# Carbs or Protein before bed?



## JohnEvo (Apr 7, 2011)

Im not sure whether to have a protein shake and an omelette before bed or a protein shake and porridge.

Any suggestions appreciated


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## bigpit (Dec 2, 2009)

protein not carbs before bed imo.


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## Ramrod (Jun 15, 2008)

I have a protein blend and some peanut butter. Almonds would be fine too, or maybe a shake with porridge and ground almonds. Depends on your goals mate.


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## JohnEvo (Apr 7, 2011)

Sorry i should have told you that im on a big bulk


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

JohnEvo said:


> Sorry i should have told you that im on a big bulk


protein carbs and fat before bed.


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## Outtapped (Dec 10, 2012)

I do not understand the logic in not having carbs before bed. Someone please explain


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

WhySoSerious said:


> I do not understand the logic in not having carbs before bed. Someone please explain


Fitting more in throughout the day.

I'll say it before someone else does, to stop you going catabolic in the night :lol:


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## Ramrod (Jun 15, 2008)

They fill me up real nice! my vague understanding is that you still burn calories while sleeping, carbs take care of this whilst protein is preserved for muscle repair and that fats slow down the release of protein.


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## JohnEvo (Apr 7, 2011)

JPaycheck said:


> Fitting more in throughout the day.
> 
> I'll say it before someone else does, to stop you going catabolic in the night :lol:


Wouldnt not having carbs before bed mean an increased chance of a catabolic state??


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## standardflexer (Jul 16, 2008)

I just have almond butter and isolate shake

This may sound weird but i wake up with like pumped hands now compared to when i used to have lots of carbs before bed

0 carbs having an effect on natural GH release... maybe


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

JohnEvo said:


> Wouldnt not having carbs before bed mean an increased chance of a catabolic state??


 No!


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## JohnEvo (Apr 7, 2011)

Maybe ive got the definition of catabolic wrong... could you explain it briefly?


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

JohnEvo said:


> Maybe ive got the definition of catabolic wrong... could you explain it briefly?


If your worried about breaking down muscle overnight, it doesn't happen. I read a study a while back saying that with the consumtion of no food, an average male would begin to break down muscle 72 hours after the last food intake.

Spending 8 hours sleeping won't be enough to break down muscle and go catabolic.


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## bigpit (Dec 2, 2009)

i'm not totally dead against carbs before bed but the less the better(for me anyway) protein shake and peanut butter or cottage cheese for me.


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## JohnEvo (Apr 7, 2011)

Im not particularly worried about that. Just wondered what would be better, porridge and protein shake or omelette and protein shake...


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## Guest (Jul 29, 2011)

i think people have it in their heads that carbs before bed will cause slin to rise causing possible fat storage overnight which isn't the case especially with oats. i dont have anything before bed - just dinner a few hours before, makes no difference imo

(makes me fart in bed if have something that late on lol)


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

To answer your question OP.

Aslong as you stick to your macros set for the day, it doesn't matter if you have a mcflurry; a shake or a pair of knickers before bed.


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## JohnEvo (Apr 7, 2011)

JPaycheck said:


> To answer your question OP.
> 
> Aslong as you stick to your macros set for the day, it doesn't matter if you have a mcflurry; a shake or a pair of knickers before bed.


great..


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

JohnEvo said:


> great..


Did you want a different answer?


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## JohnEvo (Apr 7, 2011)

Yeah, to be honest i dont have strict macros set I just have a diet set which im trying to improve with timing of meals


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

JohnEvo said:


> Yeah, to be honest i dont have strict macros set I just have a diet set which im trying to improve with timing of meals


If you don't have macros set then how the sammy davis jrn can anyone tell you whats best to have before bed??!?!?!


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## JohnEvo (Apr 7, 2011)

Surely if someone is on a bulk then it is either better to have higher carbs or higher protein before bed, no matter what their macros are


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

JohnEvo said:


> Surely if someone is on a bulk then it is either better to have higher carbs or higher protein before bed, no matter what their macros are


If your talking about the term bulk where people think its fine to turn into a squishy blob 'coz i'm ona bulk innit' then yeah take the carbs, if your talking about being on a bulk where you maximise muscle gain and minimise fat loss, then how in the sammy davis jrn can I answer that if you don't have macros!!?!?!?!!


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## sizar (Nov 13, 2008)

ice cream before bed 

on a serious note. .. protein milk and peanut butter .. thats what i have.


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## slunkeh (Apr 21, 2011)

The best approach i have always found is to reduce ur carbs when it comes to evening time as your metabolism slows down. This is due to your body clock telling it to do so in order to get ready for rest/sleep.

As the sun goes down our metabolism slows down in order to preserve nutrients for sleep.

I would reccomend protein mixed with milk before bed to slow down release. Carbs are not needed. Please someone tell me why some people have carbs b4 bed?


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## Guest (Jul 29, 2011)

this is crazy! op if you dont have set macros it wont matter what you have before bed - it will either be not enough to make a difference or too much as it may be too many cals again we wont know because you dont know what your macro intake is!!


