Optimal time for dinner: what time to have dinner so as not to gain weight

There is still debate about how many hours before bed you can eat. Nutritionists insist: the last meal should occur three to four hours before bedtime. Women's magazines scare those who allow themselves snacks after 18:00 with fat deposits. And sports coaches insist on a light protein dinner shortly before going to bed. Recently, another idea has emerged that has food lovers excited: the last meal of the day may include carbohydrates. Not only will this not make you gain weight, but you will also lose weight. Where is the truth?

The Magic Power of Carbohydrates

Israeli scientists conducted an interesting study.
For six months, they fed one experimental group of people a carbohydrate-containing meal at night, while the other group was given a traditional fitness menu including vegetables, fish or chicken breast. Moreover, in general, both groups ate the same amount of biologically significant substances per day: approximately 1500-1700 kcal. But the first group received carbohydrates at night, and the second - evenly throughout the day. Having weighed the participants in the first group six months later, scientists discovered that they not only did not gain weight, but even lost a little weight. In addition, their sleep improved, and the production of glucose and the hormones ghrelin and leptin normalized. The insulin level was also stable throughout the day, so the subjects did not suffer from changes in appetite and tolerated the diet calmly and without incident.

The body's reaction to late snacking

1. At night, our body is set to rest and recover. When we go to bed, all processes in the body slow down, including digestion. All food eaten at night rots inside us and is stored as fat due to inhibited digestion. Rotting leads to contamination of the body and disease. This is the terrible truth and I hope that if you want to put a piece of something in at night, the phrase “rots and is stored in fat” will help cope with food cravings.
2. Eating before bed and at night prevents the release of growth hormone during sleep, which means the body does not recover, new cells are not formed and the body ages.
   Growth hormone helps the body recover, supports regeneration and maintains youth and is released during sleep and physical activity. But it is blocked by the presence of insulin in the blood. Insulin is released when blood sugar rises, that is, after any meal, and works until it “transfers” all the sugar from the blood into the cells.
3. Due to late snacks, the “biological clock” gets lost and the body begins to work intermittently. This slows down metabolism and, as a result, poor absorption and excess weight.

Why do you want to eat in the evening?

The desire to enjoy something before bed is so common that this state has been given an unofficial label - “night watcher”. Indeed, some people cannot go to bed unless they eat something in the evening. Others even wake up at night to go to the refrigerator. Scientists say that this is not a bad habit, but a peculiar state of the body when the level of leptin and cortisol increases.

A sharp release of them is provoked by eating a dinner of vegetables and protein foods. Due to the excess amount of these hormones, sleep is disturbed, the nervous system is depressed, and the body recovers poorly. As a result, a person experiences a constant feeling of fatigue.

The sad thing is that when getting up to the refrigerator at night, many do not control themselves. In the morning they may even forget about their adventures. At the same time, it is not dietary food that disappears from the refrigerator, but the most high-calorie food. And people have a question: why do they still gain weight if they follow a diet during the day?

Therefore, it is strongly recommended not to use advice not to eat after 18:00 or to eat only vegetables in the evening.

The human biological clock is closely related to the cycle of night and day. Depending on the level of lighting, the body regulates the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, as well as other substances. The light regime also affects various body systems.

For example, by night, metabolism and the functioning of the digestive system slow down, and the level of insulin and glucose in the blood decreases. But the level of growth hormone increases, which also has a fat-burning effect. It is at night that the hormone leptin combines with free fatty acids.

Last meal

As we have already mentioned, everyone’s body is individual, as is their lifestyle. Therefore, each person should listen to himself and create a unique diet for himself. If it is still difficult for you to listen to yourself, then follow the general recommendations that read:

1. Do not overload your body with “heavy” food.
2. Don't eat until your stomach is full.
3. Have dinner a few hours before going to bed.

Perhaps over time, you will feel that you should eat a little later or earlier, so you can gradually improve your sleep and lose excess weight.

When and what to have dinner

When calculating the time of the last meal, you need to make sure that there is not a long break between it and breakfast. Otherwise, sharp fluctuations in insulin and a strong feeling of hunger are guaranteed, when it is difficult to resist overeating. Therefore, if you decide not to eat after 18:00, then go to bed no later than 21:00. The most common recommendation is to have dinner two to three hours before bedtime, which has continued to exist for decades.

By the way, pediatricians and gastroenterologists say that children under 14 years of age are generally prohibited from going to bed feeling hungry. It is better to allow your child to eat low-calorie and light foods before bed. It could be cottage cheese, baked fish or chicken breast with vegetables.

Adults, an hour before bedtime, can eat a few apples, a banana, a little oatmeal, stewed vegetables or a green salad, and drink a glass of kefir, yogurt, or milk. Such food will perfectly help cope with hunger and will not disturb your sleep.

