Midnight Snacking: Is it the Devil?

After a long Thursday, you're sitting in your favorite spot on the couch unwinding as the week draws to an end. Just as your eyes start to get tired, you feel it. It sets in deeper and deeper until you can’t take it anymore, that's when the angel and devil pop up on your shoulder. The angel is telling you to stay disciplined and true to your beliefs. The devil is telling you, one time won’t hurt and who else is really going to know? We’re not discussing some big ethical dilemma, but rather if you should jump off the couch and grab a quick snack before you lull off into a deep sleep for the evening. I often face this dilemma and wanted to do some digging to really figure out what the consensus was on eating before bed. And so I was off to determine if having that small snack before bed was going to pile on fat or not! And after looking over a few different studies, I was able to come to a few different conclusions about throwing down a quick snack before you go to bed First and foremost, having a small, well proportioned, snack before you go to bed is not going to make you fat. The key here is well proportioned. Studies show that a small snack, 150 calories or less, did not attribute to weight gain over the course of six weeks. Surprisingly, a small snack before bed actually allowed for a group of obese women to lose weight. This was thought to of occurred because it was known that a snack would be consumed later in the evening, so the women did not feel the need to overeat during their last large meal of the day. A similar study that was conducted also showed an increase in an individual's resting energy expenditure when a small meal was consumed before bed.  This could be utilized as a great diet strategy for an individual who struggles with overeating at dinner.  Now you may be thinking, what can I eat as a snack that would be close to 150 calories?!? There are a few different options that you can utilize to kick those late night hunger pains in the butt! However, before we get into specifics, there are a few things that we need to keep in mind while looking for snacks.  The first thing to keep in mind is we want something that has been processed as little as possible. This limits the amount of refined sugar and other nasty additives that may be lurking in your foods. Second, try and find a snack that is predominantly a single macronutrient, preferably not a snack that is high in simple carbohydrates. Since simple carbohydrates are generally burned as quick energy, a large influx of simple carbohydrates could disrupt your sleep cycle, costing you a night of precious sleep. Try and find a snack like nuts or beef jerky that are high in protein and fats, with negligible amounts of carbohydrates. The third and final thing that we need to keep in mind is something you like, but not too much. I say this because it's easy to eat only 150ish calories of something you kind of like, it’s really hard if it’s something you love. Now I’m not saying find something you think is gut-wrenching and choke it down. But rather find something you look forward snacking on, but don’t want to eat everything in one sitting.  With those three simple rules in mind, you must also use common sense and stick to your guns. If you are trying to drop a few pounds, don't say "oh just this once" or "I have to cheat on my diet, I can't take it anymore!" These sayings tend to snowball and before long you're in a bathtub full of chocolate syrup trying to remember how you got there. To avoid a bathtub full of chocolate syrup I enjoy snacking on beef jerky, mixed nuts, popcorn, or even a protein shake if I need  snack. These snacks help me to feel full while also limiting the amount of “junk” that I put into my body. The key is finding something that works for you and helps you reach your goal. Whatever they may be!