Eating Before Bed...let's get specific

[AlmostRipped]

Working on cutting, what's everyone's suggestion for eating before bed...have been seeing alot of people suggest casein protein (before bed) for cutting, but how much, how long before bed, and most importantly the why's to these questions....

I am about 210 at this point, 5'9 23 slow ass metabolism, but bad ass workouts with a good mix of cardio and weights.

 

[medicone]

You typically want to stay in the 20-30 range before bed, but if you are running gear, and I mean the real stuff not the pro-hormones then up it to 40-60. Your body will be able to handle the extra protein. Need to add in glutamine as well. Pre-workout, post-workout and right before bed. These are all the times when your body needs it. If you dont want to add it in to the pre and post, its imperative to add it in your bedtime shake. People who dont are stupid, IMO. Also think about setting an alarm about three hours into your sleep to wake up and take in some whey isolate 10-20g. I keep a muscle milk light right by my bedside if I happen to wake up.

 

[thenomad]

i would have to say about an hour and a half before bed. I'm cutting as well, and my knowledgeable friend also said put glutamine (i put about 4-6 grams) in your pre-sleep casein shake.

 

[lennoxchi]

what ever happened to eating food before bed, cutting or not? everyone wants to spend money on expensive casin protein. ever hear of cottage cheese? guess what kind of slow digesting protein is in there? thats right, casin. check the calories to determine how much you can eat based on your diet. buy fat free or 1% to keep out/down the fat. and getting up in the middle of the night and interupting your sleep is never a good idea. whats more important, sllep or eating? i know thats not and easy question to answer, there both important, but i eat all day.....i only sleep so much. besides, waking up in the middle of the night interupts your RPM sleep and your bodies time to repair and grow...not to mention the more sleep you get the better your training will be.

 

[edwardyi]

i usually blend 1 tbsp of peanut butter with 1 scoop of whey protein and 1 cup of hi-protein, low-carb milk. comes out to be 12g fat, 40g pro, 12g cho. (316kcal)

i usually have this 1 - 2 hour before bedtime.

i try not to eat something RIGHT before bed to make sure my insulin isn't spiked and my growth hormone is being released.

 

[jakellpet]

what ever happened to eating food before bed, cutting or not? everyone wants to spend money on expensive casin protein. ever hear of cottage cheese? guess what kind of slow digesting protein is in there? thats right, casin. check the calories to determine how much you can eat based on your diet. buy fat free or 1% to keep out/down the fat. and getting up in the middle of the night and interupting your sleep is never a good idea. whats more important, sllep or eating? i know thats not and easy question to answer, there both important, but i eat all day.....i only sleep so much. besides, waking up in the middle of the night interupts your RPM sleep and your bodies time to repair and grow...not to mention the more sleep you get the better your training will be.

Cottage cheese is good, but in moderation - watch those sodium levels

 

[Logo]

I just try to avoid too many carbs before bed as they tend to mess with GH output and sleep patterns. I'll also take ZMA and about 2 grams Glutamine about half an hour before bed.

 

[AlmostRipped]

I was going to ask what is ZMA, I just started 1200mg calcium/2g glutamine before bed...looking for something to add to that, this doesn't instill confidence, it is from wikipedia, but I checked out the resources, they are solid, the second referenced study is from the journal of international sports medicine....Marketing can make a fat down syndrome girl look hot....maybe a little too over the top, I hate most supplement companies, most companies in general for the manipulation they use to make profits...

---steps off soapbox--



"A 1999 study was undertaken on NCAA Football players during an 8 week spring training program. The control group was told to cease taking any nutritional supplements. Those who took the ZMA tablets showed greater increases in muscle strength. This study was funded by SNAC Systems Inc. (the patent holders) and one of the study's authors (Victor Conte) has equity in this company.

In 2004, a study funded by a research grant from Cytodyne (another supplement producing company) with 42 resistance trained males showed that ZMA supplementation had no significant effects on total and free testosterone, IGF-1, growth hormone, cortisol, the ratio of cortisol to testosterone, or muscle and liver enzymes in response to training. No significant effects were observed in changes in strength, upper or lower body muscle endurance, or anaerobic sprint capacity [3].

