Paleo nighttime eats?

[wanderluck]

I work days twice a week and nights most weekends, usually 1900-0230. By the time close comes around, I'm exhausted - supper's not supposed to last that long! Other than fruit and nuts, which are the first things that pop into my head for portable snacks, what would you rec for midnight meals or snacks? I don't have access to a microwave, but I do have a full beer cooler at my disposal. I'm also surrounded by all things not-good-for-you (chips, pop, candy, etc.), so snacks would be a good plan.

Aside: Does it really matter to your metabolism what time of day you're eating if you're still awake?

[spezzy]

chicken.

seriously. precook some, portion it into ziploc bags. if you dont have time for that, get some all natural precooked chicken sausage (just watch the ingredients).

and some studies say yes, some studies say no.

[Brometheus]

I personally shoot for 2-3 meals a day. I don't snack. At all. It kills my ability to burn fat. As far as midnight eating, I know that if I eat after 5~p.m., my fat loss stalls. I do much better not eating and going to bed slightly hungry. But that's just me.

I know that Robb Wolf mentioned that for proper digestion, hormones, and growth hormone to work while you sleep, you really don't want to eat past 7:30-8:00 p.m. That being said, if you work that late, your schedule is going to be screwed up. Do the best you can, get blackout blinds for when you sleep, and if you need to eat, look to spezzy's recommendations

[wanderluck]

I usually end up ravenous by midnight, even though I go through 2-3 liters of water per eight-hour shift. Precooked chicken and some greens (as in romaine wraps) sounds like a good snack to me. And that's all I'll need - a full meal would send me into overload, and I know I wouldn't wake up hungry. Luckily, we have blackout shades already set up - my husband was a night-shift officer for 7.5 years - so only the dogs wake me up in the morning.

Thanks, guys!

[67alecto]

Aside: Does it really matter to your metabolism what time of day you're eating if you're still awake?

No. The reason why late night eating gets associated with weight gain is because people are taking in extra calories that cause them to exceed the amount they burned.

A calorie doesn't have a timer, and your body doesn't stop burning them when you are sleeping. Also, each day is not a closed loop - your body is constantly taking in and burning energy, and it doesn't magically start over when the clock strikes midnight.

[wanderluck]

No. The reason why late night eating gets associated with weight gain is because people are taking in extra calories that cause them to exceed the amount they burned.

A calorie doesn't have a timer, and your body doesn't stop burning them when you are sleeping. Also, each day is not a closed loop - your body is constantly taking in and burning energy, and it doesn't magically start over when the clock strikes midnight.

Following that, do calories 'burn' differently at different times according to a body clock, or is it just per individual? Or a complete load of crap?

[67alecto]

Following that, do calories 'burn' differently at different times according to a body clock, or is it just per individual? Or a complete load of crap?

Apart from burning more if you are expending more energy, no.

[Timmy M]

hardboiled eggs would be a good thing to go with the chicken (i cook up a full chicken and use the breasts for meals and the legs/thighs/wings for large snacks/small meals with hardboiled eggs, i find leg/thigh/wing meat is better than breast meat when cold)

[RDOwens]

The lady who writes Nom Nom Paelo is a nurse and pulls 24-hour shifts. She frequently has a Paleo Kit during her shift. I've never had one, but they look like the kind of thing that would work for your late shift.

http://www.stevesoriginal.com/cart/Grass-Fed-Paleokit/

[catspaw]

The lady who writes Nom Nom Paelo is a nurse and pulls 24-hour shifts. She frequently has a Paleo Kit during her shift. I've never had one, but they look like the kind of thing that would work for your late shift.

http://www.stevesoriginal.com/cart/Grass-Fed-Paleokit/

I've actually had several of these. (The coconut one is my fave, but they all taste pretty similar.)

They're a little strange tasting at first -- not as dry as I was expecting meat and dried fruit to be, I think there's something to keep them sticky-moist (think: honey, but it's not honey) in the sealed packets. They're sweeter than I'd like, but definitely a good snack.

I prefer the Steve faux-granola bars, but they don't have as much protein.

[The Purple Diane]

Do you do dairy? Cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, or plain old cheese make great snacks. I love BabyBel cheeses because they're individually wrapped (automatic portion control!) and they'll keep pretty much indefinitely.

[TibbyUK]

I second the chicken breast.

I've often been caught short on food at work, and have popped out to the nearest supermarket and bought some plain cooked chicken breast (expensive and silly way to do it I know!) and it's filled me up. I'm not sure it would pull of a full meal without some veg but in a pinch it works.

[wanderluck]

Do you do dairy? Cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, or plain old cheese make great snacks. I love BabyBel cheeses because they're individually wrapped (automatic portion control!) and they'll keep pretty much indefinitely.

I do dairy, though that's shortly to be out of the question for a 30-day primal test. I'll likely introduce some, if not all, full-fat dairy back into my system after the 30-day, depending on how much I lose in that time and how well I can readjust. Right now Greek yogurt with pureed fruit (pumpkin, mm) and cottage cheese are my breakfast staples.

@RDOwens Thanks for the tip on the kits, and for a new blog to check out. Appreciated!