My present post is a direct reply to sara's post to this forum at 6:41 PM on March 25, 2008.

"wow, trisha! i can quote things i read too!!"

What is wrong with quoting text relevant to a given discussion, especially when that text is from the same source as the text under consideration in that discussion, sara? In fact, thanks for doing so here, Trisha :).

"'The secret to getting a solid 7 to 8 hours? About 90 minutes before you want to nod off, head for the kitchen and make yourself a sleepy-time snack...'(see the latest food bites posting)"

And thanks to you, too, sara, for that quotation and pointer :).

"oh, and actually, my lack of capitalization is not technically bad grammar."

True, sara, though Trisha didn't actually claim that it was, but, rather, (parenthetically) suggested, that it is/was hypocritical of YOU to criticize carelessness in others' grammar in THEIR posts to this forum when you consistently demonstrate carelessness in YOUR lack of capitalization in YOUR posts to the same forum: '(And Sara, are you really one to criticize people for not taking the time to use proper grammar when you don't bother to capitalize properly?)' :).

"thanks though. :)"

Ah, how I love politeness! :).

wow, trisha! i can quote things i read too!! "The secret to getting a solid 7 to 8 hours? About 90 minutes before you want to nod off, head for the kitchen and make yourself a sleepy-time snack..." (see the latest food bites posting) oh, and actually, my lack of capitalization is not technically bad grammar. thanks though. :)

From a previous post... "second of all, calories before bedtime are not more fattening. think about what you're saying... if i eat something at night it is all of a sudden "more fattening" than it would have been had i eaten it 4 hours earlier?"

Of course something you eat does not become "all of sudden more fattening" because you eater later ~ HOWEVER, you still should stop eating a few hours before bed. If you eat right before bed the digestion process will interfere with your sleep, which in turn causes your cortisol (stress hormone) levels to increase. Cortisol causes weight gain in the form of body fat, most particularly in the belly region!

(And Sara, are you really one to criticize people for not taking the time to use proper grammar when you don't bother to capitalize properly?)

"Gosh, what a serious waste of time trying to argue about something we all have diff. thoughts on..."

Maybe for an ignoramus who wants to remain one, as you evidently do, nicole.

"Just don't be a moron"

Try practicing what you suggest, immediately above, nicole -- hard as it may be for you.

"and do what you think would be better for you."

Everyone should, but sufficiently intelligent people let suitable empirical evidence influence their opinion of what is best for them, you TRAGICOMICALLY ignorant moron, nicole.

Gosh, what a serious waste of time trying to argue about something we all have diff. thoughts on... Just don't be a moron and do what you think would be better for you.

At 8:45 AM on February 8th, 2008, lquick posted the following text hereon: "There are 30 metabolic ward studies of calorie intake dating back as far as 1935. Not a single one found a difference in weight loss based on food composition. All that mattered were calories. I challenge whoever came up with the above to produce clinical evidence."

Although his/her claim, above, may have been true sometime, it has already proven false, as exemplified by the following text from RealAge's Tip for today, i.e. March 10th, 2008, titled A High-Calorie Snack That’s OK for Your Waist:
"Peanuts may be one high-calorie treat that doesn’t do serious damage to your weight or your waistline....
In a recent small study where people were given a daily snack of peanuts, researchers were surprised to find that no one’s weight changed significantly after many weeks, despite the extra calories. Why? Seems peanuts fill you up (thanks to the fiber, protein, and healthy monounsaturated fats) but don't necessarily fatten you up, because the fat and calories in the nuts aren't completely absorbed by your gut."
Informatively yours,
--Johnny B.

first of all, beautiful grammar, people. it gives a lot of credence to your wealth of "knowledge." second of all, calories before bedtime are not more fattening. think about what you're saying... if i eat something at night it is all of a sudden "more fattening" than it would have been had i eaten it 4 hours earlier? you might as well eat before bed and get fat since you're already stupid.