In another study done in 2006, a team of German scientists conducted a study on the effect of ZMA and testosterone levels in the body[4]. The result showed an increase in zinc secretions in urine, but no effect on the level of testosterone in the body."

 

[justreading]

Before bed for me is all about not getting hungry overnight...

8oz chicken and some vegis are my favorite...

Night hunger is dangerous

 

[AlmostRipped]

Trust me that is in my notes for UD2 (chicken and veggies before bed on low carb days)...today was carb load...I am so bloated, went over my fat by like 50 g and missed carbs by 16 went over protein by about 30....guess its not an all out pigout...the Five guys burger and fries did me in!!!

 

[Jutsin]

Cottage cheese does the trick for me.

About 350g, 1-2 hours before sleep.

That's a good serving of protein and fat to last until morning (or close enough).

 

[AZMIDLYF]

Whey blend shake and a couple spoonfulls of almond butter before bed keeps me satisfied until breakfast.

 

[Tomahawk88]

Tonight was whey protein in water. And a small bowl of natty PB with a lil honey and a lil jam mixed in. I would eat some of the PB and then take a sip of my protein. It really does taste good.

 

[soontobbeast]

Tonight was whey protein in water. And a small bowl of natty PB with a lil honey and a lil jam mixed in. I would eat some of the PB and then take a sip of my protein. It really does taste good.

is there a special reason why you are taking in sugar from honey and jam right before bed?

 

[Tomahawk88]

is there a special reason why you are taking in sugar from honey and jam right before bed?

I only add a lil to help with texture. Not even enough to make up 3 grams of sugar. More of a mind thing.

 

[crazyfool405]

You can make pb pudding.

Vanilla whey (2scoop of isolate). In warm water (3-4ounce). Then melt 2tapblespoon pb and mix it in to the protein. And then put in fridge for a lil till ur desired texture then eat.

Usually ill have something right before bed. Cutting or bulking. And nvr carbs right before bed I try and limit the intake to no more then 7g carbs for pre bed meal.

To me casein is redundant. Mixing fat with protein will slow digestion time just as well without the milk sugar and the bloat if ur lactose intolerant.

 

[Tomahawk88]

Ya the amount of carbs I add is no more than say as if I was eating cottage cheese. It is more like to trick myself into thinking I am eating something besides just my natty PB which I eat constantly.

 

[justreading]

You can make pb pudding.

Vanilla whey (2scoop of isolate). In warm water (3-4ounce). Then melt 2tapblespoon pb and mix it in to the protein. And then put in fridge for a lil till ur desired texture then eat.

Usually ill have something right before bed. Cutting or bulking. And nvr carbs right before bed I try and limit the intake to no more then 7g carbs for pre bed meal.

To me casein is redundant. Mixing fat with protein will slow digestion time just as well without the milk sugar and the bloat if ur lactose intolerant.

This is BS logic that people came up with, fat will slow the release of insulin but NOT digestion unless is it mixed in with the protein at a molecular level like marbleized fat in meats.

 

[crazyfool405]

Any evidence to support that?

 

[justreading]

Any evidence to support that?

Same to you... any evidence to support it or just what people have told you to believe?

DC posted a ton of info on it... basically eat real food or casein before bed or you are tricking yourself into thinking your body can't separate a slightly mixed combo if fat and protein into it respective parts, the body is simply built smarter than that,

 

[crazyfool405]

Well ill take a look in my books. Palumbo seems to believe this as well and of course your body will break it down to respective parts. It'll just take a little longer

 

[justreading]

I dont buy everything Dante aka dc says but the man spends HOURS researching and working with top trainers aka non-genetic freaks who still are huge and he always seems to be a step ahead of everyone else.

 

[AZMIDLYF]

This is BS logic that people came up with, fat will slow the release of insulin but NOT digestion unless is it mixed in with the protein at a molecular level like marbleized fat in meats.

So you are saying that the fat will not slow the digestive process JR? It might not slow the digestion of the protein but it will take some time for the fat to clear the gut. So if you have a good protein blend that will have an assortment of digestion rates and also have some fat included...this should keep you satisfied until the morning feed.

