9 oclock rule?

[billyz_wifey]

Whats that rule about after 9 o clock and you cant eat or shouldnt eat?

[Cyrstl]

Dang...for me it's the 7 o' clock rule

It's based on the premise that we are simply not as active at night...so you stop eating after dinner and avoid the nasty late-nite snacking that got most of us here in the first place.

[billyz_wifey]

Lol okay thanks, but say you do get hungrey ... just get water?

[LisaB]

If you have a snack at night, it should contain some sort of protein to sustain you longer and keep the blood sugar from dipping too low over night...

Lisa

[jpteamwork]

Dang...for me it's the 7 o' clock rule

It's based on the premise that we are simply not as active at night...so you stop eating after dinner and avoid the nasty late-nite snacking that got most of us here in the first place.

Me too; 7 o'clock and that is it. I stick to just water after that, but not too much or I am up in the middle of the night needing the bathroom.

[Gfly1]

Funny you mention 9..that's when we have our last snack or dessert for the day.

Don't know why, but we have done this ever since we started. I usually turn in for the night between 12 and 1. Works for us

Gfly1

[lupins4]

Below is something I had posted on another thread ("Other Weight-loss Tips) so I thought I'd copy it here in case you didn't see it

Hi again,

Although the "no eating 3 hours before bedtime" rule is not a South Beach one, I still think it's a good idea for most people.

As Bob Green (Oprah's personal trainer...can you tell i'm an Oprah freak?! ) says: "As far as weight loss (and gain) is concerned, your body handles calories eaten late at night differently. When you eat early in the day, your metabolism is raised in response to these calories. In addition, your energy level increases and so does your voluntary activity level. This all adds up to the burning of all (or most) of those calories eaten early on. But at night, your body and metabolism slow down in order to prepare for sleep. Calories eaten late at night don't have the opportunity to be "burned off" as calories eaten earlier, so they are more likely to become body fat.

Eating before bed affects your overall health, too. Since digestion shuts down at night, the food you eat then is in contact with your stomach and intestines and etc. for a much longer time. This in turn increases the risk for certain diseases including various cancers. The bottom line: you'll be much healthier if you shut down your eating at least two hours before bedtime."

If you must eat within a couple of hours before going to bed, it's not much to worry about...but i just thought this tip might help others give their SB weight loss a little boost

~Michelle

[audreyh1]

There is no rule about how late you can eat on SB. If you are hungry before you go to bed then eat something. It really doesn't matter what your metabolism does during the night. If you didn't eat enough calories during the day and are hungry before bed, then you need to eat something, your body will use up those calories.

Now there are those who are habitual evening snackers - i.e. eating/grazing though not really hungry. You don't want to do this. But if you are truly hungry, then eat something!

Audrey

[Cassiopia]

Im not so sure about the after 9 pm rule. Digestion is a 24/7 thing, like your heart and lungs it does not shut down after you go to bed! I end up having dinner at 9-10 pm maybe 2-3 times a week and haven't had problems losing.
I think it May be a good idea to cut out late night noshing if you have been in the habit of eating waaay too many foods late at night. Obviously it will decrease your intake of calories if you do.
However since this is South Beach you do need that snack in order to keep your metabolism going- usually about 2-3 hours after a meal. Thats a basic premise of this diet and for good reason. I really do stick with the book and I dont remember DrA stating anywhere that we have to stop eating at 9 pm.
That's my two cents...

[smiley]

I don't know how eating late at night affects your weight, but I can tell you that you shouldn't eat before lying down to sleep. It can cause other digestive problems like acid reflux.

I went to an Ear-Nose-Throat guy that specializes in singers. He made it a point to tell me not to eat at least two hours before going to bed. He said that because of their lifestyle, lots of singers have problems with acid reflux and other digestive problems affecting their throats. This is because you don't want to eat a big meal before a rehearsal or a performance, so they often eat dinner aftewards (like 10pm or later). Then they lie down and go to sleep soon after that. Apparently the big meal and being in the reclined position is the bad combination that causes the stomach acid to work its way up your throat over time.

I don't think eating smaller meals (or snacks) is a big problem, or even going to bed right after a big dinner once in a while. He seemed to make it sound like a cummulative thing.

So I definately wouldn't recommend getting in the habit of eating dinner late, right before sleeping on a regular basis. So for Gfly1, this isn't a big deal because you stay up so late!

Smiley

[lorka150]

It's the amount of calories you consume over the course of the day. No difference in weight loss at the times you eat.

I've been on Phase III for a while. I eat dinner at around 8:30/9pm. A snack at around 11pm. I go to bed at around 1am.

[A-Rod]

I'm totally in debate about whether eating late is a bad thing. Lorka's reasoning seems logical, but then again, if your body's not burning it up so quick, what's it doing with it?

Which is a point of consternation for me, given that after eating, I'm usually fairly ready to pass out. I don't know why, but I get major food comas and want to do nothing but lay around after dinner. So tired. A lot of times I'll have just eaten and wont' be able to keep from falling asleep. I hate it.

[oldpjams]

it makes no difference when you eat, and the underlying concept of SBD is to keep your blood sugar even 24/7. i wouldn't stuff myself and then lie down, but you should not go to bed hungry.

[kaeureu]

I agree with Cassiopia. I always have my last snack near the end of my day as a sort of treat to look forward to. I sometimes eat my dinners late, and it never stopped me from loosing weight.
It doesn't make sense that your digestion would slow down to the point that it would store any late night meals as fat. If your metabolism goes back up in the morning, wouldn't it just tackle it then?
This is no expert opinion, but just my personal experience.

[jessy]

i hear about this before too
It's the amount of calories you consume over the course of the day

i always eat my fruits/nuts near bed time...when i stop eating it only around 1 hr or less before bed time