Fighting the night time hunger pains

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Permalink Reply by Sydney on July 12, 2012 at 2:06pm

I think it's fine; if you're hungry, you need to eat. The only thing I'd think you'd have to worry about is applicable if you run: I know that when I was running, I'd usually need to stop for a bathroom break pretty soon in. That was helped by stopping eating about 12 hours before I ran.

But definitely don't starve yourself. You feel hungry for a reason. :)

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Permalink Reply by Mikey on July 12, 2012 at 2:41pm

If your hungry eat!, much better then getting a bad nights sleep which you need to regenerate nerve energy. Nerve energy is important for making you feel good the next day and for digestion, so if you don't get enough sleep you have a harder time eating enough the next day, can be a bit of a vicious circle.

Most people will tell you it is better to eat late and sleep then stay up most of the night hungry (the one who have experience). The next day tells you which one to follow every time. I tried to not eat a couple of times because thought was not optimal and I felt like a mess in the morning and felt it during the day. my digestion was also weaker.

Every time I ate late and I slept I felt fine the next day. I think this is most peoples experience. Don't sweat eating late especially at the beginning you will get better at eating enough and you will have less later meals. been on the diet 3 years and I still have late meals sometimes, can 11:00 or later because I under ate during the day, job kids sometimes its tough to find time for myself but there is no perfection in life only the best we can do.

One tip if you eat late allow about15-20 minutes before you hit the hay to let your digestion do a bit of work.

If you wake up in the middle of the night because you did not eat enough, eat wait 20 minutes and go back to bed. Sometimes just having a big glass of water is enough to make you sleep possibly the body needed a bit more water or it takes energy from the brain and diverts it to the stomach long enough to fall a sleep (not sure on why water does it sometimes). tried this it works though if does not, eat!.

Track your calorie intake on http://cronometer.com/

for a couple of days weigh the edible portion of your food and use the grams option much more accurate calorie count then choosing by the piece of fruit. really do this it is important to be sucessfull alot of people on this diet think they eat a lot and when they track it they find out they are even under their BMR which is a recipe for disaster.

Women on this diet shoot for around 2500-3000 cals or more depending on activity, in general the more you eat on this diet the better you feel the more energy you feel and you sleep like a champ. Under eat consistently and you will fail

You definitely know your not eating enough if you have trouble sleeping that is a clear sign. Your body determines if you will sleep, if it is satisfied you will sleep if it is not it will keep the brain awake until the brain fixes the problem. reasons why people have sleep issues overstimulating the body with stimulants, not getting enough nutrition, not eating enough, too toxic these are all possible reasons your body will be pissed and not allow you to sleep.  I use to be a insomniac and now I sleep better then anyone I know (which is actually not that hard :). Boy just saw the time should be in bed.

Goodnight

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Permalink Reply by Natt Smith on July 13, 2012 at 12:59pm

Mikey, solid advice, thanks a ton!  I ate 2,500-2,700 calories yesterday and I felt so much better.  On a side note how many hours of sleep are you averaging?  

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Permalink Reply by Mikey on July 13, 2012 at 1:23pm

No problem,

Yes get in those calories it is better to eat more then readjust if needed (like I said usually when you eat more you just have more energy, feel and sleep better) then never eat enough and blame the diet for failing (which is pretty common).

Usually around 8 sometimes 7 and sometimes 9 ( I can sleep 9-10 solid). I am a father of a 4 and a 6 years old so don't always have perfect nights but now I always fall back a sleep right away after I tend to any needs.

I also don't get much of a chance to sleep in with the kids and at times I go to bed a bit later then I should just to have some time just me and my wife. I battle a little with my wife to get her to hit the hay early been she can be stubborn (though I understand you need sometime for yourself).  Doing the 811 lifestyle and being a parent makes it tough to follow the lifestyle but not being 811 and being a parent is even tougher :)

The good thing is if I eat enough I sleep fast and easy (no matter what is on my mind) if I wake up I fall back right back a sleep unless it is due to not eating enough then I eat then go back as I mentioned.  I would say 85% of the time I sleep great and 15% little things like kids waking up or did not eat enough which solves the problem by eating. I never have hours of no sleep or can not fall asleep, or if wake up can't go back a sleep before that was all to common. It has been 3 years and i could not be happier with my sleep, though I should try to get a bit more but this mostly my and my wifes doing.

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Permalink Reply by Hunnydew Sunshine on July 13, 2012 at 2:03pm

I have this problem a lot. I find that 1 or 2 bananas before bed generally tides me over until the morning and enables me to have a much more regenerative sleep. Bananas are good because they have something in them that helps you sleep )

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Permalink Reply by Peter on July 13, 2012 at 5:04pm

It all depends on how much you eat. If you have an empty stomach and only eat an orange and a few dates that shouldn't be a problem. If you have a heavy meal and go to sleep shortly after then you may experience problems sleeping. If you feel hungry prior to sleep have a small meal as it may put your mind at ease.

A banana may actually help you sleep as it contains a significant level of the amino acid tryptophan which some people believe is effective as a sleep aid (studies are not conclusively).

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