middle of the night snack?

[gdbear65]

I often wake-up in the middle of the night hungry and I can't back to sleep 'cause my stomach's growling. The last couple of nights I've downed a protein shake. Just wondering if anyboy else experiences this and what you've done about it. I don't know whether to have carbs and protein, just carbs or just protein. Prior to the last couple nights I would eat some whole grain toast with PB&J and drink some juice.

[sana]

i've never really woken up hungry - but i used to eat hard boiled egg whites before bed.

[THE BOUNCER]

Your going to want to eat only Protein. Dont have carbs or fats as you wont be burning anything off while your asleep. A protein shake mixed with water is fine.

With your stomach growling in the middle of the night, that tells me your not eating enough during the day. What is your daily diet like? Give me an example.

[gdbear65]

Here is an example of my diet.

Morning - 6am: bowl of oatmeal, followed by protein shake (32g iso-whey) fifteen minutes later. 6:45 - Workout for an hour, followed by more protein (25g iso-whey), then 2 slices of toast w/PB&J. Around 10am I have homemade low fat muffin, then some fruit (usually a large peach or red grapefruit). 11:30: more protein (32g iso-whey).

Afternoon: Lunch at 1 - usually 4-6oz chicken, fish or lean beef, 2 servings of veggies and 1 carb, followed by a fruit cup. 3pm - Greens Energy bar and some more fruit. 4:30 protein shake (25g iso-whey).

Evening: Dinner 7pm - same as lunch, later on - 4 oz yogurt and I usually snack on SunChips - 1 serving (18 chips). Just before bed (10:30) I have a whey/egg protein shake (44g protein)

Since the middle of June, my weight has gone from 190lbs to 200lbs.

[THE BOUNCER]

Looks good bro. You are on the right track. My diet is posted in the nutrition section if you would like to take a look at it.

[gdbear65]

K Thx.

[YellowJacket]

You need a protein blend before bed. Something to form a gel in your stomach and feed yourself all night. nocturnal feeding isnt recommended due to the break in sleep. You need 8 hours of uninterupted sleep, so have a blend blend shake in milk (unless youre dieting, then have it in water) before bed.

[beefcake]

Originally posted by YellowJacket
You need a protein blend before bed. Something to form a gel in your stomach and feed yourself all night. nocturnal feeding isnt recommended due to the break in sleep. You need 8 hours of uninterupted sleep, so have a blend blend shake in milk (unless youre dieting, then have it in water) before bed.

What are your thoughts on casein before bed? Lot of people feel it has the tendency to make em fat.

[redsquirrel]

Originally posted by beefcake
What are your thoughts on casein before bed? Lot of people feel it has the tendency to make em fat.

Yes, please do!! I eat all Beverly protein, and that's mostly casein protein....

Beef- are you just saying it has that tendency to make you fat before bed, or in general?

[beefcake]

Originally posted by redsquirrel
Yes, please do!! I eat all Beverly protein, and that's mostly casein protein....

Beef- are you just saying it has that tendency to make you fat before bed, or in general?

Before bed. Many say that since your body is in a lowered metabolic state during sleep, and the casein is being released slowly, your body isn't really using it so it's just packing it away. Whether it's true or not, I don't know.

[gdbear65]

On the advice of a guy I know, who studied holistic nutrition, I added some Oudo's Blend (flax oil) to the whey/egg protein shake I drink before bedtime. The addition of essential fatty acids are supposed to slow the digestion of the protein. It seemed to work - I was able to get a full night's sleep last night. Thanks to everyone for their advice!

[MikeH]

I've got a big appetite, and there have been a few times where I've woken-up RAVENOUS!! I'd just eat some eggwhites and go back to sleep. This happens more often when I'm cutting, though.