Complex Carbs late at night?

[Monkey]

ok so i hear a lot of ppl say, "you shouldn't eat complex carbs after 6 p.m." but what if you do. what if you eat complex carbs lets say around 9 or 10 and i go to bed around 11:30pm. What would really happen if i ate lets say 3 cups of rice or 2 cups of oatmeal?

[Clark Kent]

I think the problem with eating complex carbs at night is that your activity level isn't high enough to use all the calories you're ingesting. If you have 70 or 80 grams of carbs, then sit around and do little to no activity for a few hours before going to bed, your body is not going to utilize all that energy. Unless you have a fast metabolism, you're more likely to store some of those calories as fat. Everyone's body is different, but that's the general reasoning behind it.

[Lady C]

I eat complex carbs and then go right to be most nights. The big difference is I only eat the fiberous ones (broccoli, califlower, aspargus, cabbage, etc) and NEVER starchy ones (potatoes, rice, pasta, etc). The starchy ones will add pounds.

[abear]

this is really a myth that came about because of ppl who hit the drive thru on the way home then set up camp in front the tv downing cakes, cookies, chips, etc

its more about total calories consumed vs burned over the course of the day thats
important.

[Todd]

What kind of carbs you eat late at night depends on whether you have a reason to be eating a certain type of carbs at that time. If you workout in the late evenings, then it is fine to eat complex carbs late at night, perhaps even right before bedtime. I am personally one who does this because I do workout out at around 7pm till about 8pm. My post workout meals look like this: (complex carbs are highlighted in bold)

Immediately after training - whey protein shake, creatine drink mix

Within 30 minutes after the above meal - Small baked potato and turkey breast.

30 minutes Later - 2 scoop protein shake in skim milk.

1 1/2 hours later (Bed Time!) - small baked potato, turkey breast, and 1 scoop protein shake.

Having complex carbs in the hours after training are not only fine, but is something you should be giving your body, because it needs this type of nutrition for full recuperation and replenishment in the hours after intense workouts. Your body will make positive use of complex carbs at this time, even if taken right before bed time!

Now, if I weren't working out in the evenings, then I would have fibrous carbs (veggies) instead of complex ones as I approach late evening/bed time. Hope this helps some!

[cursor]

Originally Posted by Monkey

What would really happen if i ate lets say 3 cups of rice or 2 cups of oatmeal?

First of all, all things in moderation. That amount of carbs, at any single time, might well be too much (even pre/post-workout).

You might read through these posts and see what makes sense to you:

Slimming Down
Workout Timing and Diet Tactics
Workout day vs nonWorkout day

[gordian]

it would seem to me that if your body is in full recuperation mode (ie, sleeping) it needs energy (carbs) to create muscle from the protein you've eaten. so no carbs at all before bed could(?) be a not-so-great idea, but correct me if i'm wrong.

[CrazyRussi]

Originally Posted by gordian

it would seem to me that if your body is in full recuperation mode (ie, sleeping) it needs energy (carbs) to create muscle from the protein you've eaten. so no carbs at all before bed could(?) be a not-so-great idea, but correct me if i'm wrong.

Fats burn slower than carbs, which is why they are ideal to eat before nighttime. When you go to sleep, you don't want all of your energy to burn out quickly. That's why lots of people like to eat boiled eggs or all natural peanut butter before bed. A decent amount of protein wouldn't hurt, as your muscles grow mostly while you rest.

[cursor]

And don't forget that you're typically carrying plenty of body-fat that can be used for night-time fuel. What do you think that hibernating bears live on for 5+ months per year?