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## Guest (Jul 29, 2011)

slunkeh said:


> The best approach i have always found is to reduce ur carbs when it comes to evening time as your metabolism slows down. This is due to your body clock telling it to do so in order to get ready for rest/sleep.
> 
> As the sun goes down our metabolism slows down in order to preserve nutrients for sleep.
> 
> I would reccomend protein mixed with milk before bed to slow down release. Carbs are not needed. Please someone tell me why some people have carbs b4 bed?


thats not the theory behind it! your metabolism doesnt slow down as the day goes on just that your glycogen stores may begin to fill which may cause a spill over into fat gain if you have too many carbs, again you have worked out that you need x amount of carbs for the day then having carbs before bed will not make a difference as long as x amount of carbs is met!

and also what macro is the highest in the nutritional value of milk....carbs! (lactose)


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

ricky23 said:


> this is crazy! op if you dont have set macros it wont matter what you have before bed - it will either be not enough to make a difference or too much as it may be too many cals again we wont know because you dont know what your macro intake is!!


Wanna come and smash your face into the brick wall that I appear to be smashing my face into?


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## JohnEvo (Apr 7, 2011)

slunkeh said:


> The best approach i have always found is to reduce ur carbs when it comes to evening time as your metabolism slows down. This is due to your body clock telling it to do so in order to get ready for rest/sleep.
> 
> As the sun goes down our metabolism slows down in order to preserve nutrients for sleep.
> 
> I would reccomend protein mixed with milk before bed to slow down release. Carbs are not needed. Please someone tell me why some people have carbs b4 bed?


thanks a lot for the info and advice. I think ive come to conclusion that protein is definately more necessary than carbs


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## Guest (Jul 29, 2011)

JPaycheck said:


> Wanna come and smash your face into the brick wall that I appear to be smashing my face into?


im just gonna have another listen to the broken record playing in the background then i'll join you!


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## JohnEvo (Apr 7, 2011)

Ok guys setting macros is not something i plan on doing. I dont want to over complicate my training and diet, id rather keep things simple. I understand that you probably think this is stupid but its just how i want to do things


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

JohnEvo said:


> Ok guys setting macros is not something i plan on doing. I dont want to over complicate my training and diet, id rather keep things simple. I understand that you probably think this is stupid but its just how i want to do things


I'm not being funny mate, but if you don't plan on setting macros, then why are you asking about what macros to eat?


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## JohnEvo (Apr 7, 2011)

I was asking about what food to eat relative to the time of day, not simply what food/macros to eat


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

JohnEvo said:


> I was asking about what food to eat relative to the time of day, not simply what food/macros to eat


Well, then eat what ever you want to. There are not certain types of food that one requires at certain times of the day. There is no cutoff point for CHO. There is however, a certain amount of protein you need. So if nothing else, then make sure you get enough of that to spare muscle.


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## JohnEvo (Apr 7, 2011)

Ok that was more the answer I was looking for. Thanks


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

So long as you meet your daily protein and calorie needs, it doesn't matter how you time it in respect of body composition goals (bulking or cutting). Splitting your daily intake of food into multiple smaller meals does have some health advantages (improved insulin sensivity and better cholesterol profile), but the proximity of the last feed to sleep, and the macro composition of that last feed won't make any difference to muscle gain or fat loss/fat gain however you split your meals.

Best thing to do IMO is to use the last meal of the day (whatever time you have it) to eat anything you feel you have missed nutritionally earlier in the day - one day this might mean a mostly protein meal, another day it might mean mostly carbs or fats.


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## Outtapped (Dec 10, 2012)

The point I was making but was interested to hear if we had any idiotic responses was that carbs before bed makes little difference really so long as your daily cal intake is the same, as paycheck has stated the conversion of carbs to fat storage is not a process that takes overnight.

For me I find the best meal for me is moderate carbs, moderate protein and moderate/high fats


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

ricky23 said:


> im just gonna have another listen to the broken record playing in the background then i'll join you!


Ahh yes great record.



WhySoSerious said:


> The point I was making but was interested to hear if we had any idiotic responses was that carbs before bed makes little difference really so long as your daily cal intake is the same, as paycheck has stated the conversion of carbs to fat storage is not a process that takes overnight.
> 
> For me I find the best meal for me is moderate carbs, moderate protein and moderate/high fats


I agree, I seem to do much better with that aswell.


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## TheBlondMyth (Jan 29, 2011)

if you are on a big bulk i take it you want to slam in the calories. Why are you chosing between protein and carbs? why not intake both protein and carbs and/or fats. But you have no daily macro goals so really nobody can help you.

and agreeing with most in this thread, carbs at night does not just turn into fat. silly theory. too much calories throughout the day will cause fat gain. not eating carbs at night.


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## milzy (Aug 9, 2010)

JPaycheck said:


> protein carbs and fat before bed.


WARRIOR!!!!!!!!!


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## Redbeard85 (Mar 26, 2011)

protien...carbs will sit there....


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## Readyandwaiting (Mar 20, 2011)

low carbs and slow digesting protein

i.e. oats and casein in a shake job done


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

Milzeh said:


> WARRIOR!!!!!!!!!


WARRIOR!!!


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## Outtapped (Dec 10, 2012)

Readyandwaiting said:


> low carbs and slow digesting protein
> 
> i.e. oats and casein in a shake job done


This makes no sense, why low carbs?


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