At this time, should I “eat before going to bed” or “go to bed hungry”?

If you are hungry before going to bed, should you have a midnight snack or go to bed hungry? Many people choose to skip dinner in order to lose weight, while others choose the "16+8" diet (eating between 9 am and 5 pm and going hungry at night). Which of these choices is healthier?

Is it really bad to have a midnight snack before bed?

Many people think that eating a midnight snack before going to bed will make you fat. In fact, eating a midnight snack has little to do with gaining weight. Gaining weight is caused by consuming more calories than the body needs, and all the excess calories turn into fat and accumulate in the stomach, buttocks, and thighs. Therefore, as long as the calories consumed are less than the body's needs, you will not gain weight.

For people who are trying to lose weight, they often eat less at the beginning, and they will inevitably feel very hungry at night. At this time, it is not a bad idea to eat a little bit and then slowly reduce the amount of food. On the contrary, if you eat a lot and your energy intake is high, you will still gain weight even if you don't eat a midnight snack. Eating a midnight snack will only make you fatter.

Of course, we should not eat supper without scruples, because it will increase the burden on our stomach and intestines, trigger brain activity and cause insomnia, etc. Eating supper too late may also lead to other diseases, such as "night eating syndrome".

Patients with night eating syndrome often have no appetite in the morning, but have a strong appetite at night. The energy intake after dinner accounts for more than 50% of the whole day. They often get up at night to eat snacks (more than 3 times a week for more than 3 months). Their energy intake is much higher than that of ordinary people, and the incidence of obesity is high.

Is it healthier to go to bed hungry?

In fact, if you skip dinner at all, going to bed on an empty stomach can also be harmful to your body.

The total amount of energy and nutrition the human body needs every day is basically constant. If you skip a meal or eat less at other times, you will definitely not be able to meet your daily needs. If you simply skip dinner and keep other lifestyle habits the same, you will experience symptoms of malnutrition such as listlessness, lack of strength, depression, and a dull complexion over time.

Skipping dinner has a greater impact on special diseases. For example, patients with digestive tract ulcers may have their ulcers aggravated. Some people who need to work three shifts or night shifts cannot get the energy source to continue working smoothly without eating at night. Generally speaking, there are only two types of people who can skip dinner and "go to bed hungry":

▲People who eat a lot before dinner. If you eat a lot at lunch, or have a lot of snacks in the afternoon, and don’t exercise at night, you can consider skipping dinner.

▲People who want to control their weight. People who are overweight or even overweight (BMI>28) need to control their diet appropriately and limit their energy intake. They can occasionally skip dinner in the early stages of weight control.

In addition, skipping dinner is harmful to the body, and eating dinner at irregular times is also harmful to the body. Studies have shown that irregular dinner times may increase the risk of cerebral hemorrhage.

Is the “16+8 weight loss method” healthy?

The "16+8" diet is a fasting diet, which is similar to "light fasting" and "5:2 intermittent fasting". If you strictly adhere to fasting and reduce energy intake, you can see the effect of weight loss. However, fasting is not a recommended method, and there is currently no authoritative health organization that recommends fasting for weight loss.

Long-term fasting for weight loss is prone to side effects. Due to insufficient carbohydrate supply, it will bring a strong sense of hunger, leading to lack of energy. In severe cases, it will affect study, work and even daily life. It may also cause malnutrition, dizziness, headache, irritability, anxiety, daytime sleepiness and insomnia at night. It is also easy to rebound.

If you are a person who eats too much meat and fish without restraint, is obese, has a large waistline, or suffers from high blood lipids or fatty liver, you can appropriately use fasting to lose weight. However, if you do not eat much, do not eat enough meat, eggs, or milk, are afraid of cold, have indigestion, or are malnourished, you must not fast to lose weight.

In the long run, the fundamental way to lose weight is to control the balance of total energy intake and expenditure and maintain the vitality of the body.

How to have a healthy midnight snack?

From a health perspective, we should try to arrange three meals a day regularly, and not skip dinner and go to bed hungry, but we should not eat too much supper. If you want to eat supper, it is recommended to try to:

▲ Eat a midnight snack 1 to 2 hours before going to bed. It is not advisable to eat a lot of food before going to bed, which can easily affect sleep and lead to poor energy the next day. It is recommended to eat a midnight snack 1 to 2 hours before going to bed.

▲ Try to choose light and healthy food. Instant noodles, barbecue, fried chicken, etc. are high in fat, salt, and sugar, and are not suitable as midnight snacks. In addition, it is not suitable to eat spicy and stimulating condiments such as peppers and peppercorns as midnight snacks.

It is recommended to give priority to fruits, grains, beans and milk. These foods are low in protein and fat, are easier to digest and absorb, and will not add burden to the gastrointestinal tract.