Feb. 13, 2008
I don't think you should waste time and space with "comments" by people who don't know what they are talking about. PLEASE GET THE EXPERTS OF REALAGE TO GIVE US MORE INFORMATION. THANK YOU.

Fat calories pack on pounds faster than carb calories.

There are 30 metabolic ward studies of calorie intake dating back as far as 1935. Not a single one found a difference in weight loss based on food composition. All that mattered were calories. I challenge whoever came up with the above to produce clinical evidence.

Our bodies are designed to move. The human GI system can handle various types of food but prefers simple things like veggies, fruits, and low fat proteins like chicken and fish. It doesn't matter what you do eat as long as you expend calories that you ingest. Each person is different with different genetic traits. The key is learning what works for you.

Either take the article for what it's worth or don't. There is no point arguing over this. Some people reading this cannot afford raise their blood pressure. If you haven't learned about how the body works in a medical school, you shouldn't try to offer advise. WebMD isn't a medical school either!

What about water intake? How important is it, and how much?

You made some excellent points in your posting of 10:29 PM yesterday, Marjorie, though when you therein wrote

"Tho not a single mention of your digestive powers",

you seem to have missed or forgotten my previously having posted, at 1:47 PM yesterday,

"It most certainly DOES matter, with respect to your bodyfat-level, when you consume calories, especially when you consume them too soon before you sleep -- because, inter alia, too much of the energy your body would otherwise spend burning fat and building (fat-burning) muscle AT THE MOST EFFICIENT TIME TO DO SO is, instead, spent digesting food in your body" :).

Cheers.

I recently put on weight while staying with friends.The reason, they have their main meal at 8pm while I usually don't eat after 5pm. I've dropped the excess by doing weight training.
caroline

I recently put on weight while staying with friends.The reason, they have their main meal at 8pm while I usually don't eat after 5pm. I've dropped the excess by doing weight training.
caroline

This is my personal experience and success. When I gained over 20 pounds, I started warry and the same time I tried everything, like dieting, not eating full and so on. All were helpful, but only temporarly. I gained again after awile. I decided to drink alot of water, untill I felt full. Now I feel good about me, because I started to lose weight and I lost more than 20 pounds in one month. Good luck to you all, maybe this will help you, too.

Amazing comments, all. Tho not a single mention of your digestive powers, which peak at midday. If our moment(s) of nourishment are compromised (rushing,reading, TV,upset)this adversely affects the body's ability to absorb what we eat. Also some foods are far more difficult to digest. Eating after dark is met with less digestive energies for most. Each of us differs. Check to see if you have undigested food left cluttering up your bod: tired? white coating on tongue? 'stuff' on teeth in the morning? You are junking up your body machine. This is the precursor to bigger problems. Eat more natural foods and earlier in the day. Exercise. Breathe fresh air. (this is Ayurveda, 5000 yr old natural 'medicine'. The way to keep balanced in mind and body. Simple. It works.)

I stopped eating between 2:00 am + 3:00 am. I lost around 20 pounds. I started eating again at those times,

I gained 16 pounds in two weeks. As a result of eating then I'm not hungry at breakfast time.

After seeing my NEW weight on the scales tonight I have decided it isn't worth my health to have an early morning snack.

Now I need to get back into the habit of popcorn in the evening. It fills us up, and I don't honestly know if it adds fat or not. Just watch the butter. But that is another subject.

I just had a health risk appraisal and it says I have 30% body fat, I would like to reduce this to 23%. What do you recommend? I am age 54 and could stand to lose about 5-8 lbs., but overall I think my weight isn't too bad and my health and diet is pretty good.

I am with Glenna, show me some clinical references for fats packing on more fat that protein or carbs. Your brain needs fat to function properly and to ward off cravings and a ton of other things, PMS, depression. (I am talking about good fats not transfats.)

Hey 'Sergeat"! Guess what? What you said about calories turning into fat more easily at night is no longer considered true by the medical community! It used to be, but not anymore. You've really got to stay on top of these things sweetheart!

