I'm a sucker for the midnight snack. I wake up in the middle of the night and crave chocolate, this typically leads me to the kitchen, in which I have no chocolate, so I typically end up snacking on something else-whatever I can find.
I know this is terrible, and I know this is not helping me lose weight, but I don't know why.
One reason, I was told by my doctor, is that when you lie down, gravity cannot help pull the food down, in the natural digestive way. BUT, I've also been told that you can burn more calories while you're sleeping (because you are breathing faster and heavier) than you can simply sitting on the couch.
I did find this article, which explores why we feel the need to "midnight snack." I should also note that you don't need to snack at exactly midnight in order to call it a "midnight snack."
http://www.citizensreport.org/2009/09/14/midnight-snack-the-enemy-of-your-weight-loss-plans/
Here is one of my favorite quotes from the article:
"Personal trainers and other weight loss gurus have long advocated not eating after 6 or 7 pm if you want to drop some pounds. However no one was sure if this was just because people tend to binge or indulge in unhealthy snacks under the cover of darkness (those midnight bowls of ice cream in front of the television that don’t count because no one else sees them)."
I definitely think I'm more inclined to reach for a candy bar or potato chips in the blanket of night instead of an apple or banana.
In the article, scientists conduct a study on mice and found that those who snacked at night gained 48 percent more body weight. So it appears clear that snacking in the middle of the night is not good for our weight loss goals. But what can we do about it?
Do you have any suggestions for how we can all kick our midnight snacking habits?
posted @ Tuesday, September 15, 2009 11:51 AM