This week I am joined by Zachery Rosen who is a certified ISSA and IFA sports nutritionist and specializes in diets for athletes.
Zach is going to be trying to explain to us why in his studies and beliefs eating carbs late night is not only not bad for you but in fact can be beneficial....
The following is a little about eating and Zachs reasoning behind eating carbs and food in general later at night:
There is a common misconception that eating carbs, in particular carbs late at night, will cause an immediate gain in body fat. Although there is some truth against eating late at night the majority of that myth is derived from people who not only eat late at night but eat excessively during the day as well.
When you are over your necessary caloric intake for a day the excessive calories will turn to fat no matter what source they are derived from. Most people blame fat intake because it is already in the simplest form for the body to convert to fat. FAT to fat its a simple process but dont think that only fat turns to fat because all excess calories will eventually turn to fat.
The most simple formula to determine caloric intake for the day is:
Body weight multiplied by 12-14 equals your daily maintenance calories (neither lose nor gain weight)
You will have to determine a little by trial and error what number is more accurate for you.
A slightly more precise measurement is what we call basal metabolic rate or BMR
BMR for Men:
66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)
BMR for Women
655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
Harris Benedict Formula
To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:
If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie Calculation = BMR x 1.375
If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie Calculation = BMR x 1.9
OH DAMN NOW YOU"RE ALL CONFUSED!!! RELAX ITS NOT REALLY THAT HARD
Ok so now back to carbohydrates!!!
This is where Zach gets to take it away and explain his theories on carbohydrate intake...
Go for it Zach
I will discuss the reasons as to why eating carbohydrates late at night won’t make you fat. Leptin along with some other hormones contributes a lot to energy expenditure. After a meal leptin, along with insulin will rise. Once this happens and leptin gives your body the “im full” signal , and it allows you to start burning fat/energy.
A rise in leptin is favorable to increased energy expenditure. This is where it all happens.
There is also a rhythm related to leptin and sleep. Leptin is at its highest point some time after you fall asleep, and lowers cortisol levels (bad stress related). This is why you recover, as well as burn fatty acids in your sleep.
Now imagine changing your bodies natural rhythm to something more favorable with the carbohydrate meal prior to bed. This will increase leptin levels even more, allowing you a deeper sleep, as well as the possibility of better hunger control throughout the day.
One thing that you can do to enhance your fat loss is focus 40% of your total carbohydrate intake before bed. If that doesn’t work, add 3mg of melatonin, and your leptin levels (and energy expenditure) will go a bit higher creating an even more favorable sleep. Couple this with a caloric deficit in your dieting strategy and you shift the way your metabolism will use fuel and you may hit your goal even faster than before.
Reason 1: As long as your caloric intake meets your specific requirement you will not gain weight
Reason 2: Shifting diurnal rhythm may increase energy expenditure even more and allow greater recovery
Take home from this:
#1: Eating at night will not make you fat, too many calories will.
#2: Late night carbs (8pm and later) may aid in greater weight loss and recovery
Zach has brought up some really interesting points about diurnal rhythm that I was unaware of but at the same time Im not ready to start eating rice before I go to bed. As many people that know me, know Im a big fan of ketosis based diets for weight loss and competitions. I see a lot of merit in the studies that Zach has brought up and at some point I may give it a shot but change is very difficult. I think its an interesting start to something that may really work, maybe something Ill give a shot in the winter.