Hey 'Sergeat"! Guess what? What you said about calories turning into fat more easily at night is no longer considered true by the medical community! It used to be, but not anymore. You've really got to stay on top of these things sweetheart!

Hey 'Sergeat"! Guess what? What you said about calories turning into fat more easily at night is no longer considered true by the medical community! It used to be, but not anymore. You've really got to stay on top of these things sweetheart!

Real age would you do an article on weight vests? I read on the Net, that they help burn a lot more calories while exercising and have other benefits as well. I already work out with hand and ankle weights but I can't use these when I walk my dog.I am seriously considering buying one but don't know whether I should go for one of the cheaper models or an expensive one.

Lets put the rumors to an end. Your body works off of a circadian rythem... what this means for you and me is that your body reacts differently to food in regards to the digestion process during different times of the day. Although calories might not be anymore fattening during the night, your body is much more likley to store these calories as fat. This information is well accepted in the medical world and I encourage any skeptical individuals to research it (including Real-Age who obviously errored in their advise)

It most certainly DOES matter, with respect to your bodyfat-level, when you consume calories, especially when you consume them too soon before you sleep -- because, inter alia, too much of the energy your body would otherwise spend burning fat and building (fat-burning) muscle AT THE MOST EFFICIENT TIME TO DO SO is, instead, spent digesting food in your body.

Any respectable book about weight-loss should contain that information, which should actually be easily retrievable on RealAge.Com.

And as far as those who managed to lose (much) bodyfat despite eating inadvisably close to their respective bedtimes, they obviously would have lost even more and/or lost it faster they not so mistimed their eating with respect to their sleeping.

--John

Some disagreed with item #5 and I do certainly agree with RealAge...it's the total amount of calories you consume in one day and through the week that causes weight gain. At night when you are tired, you tend to eat more and unaware of the caloric intake. It is better to eat small amounts throughout the day and never skip breakfast.This way you won't binge at night time.

I don't get why so many people are misunderstanding your point on #5. The calories themselves are not more fattening at bedtime, it's what we do--or DON'T do--close to bedtime that either makes our bodies hold onto or dispose of the calories. If i eat lightly and do some sort of activity in the evening, i will lose weight easier than if i eat a lot and then proceed to do nothing. How is this so hard to understand?? A lot of you are saying that the calories are "more fattening" when that's not the case at ALL. It's what we choose to do after consuming those calories that is the bottom line.

How about the effect of late meals on dreams? Spicy foods give me strange dreams!

I tend to disagree with statemnet #5. Although you touched upon it, it should be noted that as we eat during the day we are still active in some way - even if you have a sedentary job - you're still moving something. Unfortunately, many Americans come home in the evenings, eat a meal and/or a desert - then do NOTHING (watching TV doesn't count as doing anything in my book), then they go to bed and do even less! My answer to this delimna (and I'm 8.5 years "younger" than my biological age, with an "ideal" BFI) is to eat all day long (I call it perpetual grazing), eat very little at night, yet do the bulk of my excersizing in the evening... typically just before bed time. The extra work out at night burns off what I didn't use during the day, and the added benefit of increased circulation makes me sleep very good, while feeling refreshed when I wake up. For some of those reading this, this dietary change and evening excersizing could make a difference in your overall health, body fat, and how well you feel when you wake up the next day!

I don't agree with #5. I have no problem maintaining and even losing weight when I consume most of my calories in the forenoon but have a lot of trouble maintaining my weight when I cosume most of the calories in the afternoon.

Very interesting and informative articles on food, diet, exercise and many more. Please continue to guide us with new up dates as research progresses on various diseases. Thanks for all your good work and advice to us.

Dhun

Very interesting and informative articles on food, diet, exercise and many more. Please continue to guide us with new up dates as research progresses on various diseases. Thanks for all your good work and advice to us.

