A few questions about weight loss.

[deity]

First of all, hi I'm new!

Anyways, I have a few questions about drinking water, and what hours to eat.

I hear lots of people saying that they don't eat past certain hours when they are dieting. What is this for? Does it just help people limit themselves better (A mental thing) or is there actually some science to this? I usually don't eat anything after dinner, but I don't really eat dinner until 9 O'Clock!

And regarding drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day, well I actually started doing this some some 2 or 3 days ago (Or trying my best that is), well is there a certain temperature too high or too low? I usually drink it out of a water cooler, but sometimes just room temperature, does this matter? How much calories does this burn anyways? Also, for anyone that is doing this, what are some tips to drinking all this water? I know that its just drinking, but jeez, its really hard for me to just gulp it down sometimes. Eventually it makes me feel a little bloated (For a short period of time) and its harder then it sounds to just keep drinking.

[DrewMG]

I'm no expert, but as I understand it:

a) I think the not eating at night thing has to do with the fact that if you eat and then go to sleep a few hours later, your body has not had a chance to burn off any of the calories through everyday activity. So it just is all absorbed. Whereas, if you ate dinner at like 5 PM or 6 PM, your body would have 5-6 hours of time to move around and burn off some of those calories.

b) I'm not really sure how much the temperature really has to do with it. I do know that drinking cold water burns more calories than warm or room temperature water, but I am under the impression that the difference is negligible. I think the biggest advantages to drinking water are a) your body does need the hydration, and b) if you are all filled up with water, you're not eating high calorie snacks, and you're not drinking other things that are bad for you, such as soda.

Hope this helps, and I hope I'm right!

Oh, one other thing.

You should pick up a Nalgene bottle (pictured below). You can get them at all sorts of places, and they're pretty cheap. I got mine at Menards for like $2.50. They hold 32 ounces of water. I fill it up twice a day, and sip on it while I'm working. It makes it REALLY easy to go through 64 ounces.

[deity]

Thanks for the response DrewMG.

I usually do at least 130 sit ups after I eat dinner anyways so my body gets heated up pretty good after my last meal.

Yeah I am gonna get a bigger bottle eventually, haven't been out to the store yet.

BTW, is pop THAT bad? I usually don't drink pop in the first place but a can of sprite or something is usually like 230 calories, thats a lot as opposed to say water, but is it better to drink water with a bigger meal or to drink pop with a smaller meal???

[Laura Moncur]

Eating at Night:

The idea that eating late in the evening is bad for your health is a fallacy. The basic idea of weight loss is calories in VS. calories out. If you eat less than you burn, then you will lose weight.

Some people have found it helpful to stop eating in the evening because they wake up hungry for breakfast. Eating earlier in the day has helped me prevent binges. When I didn't eat breakfast, I found myself porking it up at lunchtime. So, I don't eat after 7pm or so, but it's so I'm nice and ready for breakfast when it comes.

It all comes down to listening to your body. A lot of my evening eating was out of habit or because of influences. If I was watching television and saw a yummy burger on a commercial, I found I was craving a burger even though I wasn't hungry. I used to want to eat popcorn when I watched movies no matter whether I was stuffed to the gills or not. My evening eating wasn't about listening to my body. It was about unhealthy binges. The minute I modified my behavior, the healthier I became.

[deity]

Thanks for the reply. I guess I'll find a time thats right for me and then go from there.

It all comes down to listening to your body. A lot of my evening eating was out of habit or because of influences. If I was watching television and saw a yummy burger on a commercial, I found I was craving a burger even though I wasn't hungry. I used to want to eat popcorn when I watched movies no matter whether I was stuffed to the gills or not. My evening eating wasn't about listening to my body. It was about unhealthy binges. The minute I modified my behavior, the healthier I became.

I used to be the same way, just eating unconsciously for no real reason, now I am only eating when I feel hungry and even then I will eat healthy things (If it fills my tummy thats all I care about, not as worried about the taste as much).

[abrannan]

Deity said:

Thanks for the response DrewMG.

I usually do at least 130 sit ups after I eat dinner anyways so my body gets heated up pretty good after my last meal.

Yeah I am gonna get a bigger bottle eventually, haven't been out to the store yet.

BTW, is pop THAT bad? I usually don't drink pop in the first place but a can of sprite or something is usually like 230 calories, thats a lot as opposed to say water, but is it better to drink water with a bigger meal or to drink pop with a smaller meal???