However, it is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of the body and lifestyle: nutrition during the day, time of awakening, amount of sleep. People prone to fat storage should carefully select their food for the evening. Under no circumstances should you eat pickled, smoked, spicy foods, sweets, fatty meats, or pizza. It is not recommended to drink any drinks with high caffeine content in the evening. This does not so much contribute to the accumulation of fat as it interferes with sleep. And the longer you stay awake at night, the faster you get hungry.

By the way, aromatic oils help reduce the feeling of hunger. If you want to deceive the body, then use an aroma lamp with mint, vanilla, and fir oils in the evening. They also calm the nervous system and help you fall asleep quickly and peacefully.

Nutritionists recommend keeping the calorie content of dinner within 450-500 kcal. It should consist of 50-75 g of carbohydrates, 15-25 g of fat, 25-35 g of protein.

Carbohydrates should be obtained from fiber, sugars should not exceed 7 g. For fats, it is better to consume olive oil or other products containing omega-9 fatty acids. They will be completely digested in 3-4 hours and will give you strength. Therefore, going to bed will not be accompanied by either heaviness in the stomach or hunger.

Fermented milk products as a light dinner

Kefir, yogurt, and milk can perfectly replace dinner. But here you should definitely take into account that you should only take fermented milk products with low fat content. And of course, you will not get satiation from one glass of kefir if the break in nutrition during the day was too long. It is recommended to eat every 2-2.5 hours so that your body does not feel hungry and is not overloaded with an excessive portion of food. Those who have an intolerance should treat fermented milk products with caution. In this case, it is better to drink a cup of green or black tea without sugar.

Let us remind you that drinking coffee or alcohol is not recommended, as it can cause nervousness and make it difficult for you to fall asleep.

Diet errors

However, it happens that a person does not overload the body with heavy food in the evening, eats at the right time, but still falls asleep poorly, sleeps restlessly and even gains excess weight. The reason for this may be bad eating habits that he adheres to throughout his life.

• TV and eating. Many studies have proven that at least 300 extra calories are consumed while eating while watching TV. The fact is that in such a situation a person’s attention is directed to the picture on the screen, so the signal of satiety is received and realized later. During this time, a person manages to “eat” too much, not to mention the fact that food is chewed worse when watching TV. But after dinner while watching TV, about 83% of people surveyed report heaviness in their stomach.
• Long breaks between meals. Most of us eat according to a simplified principle: a cup of coffee for breakfast, a modest lunch (or more often than not, no lunch at all) and a large dinner. In fact, there should be three full meals and two to three snacks.
• Insufficient heating of food. Very cold or poorly heated food slows down the digestion process. Therefore, you should eat hot food at least once a day.
• Eating strong feelings. We are talking about both negative and positive emotions. This habit is most often formed in childhood. When experiencing stress, the body’s internal forces are not directed at digestion at all. Therefore, food in the stomach takes a long time to digest, stagnates, and causes a feeling of heaviness.
• Weekend disruptions. Usually, after a long period of abstaining from junk food or eating as part of a diet during the week, people allow themselves to “relax” on the weekend. This is not good for the body.
• Fast food snacks. Fast food is high in calories. It is prepared using a lot of oil, fatty sauces are added, and other tricks are used to make the food look appetizing. For example, the golden color of a bun comes from the sugar in the dough, which caramelizes during baking.

Semi-finished products also cause significant harm, which, in addition to a huge amount of calories, contain many preservatives.

Author: Lyudmila Mezentseva

Why does evening hunger occur and how to overcome it?

In the morning you may not remember what you ate so much last night.
Almost a third of all respondents admitted that they are prone to evening and even night overeating. Often, bouts of gluttony occur in a semi-conscious state - the next morning the eater may not remember what he snacked on the day before. This problem has both physiological and psychological sources:

• Not eating enough during the day.
  Constant snacking and lack of breakfast lead to the fact that the body requires to make up for the lack of calories in the evening. A vicious circle arises: overeating at night reduces appetite after waking up, and skipping a morning meal leads to a large feast before bed.
• The influence of hormones.
  This is due to insulin and cortisol - substances produced as a result of a meager dinner. It is enough to supplement your evening meal with a small slice of black bread, and the craving for unexpected snacks will decrease or completely disappear.
• Depression.
  Eating disorders and mental health problems are inextricably linked. Such a symptom may indicate bulimia, which requires contacting a specialist.
• Violation of the daily routine.
  People who work night shifts notice an increase in appetite in the evenings, even if they go to bed early. This is due to the body getting used to eating after midnight - the brain sends signals to the stomach that it is time to eat.

