bedtime proteinshake/meal myth

[vinny32]

like to start by saying hello and i am new here. think this will be a good place to share my knowledge and hopefully learn a few things. My first question in concerning that overnight bedtime protein shake. supposedly drinking a protein shake(more casein slow burn) before you go to bed is suppose to help increase muscle and strength generally they say at nightime are body goes into an anabolic state where it does repairs on tissue. thus more protein available then over time enhanced gains. well to all of you who has tried this do you think in general it is beneficial or would it just cause bad weight gain overtime:bb3:

[babywifey]

My husband has either casein or milk protein isolate every night before going to bed- he has for years. Right now he is at approx. 230 lb, 7% body fat (he's 6'4"). Any kind of protein that is slow digesting is good to eat before going to sleep. Casein, MPI, cottage cheese are all great. Pairing them with some healthy fat is good too, it will help the digestion of the protein.

[Resolve]

You have it on a regular basis too babe, and you're showing great progress! Good post BTW

But yeah, having a pre-bed, slow digesting snack is great - you're asleep a long time and you're metabolism doesn't slow that much, so you should have something to tide you over.

[Chub]

I have a casein shake before bed most nights. I feel great when i get up in the morning

[Rick28]

A shake before bed is one of the best things you can do for muscle gain or fat loss.

[bolt10]

Shake before bed is highly over appreciated. It is good and some don't like eating before bed so thats fine but it is no more beneficial than a whole food meal. I also believe the whole "eat something so that you o no don't go catabolic" when you sleep is dumb as well.

[SilentBob187]

Shake before bed is highly over appreciated. It is good and some don't like eating before bed so thats fine but it is no more beneficial than a whole food meal. I also believe the whole "eat something so that you o no don't go catabolic" when you sleep is dumb as well.

Agreed. It'd rather my body focus on hormone production and rest than digestion. Just my 2 cents.

[stormecho]

I always get a kick out of people that time food intake, I wish I had that luxury. It's a pain in the azz just to get calories in. I do actually take protein before bed, but it's just because I have no other time to do it.

I stuff myself all day long, it's a major chore. I wish they would invent a pill that is 4000 calories with the right carb/fat/protein split.

Anyway, I do think it's a good idea before bed. I feel a bit less taxed when I wake up in the AM...that might be BS though.

[vinny32]

Shake before bed is highly over appreciated. It is good and some don't like eating before bed so thats fine but it is no more beneficial than a whole food meal. I also believe the whole "eat something so that you o no don't go catabolic" when you sleep is dumb as well.

any documentation or readings to back this up or is it personal opinion

[JOHNJESSICA20]

I know drinking a shake before bed worked great for me during my last bulking cycle. It was the only thing I changed at that time so the benefits was real because weight started to really climb with in a few weeks.

[Rick28]

Agreed. It'd rather my body focus on hormone production and rest than digestion. Just my 2 cents.

I never thought about that

[bolt10]

any documentation or readings to back this up or is it personal opinion

personal opinion...but is there any documentation that drinking a shake with casein does anything special?

[Rick28]

Remember though..when you're not eating for 8 hours stress hormones (epinephrine anf glucagon) will be higher due to low blood sugar. Stress hormones does attack muscle tissue so a shake before bed is better than nothing at all.

[Omen]

I take ZMA before bed....and calcium inhibits absorption of Zinc, so no food before bed for me........Sleep is really improved with ZMA

[suncloud]

i definitely felt better when i could afford casein before bed. i'd wake up ready to rock - actually jumped out of bed for the couple weeks i did it. and your body grows primarily at night - why not take protein at that time? to me that would be like saying "psaw, i don't need that 30 minute post workout window, i'll just get some fries instead..."

[MrBrightside]

It's not really a "myth", as casein is proven to be slower digesting, and thus helps against catabolism, but I think casein shakes are just a dumb idea and a waste of money. Drink some milk, it's 80% casein.

Sidenote: I drink my final protein shake right before bed with 2 cups milk and 1 scoop of whey protein (26g protein), sometimes with some grape nuts and reduced fat peanut butter thrown in.

[Rick28]

i definitely felt better when i could afford casein before bed. i'd wake up ready to rock - actually jumped out of bed for the couple weeks i did it. and your body grows primarily at night - why not take protein at that time? to me that would be like saying "psaw, i don't need that 30 minute post workout window, i'll just get some fries instead..."

I agree

[Rick28]

It's not really a "myth", as casein is proven to be slower digesting, and thus helps against catabolism, but I think casein shakes are just a dumb idea and a waste of money. Drink some milk, it's 80% casein.

Sidenote: I drink my final protein shake right before bed with 2 cups milk and 1 scoop of whey protein (26g protein), sometimes with some grape nuts and reduced fat peanut butter thrown in.

I fully agree

[Steveoph]

I take ZMA before bed....and calcium inhibits absorption of Zinc, so no food before bed for me........Sleep is really improved with ZMA

As a suggestion, take your ZMA 30-45 minutes pre-bed, then have your casein shake/cottage cheese right before bed. Gives the ZMA time to absorb properly and minimizes the calcium interference.

[Rick28]

As a suggestion, take your ZMA 30-45 minutes pre-bed, then have your casein shake/cottage cheese right before bed. Gives the ZMA time to absorb properly and minimizes the calcium interference.

Thanks, I'll try this too.