I’ve been eating around 5-6 meals a day (close to 3500 cals +/- 200 a day), but still seem to be losing weight b/c of our summer conditioning workouts…
Would preparing a quick, nutrient-dense, meal (600 cals or so)prior to bed and then waking at around 3-4am to eat it be beneficial, or would the sleep interruption etc. be counter productive to my rest/recovery?
The sleep interuption is something I wouldn’t recommend but if you happen to wake up in the middle of the night anyways to go to the bathroom you might as well have a shake ready to go.
Sleep interuption kills my recovery and energy for the next day so as I go to bed I take in a casein type protein like Metabolic Drive and I eat a tablespoon of natural peanut butter to slow the digestion down - I’m currently doing this to drop bodyfat but maintain lean mass during sleep.
In your case you could take a couple tablespoons of peanut butter. The bottom line is if you are trying to maintain weight you need more calories. An easy way is to add more healthy fats. Eat almonds for a snack. The calories add up fast.
[quote]lancer55 wrote:
I’ve been eating around 5-6 meals a day (close to 3500 cals +/- 200 a day), but still seem to be losing weight b/c of our summer conditioning workouts…
Would preparing a quick, nutrient-dense, meal (600 cals or so)prior to bed and then waking at around 3-4am to eat it be beneficial, or would the sleep interruption etc. be counter productive to my rest/recovery? [/quote]
Great foods to eat right before to go to bed are crunchy peanut butter, eggs, cottage cheese and casein protein. I make a bedtime shake which consists of 1 cup milk, 2 raw eggs, 2 tablespoons peanutbutter, 1 scoop chocolate casein, and about 3/4 cups cottage cheese. Throw all those into a blender and it tastes like a giant reeses cup, seriously…
I’d actually suggest adding more calories to each of your existing meals before adding a night time meal.
Are you restricting your carb intake at all?
I’ll assume not since you seem concerned about losing weight.
I’d say add an additional piece of fruit to each of your meals, perhaps add a cup of oatmeal to breakfast and add a few handfuls of nuts throughout the day.
Then check your progress in 2 weeks: how has your performance and weight changed.