Eating before bed? Is it wrong?

You post workout nutrition is classified by many as your most important meal of the day. And YES! you should feed your muscles after you train. After a workout your muscles are primed and ready to be fed. There is a short window of opportunity (30-60 mins) to pump some good stuff into those hungry cells due to their state of depletion caused by your training. This is a prime time to give them high glycemic carbs and easily absorbed protein.

One of my favorite post workout drinks consists of 8-10oz of apple juice, 1-2 scoops of vanilla whey protein, a few ice cubes and a little water. I toss all that into a shaker bottle, whip it up and enjoy. Adding a little glutimine and maybe some casein protein since you're headed for bed soon probably wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Ideally you'd probably want to have this shake right after your workout since at that time your muscle cells are begging to be fed. Give them good stuff that can be absorbed quickly and you will recover much faster and have better performance in subsequent workouts.

I've read that if you eat something, give yourself an hour before going to bed.  This will give your stomach time to empty the contents and prevent some levels of indigestion.

I agree with runnergirl.  If you're active and your body needs the fuel, take it. 

From my own experience, I've found that if I have a small snack before bed (100-200 calories), it actually helps me lose weight b/c it gives my body more energy to heal itself through the night, normally burning more calories than I take in.

There have been times when I didn't eat after a workout and went straight to bed.  Only to wake up in the middle of the night unable to sleep because I was so hungry. I ended up getting up in the middle of the night to eat a quick snack.  Now I eat before I go to bed- I don't care if people say it makes you gain weight.  If I'm hungry I eat

TriathleteNut - 2005-12-05 9:31 PM So my cookie wasn't the greatest idea was it? I mean, I'm satisfied! I'm not starving. And it is a protein cookie! I'll have to try and find some health shake like yours.

A shake like the one I described above is probably better than your cookie but if the cookie is all you have then a cookie will have to do. Like the others said, if you're hungry... EAT! Make sure you make appropriate choices regarding calories (primarily) and macronutrient ratios. Shoot for good protein and carbs and try to avoid to much fat.

The thing about the whey shake is that it won't really "stick to yer ribs" so you'll probably wake up with a mouth full of pillow and nightmares of famine. The problem is that fat is generally what provides that full feeling. While feeling full is good the fat that causes it can inhibit the optimal absorption of protein and carbs from your shake.

After I have a hard workout, I like to down an AminoVital to help with healing my muscles, and then something high in protein. I don't get nearly enough protein in my regular diet, so I try to eat that after my workouts.

I wouldn't worry about the "9 oclock rule", I agree that it was mostly for those looking to lose weight. If your body is hungry then you need to feed it. You body isn't trying to trick you by giving you hunger pains, and you are harming your body and your training efforts if you don't feed it correctly when it needs it.