Carbs before bed?

[Eddie0206]

I have read that carbs before bed will at fat in the abdomine area. I was also talking to a frequent lifter and he said carbs before bed will add on good weight. Any insite?

[austrailia21]

u def need a slow release carb before bed (thats in ur last meal) (9pm) eg brown rice.
thats my research but im sure there are scientific studys that the other boys will post for you.

[Darkhorse]

^^ That would be the advice for PROTEIN, not carbs. You'd want a slow release protein (preferred) right before bed, and only TRACE carbs. So if you have a carb cutoff 5 hours before bed, that means all your meals from that point on are lean cuts of protein/shakes, and lots of green veggies such as broccoli. Carbs are the devil before bed.

Things to Remember:

• Eating too much food, especially carbohydrates, late at night increases your body fat stores

• Eating high-glycemic carbs (pasta, potatoes, white rice, sugar, etc.) right before bed will spike your insulin levels and blunt nighttime Human Growth Hormone (HGH) production.

• That's very bad because about 80% of this fat-burning, muscle-building "super hormone" is released during sleep.

• If you fast for 11 hours (8 PM to 7 am for instance) your body will begin burning significant amounts of fat around the 5th hour (1 am) and continue to do so until you wake up.

[hrdgain81]

There is no reason not to have carbs before bed, especially if your like me and you train late in the evening. Just dont over do it, and you'll be fine. If I can find it I'll post the interview were layne norton talks about the myth of "carbs before bed = putting on fat". He debunks it pretty well from what i remember.

[ChinPieceDave667]

Originally Posted by hrdgain81

There is no reason not to have carbs before bed, especially if your like me and you train late in the evening. Just dont over do it, and you'll be fine. If I can find it I'll post the interview were layne norton talks about the myth of "carbs before bed = putting on fat". He debunks it pretty well from what i remember.

Totally agree. I don't get out of my MMA classes till almost 10 PM and I have to eat carbs or I'll just waste away. There is a point of over doing it but that goes with any diet. Carbs before bed are fine, bulking or even in a cut diet. I just make sure it is less then what I normally eat during the day, 30-20 grams or less.

[Eddie0206]

Alrighty, thanks for all the help guys I appreciate it.

[hrdgain81]

I like cottage cheese right before bed personally, with some oat bran or something. Good casien protien, and good slow digesting carbs.

[EricT]

I added this into the "ignorant dietary philosophies" section. The article wording, not mine! Just a cut and paste edit into the Nutrition Roundtable interview in the nutrition section from Layne Norton since Hrdgain mentioned that.

Question: I sometimes work out pretty late at night (finish at around 9) and was wondering if my post workout meal strategy should change as a result. I'm cutting on a low carb diet, by the way. I usually have my post workout drink with about 90g of carbs, and an hour after that a meal with some carbs and protein, but since this would mean eating at 10 p.m. (I go to bed at 11), I'm afraid of fat gain while I sleep. I did my usual thing yesterday and could swear I felt some bloating. Any suggestions?

MY ANSWER: You are approaching the situation almost the exact same way I would do it. Make it a point to have very little to no carbs throughout the day and same most of them for your workout so you can recover properly. DO NOT SKIMP on post workout nutrition, even if you are cutting. If you don't get an adequate amount of carbohydrates into your system to refill your glycogen stores your recovery will surely be hampered. You should also have some complex carbs right before bed since the simple carbs that you ingest with your post workout shake will not last you very long and these complex carbs will help spare muscle protein while you sleep. You should also have a slow digesting protein source immediately before bed.

Don't worry, if you're in calorie deficit and your workouts are intense your body will not be "worried" about synthesizing fat, it's first priority will be to refill your depleted glycogen stores and repair your atrophied muscle tissue, these carbs will most likely not be stored as fat. The bloating you experienced is most likely from water retention from the carbohydrate in gestation. For every gram of glycogen your cells store they also bring in 2.7g of water, so you can see how you might feel bloated, it is nothing more than water retention. My guess is when you wake up you look rather crisp, as the water retention is likely to have subsided by that time.

[TALO]

I like a nice steak (slow protein) and some oats before bed....mmmm the perfect meal....I agree with the others on some carbs, but 0311 to has a point. Everyone is different, so it's going to be upto you to see how your body reacts.

[Sleazy]

I think its important to realize that Layne is talking about people who work out LATE.

If your not working out late at night I personally don't see the reason for eating carbs during your last meals unless its timed around a recovery meal. Carbs are stored for energy so why would you need that energy if your just watching tv or about to go to sleep?

To me the common reasoning of not eating carbs before bed makes sense in regards to cutting.