One should not suffer from remorse after twilight excesses. Self-criticism can lead to depressed mood, withdrawal, and subsequent bouts of binge eating. You can overcome hungry thoughts with simple tips:

• Taking an aromatic bath.
  Water procedures before bed will help you relax and forget about food.
• Walk.
  The best place for exercise would be a park or forest.
• Pursuing your favorite hobby.
  Reading, knitting or embroidering will calm your nerves and bring peace of mind. And it’s better to refrain from watching TV - advertising of attractive-looking products can whet your appetite.
• Teeth cleaning.
  It has been noticed that food cravings are significantly reduced after performing a hygiene procedure.
• Lack of high-calorie food in the refrigerator.
  By removing all treats from your reach and replacing them with healthy foods, you can protect yourself from overeating. It is unlikely that anyone will eat a kilogram of low-fat cottage cheese or a pack of bran bread before going to bed.

Ask your loved ones to refrain from eating high-calorie foods in your presence - this way you will get rid of additional temptations.

Reasons for Late Snacking

We have already figured out how harmful the “night watch” is; now it is important to understand the causes of such attacks in order to eradicate this bad habit once and for all.

1. Habits associated with external stimuli and circumstances.
2. Lack of a full dinner.
3. Lack of food and specific elements (vitamins, minerals) per day.
4. Moral prohibitions or troubling problems.

Of course, there may be several reasons or even all of them together, so you need to analyze your behavior, feelings and determine what is the impetus for eating late. Don't be discouraged if you think that all 4 reasons describe your case, it just means that you need to try all the solutions given below.

Let's look at each reason in a little more detail using specific examples.

1. Every evening you want to watch TV/film/series and “chew” something while watching it. Or you’re used to drinking tea and cookies with your family/friends before bed. Or you come home from work late and tired, you just want to quickly eat something and go to bed. Or simply, you are used to falling asleep only with a full stomach.
2. We didn’t have time to eat before a certain time (invented by you) and decided to skip dinner altogether. Or they ate 1 cucumber and 50 grams of fish (which is portioned and does not reach 200 grams). Or they decided to eat a bar or cake for the allowed amount of calories (and this is a fast carbohydrate that sharply increases blood sugar and quickly “evaporates”).
3. All day at work, my head is occupied with other things, as a result of the day a couple of apples and a sandwich (at best). Or you eat the same type of food for a week (an unbalanced diet and, as a result, a lack of vitamins). Or you decided to go on a diet where you need to eat too little per day.
4. You strictly limit yourself to something, forbid yourself a certain product (the forbidden fruit is sweet). Or in the evening all the problems of life come up and to calm down, you eat just one chocolate bar.

And now we are all sobbing from hopelessness and exhaling deeply. This is not a tragedy at all and there are no ideal people in the world. Any problem can be overcome if you take it seriously. That's what we'll do now.

Optimal conditions for sleep

To decorate your bedroom, it is better to choose the quietest room, the windows of which do not face a busy street. The bed should be spacious and as comfortable as possible. Pay special attention to choosing a mattress. It should be neither too hard nor too soft, and should provide the body with the opportunity to relax as much as possible. It is better to choose a low pillow so that the spine remains in a straight position while sleeping.

When choosing bedding, give preference to natural, breathable materials. The best option is 100% cotton underwear.

Sleep will be healthier and more sound if you sleep in complete darkness. Always turn off the lights at night and cover the windows with thick curtains or blinds. If you get up to go to the toilet at night, try not to turn on a bright lamp. A night light with a reddish light is best; it will not interrupt the production of melatonin.

It is also very important to breathe fresh air, so the room must be well ventilated. Keep in mind that in 1 hour an adult processes about 3 cubic liters of oxygen. To refresh the air, it is better to leave the window ajar.

The optimal temperature in the bedroom is 20-22 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, the body fully relaxes, but does not overheat. If this temperature seems cool, dress warmly and cover yourself with a warm blanket, but keep your head cool.

When going to bed, try not to think about problems, better think about something pleasant, or even better - completely get rid of thoughts and concentrate on your breathing.

What else needs to be considered

If you follow the above recommendations every day, you will fall asleep faster, sleep will become more sound, and in the morning you will feel cheerful and full of energy. If sleep still does not return to normal, there may be some health problems or a lack of certain substances. You should not self-medicate and resort to sleeping pills. They are aimed at fighting the effect, not the cause. In addition, sleeping pills quickly become addictive, and then the problems will only get worse.

To find out the cause of insomnia and find the appropriate treatment, it is best to consult a doctor. You can find a qualified specialist in Volgograd, Volzhsky and Mikhailovka at DIALINE clinics. We provide a wide range of medical services. All patients are accepted by appointment, eliminating the need to wait in line. To quickly and easily make an appointment with specialists and gain access to additional opportunities, we recommend registering in your personal account on our website.