Dhun

It's basic math, if you eat more calories than you need to maintain or lose weight, you're going to gain weight...no matter what time of day. It's like a bank account, if you deposit more into your account than you expend, then your account is going to git bigger (a good thing in terms of money, but not physically). Figure out how many calories you need to eat in order to maintain your desired weight and stick to that. If you accidentally eat more than you need, burn it up with exercise. A brisk 30 minute walk for an average 130 pound woman burns about 200 calories. P.S. You should be exercising every day!!

For all of you having "trouble" with the clicking of articles...right click link and "open in new tab/new window" get with the times people!

I cannot say whether eating 2 hours before bed is detrimental to weight loss or not. However, night eating is "dangerous" as I find that when I am on the downside of my day, I intuitively look to food to boost my energy AND my choices are naturally for quick surges like that which comes from carbs and more accessible sugars. Beware of night eating!!

I can only speak from personal experience. I have lost over 46 lbs. in the last 4 months and am still losing. I eat dinner sometimes as late as 9:00 or 9:30 pm. In my experience it is not so much when or how much I eat, but what it is that I am eating. I have not gained or not lost wieght becuase of eating late or just before bed. A calorie is a calorie whether eaten at noon or at 10:00 pm. I eat between 1500-1700 calories per day and have seen a steady wieght loss of aprox. 2 lbs. a week.

I, too, don't like having to click to read one item, then having to click again and again, just to finish one article. Then, go back to the first page to read the second, etc. Also sometimes, the articles are too long. Don't have that much time to read them all and all of them. Usually contain good info, though.

Metabolism slows down at night, so the calories consumed at night ARE more fattening.

Regarding eating at night:

I've lost 69 pounds, (I've been on you on a diet) and I eat right up until I go to bed. Sometimes I'll eat a salad with oil and vinegar, sometimes a sandwich, sometimes
soup, sometimes all of the above.

Why should I fool myself into believing that eating after a certain time is going to keep me from losing weight? If I'm hungry, I'm gonna eat, dagnabit!

The trick is to eat the right things.

I agree with the comments about having to click on each daily featured article to get to the information. I too have dialup service and it is annoying and time consuming.

I agree with RealAge on #5. No need to overanalyze the time of day calories are consumed. A calorie is a calorie, it doesn't matter when it is consumed. Too many calories are too many calories. Your body is going to take those calories and add pounds to your body if you consume too many over time. It doesn't matter when you consume those calories. You have to look at the overall calories in and calories out.

I want scientific nutrition information, not someonone's opinion.

I like the improved look of the email message, but the whole system would be even better if one click to the Browser allowed all 3 of the Hot Tips to show up on the website.

Instead, now, you have to keep clicking back to the email to look at each Tip in series, which is annoying.

No, no and no! If you eat 1000 calories between coming home from work and going to bed, you will not gain weight just because you have eaten them at night and/or you are not active at night. The exercise you do during the day does not just work for that part of the day. Eat the number of calories you need to sustain good health and lose weight (if you need to)at ANY time during the day, even if it's right before you fall asleep. Such mythology!

Saturated fats make you fat; monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (like extra virgin olive oil and the fats found in nuts), when eaten in moderation are very beneficial to you. They help to decrease your LDL (bad cholesterol) and lend a hand in breaking up the plaque deposits in your heart and blood levels. They also raise your HDL levels (good cholesterol). Furthermore, "good" fats like these contain lots of Omega 3 fatty acids, which actually help you to lose weight and build lean muscle mass. And we all know that building muscle burns fat. Also, if you eat about a handful of nuts (like almonds, walnuts, peanuts, etc...) about 20 minutes before a meal, you will EAT LESS during the meal because of the release of CCK (cholecystokinine) which in turn sends a message to your brain that you are no longer hungry. Hope this helps!

nightime calories are NOT more fattening, they would have the same content no matter what time you eat them. the difference is, during the day you are more active to use those calories-wlaking around work, to your car, running errands, etc. at night when you eat youre more likely just sitting around the house (ex. watching tv, on the computer) or about to go to bed-where your body rests and youre not doing much to use those calories then. so they are stored instead of used, therefore makaing you gain weight.