 

[justreading]

Simple understanding is this:

The properties of the protein do not change by a simple mixtures, stomach emptying rates on each ingredient remain the same unless one or the other has coating properties or coagulates (like casien). Functionally you get less insulin and more satiety but the protein itself will still empty from the stomach when it is broke and and be absorbed. In fatty meats the amino acids must chemically be removed from the associated fatty acids thus you get a further delay or digestion PLUS the lower insluin release. Honestly I think none of it makes a big difference. I go by what makes me full and stay away from high calories before bed. Perfect before bed meal to me would be some lean steak and greens but I usually go with greens, chicken and maybe 1tbs peanut butter. I also ramp my protein uo as the day goes on because other nutrients are tapered down and I don't want to get hungry which leads to overeating.

 

[AlmostRipped]

JR your b4 and after are proof enough for me, but I love your post before this, that's what I was looking for when I made this post!!! Major Rep power coming for that....I haven't been eating less than 1.5 hours before I fall asleep. If I eat 10 minutes before bed will my body still break it down the same as long as I am putting the right fuel in it EG casein+water or chicken and a few green beans??

 

[Avo26]

dude, the best thing is to have a protein shake right before bed and no carbs AT LEAST 3 hours before you go to sleep.

kept me lean

 

[justreading]

dude, the best thing is to have a protein shake right before bed and no carbs AT LEAST 3 hours before you go to sleep.

kept me lean

Ok so what does your body do for foor for the other 7 hours once the shake is gone... Kept you lean... big deal, lean is easy. lean and big is hard.

 

[AZMIDLYF]

Ok so what does your body do for foor for the other 7 hours once the shake is gone... Kept you lean... big deal, lean is easy. lean and big is hard.

The Holy Grail right there JR. I can lean up with no problem....but putting on size and staying lean has always been a bitch!

 

[AlmostRipped]

Is that a thumbs up all systems go for eating right before bed (no carbs) I am killing this UD2 diet, 2 weeks, first week I lost half a pound, last week I lost 3 and my muscles are more defined already!! Just looking for ways to improve my knowledge now, so assuming I am doing all the right things during the day with my diet, is it cool to eat right before bed?

 

[Tomahawk88]

I think I am going to start dropping egg/s into my whey protein shakes before bed. Might make it 2 but I am thinking start with 1. Egg/s+L-glutamine+whey+water

 

[soontobbeast]

eggs absorb as fast as whey, so it wouldnt be any more of a benefit to add.

 

[Tomahawk88]

Are u sure about that?

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/what-are-good-sources-of-protein-speed-of-digestion-part-2.html

 

[AnthonyIOSOS]

eggs absorb as fast as whey, so it wouldnt be any more of a benefit to add.

I always thought Eggs took several hours to absorb and whey took 45 - 60 minutes.

 

[jakellpet]

eggs absorb as fast as whey, so it wouldnt be any more of a benefit to add.

egg yolks are so under-rated too. holy grail of VMA

 

[ccapone1153]

4 oz cottage cheese
2 oz tuna fish
1 oz almonds

30 - 45 min before bed

 

[pinchharmonic]

i still think ground flaxseeds with 1% cottage cheese is the sweet spot. just enough fats, tons of protein, and low on carbs.

add in a spinach salad with a 2-3g of extra virgin olive oil, then u really have the bodybuilder's ultimate pre-sleep IMO.

 

[AnthonyIOSOS]

i still think ground flaxseeds with 1% cottage cheese is the sweet spot. just enough fats, tons of protein, and low on carbs.

add in a spinach salad with a 2-3g of extra virgin olive oil, then u really have the bodybuilder's ultimate pre-sleep IMO.

I do the cottage w/ the flax oil. Always good to me.

 

[BoyFromAus]

all the cottage cheese i see have some sugar in them... which ones do y'all get?

 

[jakellpet]

all the cottage cheese i see have some sugar in them... which ones do y'all get?

in Australia, Weight Watchers brand is good to go

 

[Steveoph]

For me in Canada, it's more economical to buy a 5lb of ON Natural Casein (Or any casein really), add in some good fats, than it is to buy cottage cheese and all its salt. And I do love the taste, although sometimes I do cottage cheese when I'm tight on time. However my favourite thing is to make a large omelet about 90-60mins pre-bed if I'm not taking ZMA/anything else that needs an empty stomach prebed.