Precision Fitness Systems | Last Meal Of The Day!

"The journey of a thousand miles, begins with single step"
- Lao Tzu

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Last Meal of the Day
As a general rule for successful weight(fat) loss and weight management goals, you should not consume heavy foods within 2 hours of lying down to
go to sleep, however, you should also not go too long without food before bedtime as your body is already 'fasting' while sleeping and avoiding food too
soon before sleep can be counterproductive.

Quite often I hear from people that have this odd belief that if they eat past a certain time(usually I get 6 or 7pm as the 'magic time') that they will put on weight,
specifically fat pounds. This is not entirely true. I can only speculate that the reason behind this way of thinking is that some fitness experts generally state that
eating late should be avoided. While this is partially true that you should not eat and go directly to bed, it is also very true that your body requires calories even while
at rest and sleep specifically, as this is where all growth and repair takes place. So your last meal of the day should not be at a specific time each night, but instead,
based upon what time you plan to go to sleep that specific day. As this may differ for many folks with hectic schedules filled with unforeseen situations preventing
them from sticking to a set bedtime each and ever day.

So if you were to have a bedtime of say 10:30 PM, and you followed the bad advice of some and did not eat past 6PM, you will have created a 4 and a half hour gap
with no food, PLUS the time period you are asleep, and any time your awake the following morning until you have breakfast. That is far too long for the body to go
without calories, causing your blood sugars to drop significantly and the body to kick into 'survival mode' leading to fat storage(which your goal is to lose, right?).
Always remember, starving your body when it needs the calories and nutrition the most will not provide the results you seek, but will actually lead to just the
opposite; an increase in body fat and decrease in performance and energy levels.

The key to this is to follow these simple guidelines for your 'last meal of the day' below:

consume the meal no closer than 2 hours from bedtime(when you actually intend on falling asleep)
restrict this last meals carbohydrate and fat calories completely or limiting to a very small amount
provide protein as the basis for this meal, preferably in the form of a protein shake or lean meats(avoid red meat)
avoid any and all sugars at this meal, as there is not ample time to burn the sugar up as fuel and will be stored as fat
avoid colas and sweet tea with this meal as the sugar content will doom all your hard efforts
an example ideal last meal of the day would be one out of the following meals below:

a spinach and romaine salad mix with veggies

, baked chicken breast (or

a can of chicken

/tuna)

and/or

a mixture of

nuts and

sunflower

seeds

- Baked Tilapia fish over a bed of brown rice, fresh

asparagus

and brussel sprouts

a high-quality

meal-replacement-shake or

protein shake

-- depending on your individual caloric needs for that day.

If your thirsty, make sure to drink water instead of 'sweet tea' or colas. Even if your not thirsty, drink a tall glass of water within 1 hour of sleep. Your body works
during sleep to reproduce cells, repair and grow muscle and water is the transportation method for nutrients to be delivered throughout the body. Don't neglect
water, as it is a crucial element to your health and fitness needs and successful achievement of your fitness goals.

NOTE: For additional information and resources on Nutrition & Exercise for weight management and weight(fat) loss visit the PFS
store or visit the following site: www.colganinstitute.com

PFS's Highly Recommended Resources

Available in the PFS Store!

"Nutrition for Champions"
by Dr. Colgan

"Sports Nutrition Guide" -
by Dr. Colgan

"Eating for Life" - Recipe Book
by Bill Phillips