Drew's pretty much spot on. And yes, pop is that bad. Not only is it high calorie, but those calories don't need to be digested, since they are in liquid form. The sugar from the pop goes almost immediately into your bloodstream, causing a large spike in your blood sugar. Comparatively, 250 calories of, say, fiber and monounstaurated fats, like a large salad with olive oil, will sit in your stomach and be digested over a longer period of time. With the pop, once your blood sugar drops, you'll feel run-down and hungry very quickly, inspiring you to eat more. With the same calorie value salad, a few hours later you've only digested half the number of calories, and you feel fuller since your stomach still has stuff in it.

[heinous]

My understanding is the best thing for your metabolism is to eat your largest (and most protein filled) meal for breakfast. Somewhat less for lunch, and then your lightest meal for dinner. This keeps your body with a steady supply of energy all day. I actually know people who lost weight by changing nothing except eating breakfast in the morning. Also, it's really good to eat less more frequently, so eating smaller meals and snacking throughout the day is great for boosting your metabolism.

As far as water, yeah, I guess you will burn more calories heating up cold water, but my experience has been that when exercising, cold water tends to make me feel a lot crappier than room temp water. Room temp is a lot easier for your body to use right away too.

[orangina]

I agree with Laura in that its calories in and calories out for weight loss. I work for a french weight loss site and many french people eat VERY LATE in the evening and they are a very slim culture.

However, FOR ME personally I find if I eat so that when I got bed I am a little hungry it means that I have not overconsumed that day and I lose..so that helps keep me on track. However I do agree with Laura that if your total calories for the day are under what you need you will lose no matter when you eat them ..I Just find that I like to be a bit hungry if weight loss is the goal

I really think the mini meal idea is not that great. I know it works for some people..but many folks just end up eating more than they should
I like 3 decent meals and 1 snack at teatime..(the French way - though many French people will not eat a snack..some do)

As far as protein based breakfast..again I look to the French who often eat BREAD for Breakfast and are a very slim culture.
I personally though eat 1 hard cooked egg and 1 slim slice of bread with jam...(bonne maman french jam)
OR I will have a full fat yogurt with almonds.
YUM
I have larger lunches and dinners.

[smokedragon]

I never realised soda was doing so much harm to my body. Time to cut back! Drink more water, and all that good stuff

[heinous]

orangina said:

I agree with Laura in that its calories in and calories out for weight loss. I work for a french weight loss site and many french people eat VERY LATE in the evening and they are a very slim culture.

I really think the mini meal idea is not that great. I know it works for some people..but many folks just end up eating more than they should
I like 3 decent meals and 1 snack at teatime..(the French way - though many French people will not eat a snack..some do)

As far as protein based breakfast..again I look to the French who often eat BREAD for Breakfast and are a very slim culture.
I personally though eat 1 hard cooked egg and 1 slim slice of bread with jam...(bonne maman french jam)
OR I will have a full fat yogurt with almonds.
YUM
I have larger lunches and dinners.

It is true that the French (~10%) have a lower obesity rate than say, the USA (~22%), the Italians have an even lower rate than the French (~6.4%) for example, and what I understand from my research is that the Italians eat a very light dinner, a light breakfast (but maybe a bit more than just some bread) and a heavy lunch.

Also, my experience was that typically even the bread eaten for breakfast in many parts of Europe has many more complex carbs and protein than the sugary fluffy bread products eaten in the US. Often it is eaten with some cheese or yogurt, both quite high in protein.

Anyway, I am sure that many approaches work and work differently for different people. There's always local genetics to consider!

Also, it is proven that you can eat more food overall spread over 6 mini-meals and lose the same weight as somewhat less food spread over 3 meals. Of course, it is easy to get out of control, so this doesn't work for everyone.

[orangina]

I agree if you eat the same amount of food spread over 6 minimeals as you do over 3 and its less you will lose. The problem is most people dont stick to the minimeal ..they end up overeating.
There are studies done by B. Rolls that show that people forget what they eat at the previous meal and just eat as much as they would at a regular meal..so YES it works for some people...but does it work for you?
It doesnt for me
NEXT YES the French eat lighter at dinner ..they tend to consume MODERATE portions at every meal also
For breakfast 93% eat something...43% consume dairy, 24% fruit, only 1 in 10 has something from all the food groups, ..Most just eat bread.
BREAD in FRANCE has 4 ingredients..FLOUR, WATER, SALT , YEAST thats it..
Look at American bread and you will have trouble finding one without high fructose corn syrup. thats why I usually make my own bread or buy Artisian.

SODA is a number ONE cause of obesity in United States. Regular soda is like liquid calories and you have a MUCH MUCH greater chance of being overweight even if you only drink one can per day.