Do people who exercise to lose weight need to fast at night? Nutritionist Song Minghua: 4 tips to help consume energy

People who want to lose weight may have tried the popular "fasting method". Many netizens have shared on the Internet that they lose weight by eating full breakfast and lunch and fasting for dinner, but is this method really feasible? Do friends who are used to exercising at night have to just endure and exercise on an empty stomach? Let’s hear what professional nutritionists have to say!

Can skipping dinner help you lose weight?

Nutritionist Song Minghua wrote in her book "Shovel 10 Kilograms of Meat!" published by Ruili Beauty International Media. Fat-reducing and slimming soups: 60 low-sugar and low-calorie slimming soups from authoritative nutritionist Song Minghua. Drink once a day and you will lose weight in 8 weeks without gaining weight again! In the book, the author specifically explains the above questions that people often have:

➀ Skipping dinner increases the chances of having a midnight snack:

If you keep your stomach empty for too long from lunch to dinner, you may not feel hungry at dinner time, but at 9 or 10 o'clock in the evening, you may feel hungry. At this time, you are struggling in your mind whether you should eat or not. In fact, it is wrong to eat or not eat at this time. If you eat, it may be too late and affect the quality of sleep.

The main reason is that once you eat, it will stimulate the secretion of gastric acid, which may cause gastroesophageal reflux. If it happens frequently, it will damage the lower esophageal mucosa, which is more fragile than the gastric mucosa, causing esophageal erosion and ulcers. A considerable proportion of people will also develop esophageal cancer. If you don’t eat and go to bed with hunger, it will also affect your sleep and even lead to a higher absorption rate of the next meal (the next day’s breakfast). So the best way to prevent it is to eat as soon as dinner time comes!

Dinner should be mainly low-calorie vegetables, with a small amount of whole grains, beans, fish, eggs and meat.

➁ Don’t have dinner too late, and don’t eat 3 to 4 hours before going to bed:

Each nutrient takes a different amount of time to digest in the gastrointestinal tract. Generally speaking, the digestion rate is "starch (1 hour) → protein (2 to 3 hours) → fat (about 4 to 5 hours)". If you do not want to affect your sleep quality, it is best not to eat within 4 hours before going to bed and reduce your fat intake. If you need to eat due to special circumstances, you should mainly eat "liquid food" that is digested and absorbed faster.

➂Dinner should be mainly low-calorie vegetables, with a small amount of whole grains, beans, fish, eggs and meat:

In addition to paying attention to meal times, food selection is also very important. If seasoning is not considered, generally speaking, the calories in staple foods (whole grains) and main dishes (beans, fish, eggs, and meat) will be higher than those in side dishes (vegetables).

But at night, generally speaking, work and study are over, and the calories needed by the body naturally decrease. Unlike the daytime working hours which require more calories, excessive intake at this time will easily be stored in the body and converted into body fat.

What should I eat if I exercise at night?

As for those who have the habit of exercising at night, how should they eat? Nutritionist Song Minghua said that you should eat every meal when losing weight, and you should eat normally even if you want to exercise after work at night. However, it is recommended to divide dinner into two parts, eating before and after exercise, so as not to affect the effect of exercise because of eating too much at dinner and causing blood to flow to the stomach and intestines for digestion and absorption. At the same time, keep in mind the following 4 points and eat them in appropriate amounts so that your limbs have sufficient blood to help with exercise and burn calories.

Within 30 to 90 minutes after exercise, it is recommended to consume easily absorbed foods such as milk, soy milk, yogurt, etc. to avoid affecting the subsequent sleep quality.

Point 1:

"Carbohydrates are the source of energy for human exercise." Moderate intake of starchy foods one hour before exercise can avoid the risk of hypoglycemia during exercise.

Point 2:

Lean meat (muscle tissue) is the part of the body that burns calories the fastest, and protein is an important component of muscle tissue. If you can supplement protein before and after exercise, it will be very helpful for building muscle. Before exercise, you can choose a small amount of meat, fish and other types of food that take time to digest. Within 30 to 90 minutes after exercise, it is recommended to eat easily absorbed foods such as milk, soy milk, yogurt, etc. to avoid affecting the subsequent sleep quality.

Point 3:

If you feel extremely hungry after exercise, in addition to protein foods, you can eat fruits and vegetables to increase your sense of fullness.

Point 4:

People who exercise during the day can eat some starchy foods before exercise and eat other foods after exercise without worrying about affecting their sleep.