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Last Meal of the Day

By Ed Downes

Clients always ask me questions about eating. One question that I have been hearing a lot of lately is “when should my last meal of the day be?” Well, that is a great question. My response is that it depends on what your goals are. So, let's take a peek at a couple of common goals.

If you are trying to bulk up, then you want your last meal to be at bedtime. If you are really serious about bulking up then you can set your alarm to get up in the middle of the night so that you can squeeze in another muscle building meal.

If you are trying to lose weight, then your approach will be much different. Let’s take a look at 3 proven strategy’s that can help you to lose more body fat.

  1. Don’t eat anything 2-3 hours before bed. This will keep you from going to bed with food in your stomach. When you go to bed with a full tummy, bad things happen, body fat storage, restless sleep, acid reflux. The big one for us is body fat storage. Allowing 2-3 hours before bed is a great way to allow your body to be in a fat burring state while you sleep. It also helps you to deplete your stored glycogen (energy from carbs). This comes in handy if you are doing your morning cardio. (For more info on this topic read my article entitled “Morning Cardio”).

  2. Avoid carbs after 3pm. This will help you to deplete glycogen stores and allow your body to pull from its fat stores for fuel. It is just a good habit to get into. Never cut your carbs out completely, it is unhealthy. Instead, learn about which carbs are good and you the techniques in this article to time your consumption.

  3. Drink a glass of water right before bed. I know what you are thinking right now, “are you kidding me? I will be peeing all night long”. Well yes you will at first, but your body will adjust. You will lose weight faster and healthier if you are well hydrated. Your body will function better over all if you are properly hydrated, including your sleep. (For more on this topic read my article entitled, “Drink More Water”.

Well that’s it on that topic. I hope this information is useful to you and that you will apply it.

About the Author:

Ed Downes – AFPA - Certified Personal Trainer
Paradise Boot Camp
www.ParadiseBootCamp.com