I agree also with the "Just give the info. straighht so one can scroll down on set of sev. articles/INFO. I truly do dislike [in part maybe due to having to use DialUp & it is Slow] when you must click into separate items -- all sucks up wasted time in our busy lives .... takes away from Exercise ?! what Ex. does one get sitting behind a computer ??? please Listen to comments ~ ~ ~

I'm (only) 30 and I aggree with the comments about the embedded articles. While I used to read through everything RealAge supplied in an article page(and even them I generally skipped out on extra linked pages), now that I have to click away to finish just one article, I often shut the window without bothering to finish through.

In my opinion, this article is a bit better about that then some recent articles have been. But it would also be nice to have links to the other articles of the day -- rather than having to close and reopen my browser through the next email link.

With no link to the other articles on the website, I typically just click on the article that looks most interesting and ignore the others.

Some very good comments. I have heard that sumo wrestlers go to sleep right after they eat a big meal - IN ORDER TO GAIN FAT!
So, there must be some link between consuming calories just before going to bed and gaining weight(fat).

I disagree....if you eat carbs at night they will turn to fat a lot easier than if you eat them during the day, your body is burning up more so the calores are not stored/turn to fat.

Agree with johnny B. Nighttime eating can not be equally compared to eating during the day. There are hormonal diffrences ( and the way we convert food into energy) between morning and evening. it is hard to do, but keeping out of the kitchen at night is not only one of the best ways to maintain a healthy weight but also a way to gain a healthy attitude toward food. cheers.

it is a misconception that "all" fat calories are the same. Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) in the natural triglyceride form (same as fish) are "active fats" that are burned more readily and are not stored as excess fat. On the other hand, Americans get an overabundance of Omega-6 EFAs in the form of saturated fat and vegetable oils. This lack of Omega balance may be at the root cause of obesity. Eating more fish and/or taking a fish oil supplement in the natural triglyceride form may actually enhance weight loss and increase lean muscle mass. There are numerous studies that support this information.

I agree with the first comment about having to click multiple times to find anything--you go off on a wild goose chase and loose some of the thread you were interested in.

I would like to see that when we receive an email, you click ONCE and get the article (not multiple times) and the whole article and everything need is right there. Then there could links to related articles at the bottom.

I'm 61.

And I've read scholarly articles saying that calories eaten in the evening are more likely to make you fat, but I don't have the references handy. YOU should give some references if you are making statements like that. How about at the end of the article? The ONE article at a time?

I absolutely HATE the "embedded" nature of your info! Having to click on layer upon layer is anathema to the way my brain is wired. Personally, I would much prefer single-stream articles, presented in a flat, linear mode. (BYW, I'm age 62, & NOT of the multi-task, video-game generation!)

Quite true concerning nightime calories, since the thermogenic response (the ability to turn food into heat) is higher during the morning and reduced during night.

I am a dibetic so most of this information, has been a life saver in
keeping my sugar under control. I am doing so with diet and excerise alone. It has been a struggle but has been worth it to me. Thank You for so much helpful information.So far I have lost over fifty pounds and am still looseing weight.

Hi well for the past 3 months I have been eating 1200 calories a day and i have lost 2 lbs.I can tell the difference in my clothes though.When I told the Dr, he said did I exercize? I normally have to cut down to 1000 a day to lose weight. I am 73 so that might be the answer as well as mt Thyroid was zero,so I am checking that out.

I am a dibetic so most of this information, has been a life saver in
keeping my sugar under control. I am doing so with diet and excerise alone. It has been a struggle but has been worth it to me. Thank You for so much helpful information.

Nice first 4 questions and corresponding answers, but RealAge's answer to question 5 is at best misleading, and at worst just plain wrong, since calories consumed too close to bedtime ARE more fattening. Cheers.

Can you give me some clinical references for fats packing on more fat than protein or carbs?