# Do you need protein while you sleep?



## leg_press (Jan 11, 2009)

Ive always been under the impression that you need a slow release protein to feed your body as in repairs itself while you sleep. But ive got a mate whos fitness mad, does judo, badminton etc, has a very healthy and varied diet, and says that in order to be healthy, you shouldnt eat carbs after 6pm and you should have nothing but water after 8pm as your body wont you it and it will just turn to fat. A close friend of hers is a bodybuilder and apparently 'wet himself laughing' at the fact I was eating cottage cheese before bed as the body has nothing to do with it while you sleep so its going to fester and turn to fat.


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## Skib (Jan 11, 2009)

I can't wait to see some of the responses to this... I had some carbs after 6 last night... I guess I'm not healthy... and I guess that bowl of cottage cheese I had before bed went straight to my ass... your friend must think all of the body's metabolic processes shut down as soon as your head hits the pillow at night...


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## leg_press (Jan 11, 2009)

Its confused me big time. Her BIG argument is that 'ur body doesnt need fuel while its trying to rest'


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## Hench (Jan 11, 2009)

Your friends friends is a fucking moron. You are perfectly correct in doing what you doing. I personally have quite a large meal before I go to bed, I include protein, fat and a small amount of carbs.


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## leg_press (Jan 11, 2009)

So eating a BIG meal last thing I night wont confuse the body as its trying to rest, so make it worth overtime to digest the food when it wants to shut down, rest and repair itself?


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## Hench (Jan 11, 2009)

No, the body doesnt shut down at night. If I remember correctly your metabolic rate does slow down at night time, but this is irrelevant as you should be working towards a calorie target which takes into account the entire 24 hours of the day. Your body does repair itself at night, and if you were to go the bed having not eaten for 3 hours and then another 8-10 hours of not eating while you sleeping, you will not be supplying your body with the fuel it requires for repair. If you want you can eat your biggest meal of the day before you go to bed (though I wouldnt as it might disrupt your sleep pattern). Does this make sense?


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## leg_press (Jan 11, 2009)

Yeah it makes sense, Ive been through it time and time again with her but she is adamant that im being told bs so I can be sold something to help me loose fat.


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## Hench (Jan 11, 2009)

I got bored of trying to convince my friends about the correct way to do things a long time ago. Now I just tell them to do things their way and ill do them my way and well see who gets better results.


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## Skib (Jan 11, 2009)

leg_press said:


> Yeah it makes sense, Ive been through it time and time again with her but she is adamant that im being told bs so I can be sold something to help me loose fat.



LOL that's quite the conspiracy


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## Chubby (Jan 11, 2009)

A cup of fat free cottage cheese at bed time should do the trick, right?


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## Snarff (Jan 11, 2009)

quick question, rough estimate how many grams is a cup of cottage cheese, i buy 300gram pots so will be easy to figure how much of that to take


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## camarosuper6 (Jan 11, 2009)

I dont eat carbs after 7pm.  Its a good way of keeping myself lean.  Only protein and trace carbs after 6-7.   I do low intensity cardio first thing in the morning before breakfast.  Keeps me lean in the offseason.


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## Chubby (Jan 11, 2009)

Snarff said:


> quick question, rough estimate how many grams is a cup of cottage cheese, i buy 300gram pots so will be easy to figure how much of that to take


It says:
one cup=226 gm.


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## Snarff (Jan 11, 2009)

thanks


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## Chubby (Jan 11, 2009)

you're welcome.


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## Skib (Jan 11, 2009)

chobby192 said:


> A cup of fat free cottage cheese at bed time should do the trick, right?



that and a tbsp of natty pb is my bedtime snack


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## Hench (Jan 11, 2009)

camarosuper6 said:


> I dont eat carbs after 7pm.  Its a good way of keeping myself lean.  Only protein and trace carbs after 6-7.   I do low intensity cardio first thing in the morning before breakfast.  Keeps me lean in the offseason.



Hmm....as I mentioned in another thread im meant to be studying, so I dont have time for long winded answers. So ill just ask where you got the info from that suggest that you train and diet the way you stated above. I bet it wasnt from someone on this site. Not trying to be a prick, just trying to help.


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## Dodge (Jan 11, 2009)

I eat what i want when i want aslong as i get some chicken or meat and some vegetables, protein shake, zma, and sometimes vitamin supliments.

However when you are wanting to lose weight, then eat less after 6pm but by no means starve yourself, the fact is your metabolism heavily slows down at that time, but your body is a 24 hour machine and will continue to digest your food as normal, just much slower burning the fat.

And I dont work for any suppliment companies, this site or anyone, and i wasn't the man behind the grassy knol.


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## camarosuper6 (Jan 11, 2009)

Moondogg said:


> Hmm....as I mentioned in another thread im meant to be studying, so I dont have time for long winded answers. So ill just ask where you got the info from that suggest that you train and diet the way you stated above. I bet it wasnt from someone on this site. Not trying to be a prick, just trying to help.



intensemuscle


its part of the DC training philosophy... that I have found as worked very well for me.


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## Hench (Jan 11, 2009)

camarosuper6 said:


> intensemuscle
> 
> 
> its part of the DC training philosophy... that I have found as worked very well for me.



