Opinions about how many hours before bedtime you can eat in order not to gain excess weight are divided. "Post-Soviet" nutritionists advocate for a three-hour interval between dinner and sleep. Women's magazines say that after six it’s better not to try. Almost all sources of bodybuilding and fitness insist that we have dinner with something like chicken breast with a cucumber, or a pack of cottage cheese without any sweeteners. Say, so the fat will not be deposited, and we will lose excess faster. And Israeli scientists say that we can eat carbohydrates at the last meal, and lose weight. How things are in reality ">
Imagine the surprise of scientists when, after six months, almost all participants in the experiment with a carbohydrate dinner showed a decrease in the percentage of fat. In addition, the levels of the hormones leptin and ghrelin came into balance, and the sleep and quality of life of the respondents improved.
The test group in the study also received a diet of 1500-1700 kcal, but carbohydrates were evenly distributed throughout the day. The control group with carbohydrates at night showed a more stable level of glucose, and the absence of appetite changes throughout the day. Therefore, diet tolerance was good for them.
The insulin level in the “night eaters” group was relatively stable during the day, and did not provoke them to overeat.
Why do we overeat in the evening
About a quarter of obese patients suffer from the so-called "night dora." They wake up late at night from hunger and walk straight to the refrigerator. Scientists have found that such behavior is not a bad habit or licentiousness. The reason for this is the "raging" hormones, namely cortisol and insulin. After a modest supper from a piece of protein food and a serving of vegetables, the level of the stress hormone cortisol increases dramatically. This is what wakes the unfortunate, and drives them to the refrigerator. Nighttime nutrition disrupts sleep mechanisms, contributes to fatigue of the nervous system, and does not allow full recovery from physical exertion
"Nutritional sleepwalking" does not contribute to weight loss, since a person consumes most of his calories in a semi-unconscious state. It is clear that he will not overeat chicken breasts with cabbage, but with something more interesting and high-calorie. At the same time, many people do not even remember the evening snacks, and can not understand why, with the "canonical" diet, overweight only increases.
Obviously, the more we eat dry chicken breasts with cucumbers for dinner, the more significant we run the risk of being in the “food sleepwalkers” group. The more you shouldn’t follow the popular tips - eat nothing but protein and vegetables after 16.00, or even refrain from eating all evening.
Perfect dinner
Forget the popular recommendations about kefir after 6, and chicken with fish and vegetables. Cook yourself a full dinner, and enjoy healthy weight loss.
The ideal, from the point of view of researchers, dinner is:
- about 25 g of pure protein . So much we get, for example, from 130 g of boiled chicken breast, or in grill format;
- about 50-75 g of carbohydrates . Think of something like 100 g of boiled pasta or buckwheat, you can also eat legumes, wholemeal bread, brown rice or even pita bread;
- about 15-20 g of fat . A salad with a spoonful of vegetable oil or sliced avocado will complement the evening meal
Don't like to count macronutrients ">
At dinner, you can drink water or herbal tea, but stimulating drinks and alcohol are best not to drink at dinner. The amount of drink should be moderate, with an adequate calorie intake (about 400-500 kcal) there is no sense in “drinking hunger”.
Obviously, this is a rather voluminous and “heavy” meal that we can’t digest in a couple of hours. It is recommended to eat such a dinner 3-4 hours before bedtime so that the hormonal system “calms down” and the sleep is deep and calm. Eat regularly and correctly, do not forget about physical activity, and you will surely achieve all your fitness goals.
