR I usually see a drop off in weight loss per week. Just my eight cents.

[WWJD]

Re: How late should I eat?

I did not mean to suggest that we need to count every calorie we put in our mouth, but I would respectfully challenge the notion that we can ignore calories completely on this WOE.

There are a large number of posts on this site alone that discuss one's BMR, both in terms of not eating enough calories in a day as well as eating too many. Simply keeping one's calorie breakdown at F65/P30/C5 is not going to achieve steady, healthy weight loss if you are only eating 600 calories a day or splurging daily and eating 4200.

The reason Dr Atkin's claims counting calories is not necessary is because if you follow the plan's eating requirements correctly and only eat when you are hungry (or every 6 hours), odds are your calorie intake won't be an issue.....

Your point is partially valid. When you state that keeping the 65/30/5 ratio for induction is not going to achieve steady, healthy weight loss. That is not the truth. In fact in DANDR page 160, 3rd paragraph Dr. A says,

"People with high metabolic resistance can benefit from doing Induction logner because it gives them time to correct metabolic imbalances they may have developed over time. these include insulin resistance, blood-sugar imbalances, carbohydrate addictions and allergies. Once the metabolic imbalances are corrected, weight loss may speed up."

Thus adhering to 65/30/5 in extended induction is what some people need to do. Also if you read pages 161-162 passage called 'The Choice Was Theirs', you will see a night and day difference between two Atkins clients which explain in greater detail of what I conveyed above.

[LateNiteDiner]

Re: How late should I eat?

When you state that keeping the 65/30/5 ratio for induction is not going to achieve steady, healthy weight loss. That is not the truth.

Yes, but you quoted me out of context. The COMPLETE comment was:

Simply keeping one's calorie breakdown at F65/P30/C5 is not going to achieve steady, healthy weight loss if you are only eating 600 calories a day or splurging daily and eating 4200.

No hard feelings.

[WWJD]

Re: How late should I eat?

LateNightDiner, I saw your complete comment, but I follow Dr. A's DANDR to the letter.

Simply keeping one's calorie breakdown at F65/P30/C5 is not going to achieve steady, healthy weight loss if you are only eating 600 calories a day or splurging daily and eating 4200.

Where did you get these calculations from? They're a fallacy. Please tell me the page of DANDR you recieved that information from? You can't show me because you're going on assumption, thus come forward with DANDR information not your trainers, not your opinion/thought, or anyone elses. I don't mean to sound like I'm arguing, I'm not, my point is to read DANDR like a Bible and adhere to it as such, if not you will fall short. This is a program not to be mixed with outsiders opinions, that is why so many fail Atkins. If you want to adhere to what you believe in, fine, but do not say things on this board that isn't in DANDR.

[lml1014]

Re: How late should I eat?

That's how I gained most of my weight. My fiance worked two full time jobs (8:30 am to 1:00 am) and we never seen each other. When he got home we would eat then go to bed. Not too hot to step on the scale and look in the mirror when you do that for so long! Hence-the reason I'm back on Atkins. Good luck to you (and me)!!

[Aways2Go]

Re: How late should I eat?

I agree with latenitediner wholeheartedly. Severely undereating or severely overeating on calories will stop weight loss for many, many people. I'm not talking about a few hundred calories one way or another, and it doesn't appear latenitediner was either - I'm talking about starvation level intake or many many hundreds of calories above your BMR. The idea that either one of those extremes could hamper your weight loss is not a fallacy.

Maybe it is not spelled out in just that way in DANDR, but I think this would qualify as "gorging" if a person is eating a thousand calories beyond their BMR on a regular and ongoing basis. Atkins himself said not to necessarily count calories but that they did matter - I don't need him to rise from the dead and give me a direct quote on this topic to assume from those comments that he meant people should be somewhat reasonable with regard to caloric intake. As long as the person is losing weight/fat, that's great. But if they stall for long enough while maintaining percentages and carb levels, they might need to consider their calorie intake along with their carb levels if it is totally out of line with their BMR.

[WWJD]

Re: How late should I eat?

I agree with latenitediner wholeheartedly. Severely undereating or severely overeating on calories will stop weight loss for many, many people. I'm not talking about a few hundred calories one way or another, and it doesn't appear latenitediner was either - I'm talking about starvation level intake or many many hundreds of calories above your BMR. The idea that either one of those extremes could hamper your weight loss is not a fallacy.

Maybe it is not spelled out in just that way in DANDR, but I think this would qualify as "gorging" if a person is eating a thousand calories beyond their BMR on a regular and ongoing basis. Atkins himself said not to necessarily count calories but that they did matter - I don't need him to rise from the dead and give me a direct quote on this topic to assume from those comments that he meant people should be somewhat reasonable with regard to caloric intake. As long as the person is losing weight/fat, that's great. But if they stall for long enough while maintaining percentages and carb levels, they might need to consider their calorie intake along with their carb levels if it is totally out of line with their BMR.

How can you agree with someone "wholeheartedly" when they are not quoting from DANDR? This is ridiculous! That's why people come on this board and get discouraged listening to people like yourselves who take what someone says out of context, and throw your 2 cents in going on what you think. PLEASE QUOTE FROM THE BOOK!!! Nobody ever said undereat or overeat, the both of you are going by equating late night eating with overeating, and if you're not hungry as undereating. WOW, I'm glad I never listened to either of your "weight loss advice", I lost 100+ lbs. on Atkins in 8 months following it to the exact letter!

Let's see who is the biggest loser in the long run. Keeping it off, and living this wol. This isn't a quick loss overnight for me, this woe is a lifestyle.

Some people! SMH They gonna make me lose my religion up in here with this nonsense!!

[Desertthorn]

Re: How late should I eat?

If you follow DANDR I don't think you can severely eat to much or to little. I personally don't count calories because I believe in the KISS principle, and counting calories just is to much of a hassle so what's the point.
I do think if your in a stall for over 4 weeks or if you find yourself wanting to lick the glue off your latest Stephanie Plum novel, then maybe checking on calories might help.

[WWJD]

Re: How late should I eat?

If you follow DANDR I don't think you can severely eat to much or to little. I personally don't count calories because I believe in the KISS principle, and counting calories just is to much of a hassle so what's the point.
I do think if your in a stall for over 4 weeks or if you find yourself wanting to lick the glue off your latest Stephanie Plum novel, then maybe checking on calories might help.

That is my point exactly. I too adhere to the KISS principle, whenever I deviate things become frustrating. I listen to my body with this woe (not my cravings or mind as I did when I was on high bad carbs). If my body wants more I resume, if it wants less I stop. With this woe there are never 2 days that are the same consecutively.

[msanjelpie]

Re: How late should I eat?

So how do I put a person on ignore?

Anyway....

If you are unable to sleep because you are hungry... EAT. If you can sleep fine after not having eaten for 2-4 hours... don't eat... The time of day doesn't matter, it's whatever cycle your body is on and what it is used to doing...

If you don't eat before bed, and you wake up 4 hours after going to bed because you are hungry then eat something closer to bedtime so you can get a full night sleep.