Right. I havent read anything about those training philosophys so im not educated enough to comment, however I would say that the things you mentioned above go against everything ive learned over the past 2 years. Why does it say not to eat carbs after 6? Is it because they would be stored as fat? And what is the purpose of pre breakfast cardio?


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## camarosuper6 (Jan 11, 2009)

Cutting carbs a few hours before bed because I am reducing my caloric expenditure towards the end of the day, and it allows a longer time period to deplete carbs before the morning cardio.


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## Hench (Jan 12, 2009)

camarosuper6 said:


> Cutting carbs a few hours before bed because I am reducing my caloric expenditure towards the end of the day, and it allows a longer time period to deplete carbs before the morning cardio.



Ill read up today after my exam, then make a more informed post later on.


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## Merkaba (Jan 12, 2009)

Bullshit.

Tell your friends they're morons.  Carbs are not an enemy.  You stay lean by watching overall intake.


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## Hench (Jan 12, 2009)

Merkaba said:


> Bullshit.
> 
> Tell your friends they're morons.  Carbs are not an enemy.  You stay lean by watching overall intake.



   You always put things so delicately merk.lol

I have to say I completely agree, but didnt want to comment yet, because unlike the *vast* majority of people on here I dont like to make uneducated posts. Thought I would read up about his routine before calling it shit. I dont think you can carb deplet to any real degree overnight, which I think was the purpose of not eating carbs after 6. And even if you could, why would you want to? The burn fat through cardio things is complete shite.


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## urbanski (Jan 12, 2009)

i guess to answer the question in the thread title, whether i need it or not, i drink a small protein shake overnight when i get up to pee. 
1 scoop whey, 1 scoop dex, bit of water. done.


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## Merkaba (Jan 12, 2009)

Moondogg said:


> You always put things so delicately merk.lol
> 
> I have to say I completely agree, but didnt want to comment yet, because unlike the *vast* majority of people on here I dont like to make uneducated posts. Thought I would read up about his routine before calling it shit. I dont think you can carb deplet to any real degree overnight, which I think was the purpose of not eating carbs after 6. And even if you could, why would you want to? The burn fat through cardio things is complete shite.



Well as i stated ealier I do like the idea of giving the digestive system a chance to "rest"...and possibly eliminate its own toxins, etc.   Thats just from my yogic background.  However, the old "carbs are bad for you during XYZ time" is dated.


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## Hench (Jan 12, 2009)

Merkaba said:


> Well as i stated ealier I do like the idea of giving the digestive system a chance to "rest"...



Where did you post this? It rings a very faint bell, but I would be interested to learn more about it.


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## Compton24 (Jan 12, 2009)

slow dissolving protein beforebed.  casein types of protein are good.  these include cottage cheese, milk, and casein protein.


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## Dodge (Jan 12, 2009)

I had a proteinshake once that said to mix with water in the day time, and at night mix it with milk for slow release. How does that work? Milk=Slow release protein?


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## Dodge (Jan 12, 2009)

I had a proteinshake once that said to mix with water in the day time, and at night mix it with milk for slow release. How does that work? Milk=Slow release protein??


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## danzik17 (Jan 12, 2009)

Not really.  It's still mainly whey protein which is digested normally within like 20m.  With milk, maybe it ups it to a lengthy 30m?

If you want slow digesting stuff, try fatty cuts of meat or casein.  I personally eat 4oz of salmon with veggies OR 4oz ground beef with veggies every night literally right before bed.


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## Merkaba (Jan 12, 2009)

Moondogg said:


> Where did you post this? It rings a very faint bell, but I would be interested to learn more about it.



Some thread about a month ago.


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## leg_press (Jan 13, 2009)

So K.I.S.S answer : Ya do?


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## JeffCollins (Jan 20, 2009)

Its always confusing me that human body needs fuel or not during sleep.


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## min0 lee (Jan 20, 2009)

JeffCollins said:


> Its always confusing me that human body needs fuel or not during sleep.



Don't you get tired of spamming?


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## Nigeepoo (Jan 20, 2009)

leg_press said:


> A close friend of hers is a bodybuilder and apparently 'wet himself laughing'...


*Too much H20?* Sorry, I couldn't resist!


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## Starpsl (Jan 31, 2009)

Merkaba said:


> Bullshit.
> 
> Tell your friends they're morons.  Carbs are not an enemy.  You stay lean by watching overall intake.



Newbie here. That sounds really good to hear.  I have been losing on counting overall cals but wondered if I need to go back to the ol' low carb diet which I really don't like.  I have  a lot of fat to burn.


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## Built (Jan 31, 2009)

Dropping carbs or not doesn't matter - not for fat loss.

It DOES, however, matter a great deal for comfort.


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## Merkaba (Feb 1, 2009)

Starpsl said:


> Newbie here. That sounds really good to hear.  I have been losing on counting overall cals but wondered if I need to go back to the ol' low carb diet which I really don't like.  I have  a lot of fat to burn.



Want me to repeat it?  lol...


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## Vernon Brown (Feb 2, 2009)

I have found a large meal right before bed gives me odd dreams.


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## danzik17 (Feb 2, 2009)

Vernon Brown said:


> I have found a large meal right before bed gives me odd dreams.



Well stop eating special brownies before bed then.


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