Aside from causing belly fat, eating late and reclining on a full stomach increases your risk of developing acid reflux and indigestion, since gravity is no longer able to pull everything in your tummy straight down.
Your body gains weight when you take in more calories than you burn off. This is the case no matter when you eat. Going to sleep directly after you eat means your body doesn't get a chance to burn off those calories. In fact, eating a big meal and then hitting the couch can be just as harmful.
When you lie down after eating, stomach acid could rise and cause discomfort. This is more likely if you have acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Walking after eating may help you avoid storing a lot of extra fat. Sip water or a low-calorie drink. When you eat a huge meal, you can take in a lot of sodium without realizing it, which may cause you to retain water and feel bloated.
Your body is most comfortable digesting food in an upright position, as it allows for easy digestion. Lying down immediately after eating a light meal for dinner can cause the stomach contents to reflux into the oesophagus, triggering symptoms of GERD and heartburn.
As a general rule of thumb, nutritionists will tell you to wait about three hours to sleep after eating. This allows some digestion to occur and gives time for the contents of your stomach to move into your small intestine.
Sleeping one hour after eating doesn't give your body enough time to digest the food, inciting digestive problems like heartburn and acid reflux. It's recommended to wait at least 2-3 hours before you go to bed after a meal.
And eating small amounts of food won't “shrink your stomach” either. The only way you can physically and permanently reduce your stomach's size is to have surgery. You can lose overall body fat over time by eating healthy food choices, but that won't change your stomach size.
To battle belly fat: Eat a healthy diet. Focus on plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and choose lean sources of protein and low-fat dairy products. Limit added sugar and saturated fat, which is found in meat and high-fat dairy products, such as cheese and butter.
Many people feel sleepy after eating. This can be a natural result of digestion patterns and sleep cycles. Some types of foods and the timing of meals can also make people feel especially tired after a meal. A decrease in energy levels after eating is called postprandial somnolence.
Weight Fluctuation From Food Weight
The food you consume can weigh a few ounces per meal, up to a few pounds per day. The water in food can cause your weight to increase as well. According to some experts, consuming two cups of water—from beverages or water in food—increases your weight by one pound.
Turns out, just sitting or lying down on the couch may make you fat, found Tel Aviv University researchers. When we plop in front of the television for a long time, the weight of our body subjects our cells to tension and elongation, explains study author Professor Amit Gefen.
1. Limit sugar and sugar-sweetened drinks. A diet high in added sugars may lead to excess abdominal fat. Studies show that added sugar has uniquely harmful effects on metabolic health ( 4 ).
Protein not only promotes muscle growth and repair, as it is made up of amino acids, the building blocks of your muscle, but it is the preferred fuel to burn fat. “You actually burn more calories to process protein than carbs and fats,” explains Dr.
Myth or Fact: If you cut down on your food intake, you'll eventually shrink your stomach so you won't be as hungry. Answer: Myth. Once you are an adult, your stomach pretty much remains the same size -- unless you have surgery to intentionally make it smaller.
If you have a big meal, your stomach doesn't magically get bigger and stay that way—it shrinks back down to its previous size in about four hours or less as your food is pushed along to the small intestine, Staller says.
Lying down after having a meal can slow down the process of digestion. It may also make you feel bloated and can lead to heartburn. Wait for at least 2 hours before going to the bed.
Lying down after eating can cause indigestion due to increased stomach acid. In case of GERD, you should avoid lying down for 3 hours after eating. In contrast, you should lie down immediately after eating for 1 hour or longer when postprandial hypotension occurs.
If you want to maintain or lose weight, then you shouldn't eat after 7 p.m. There are myriad reasons why people might not want to eat after a certain time in the evening, especially if it's close to when they go to sleep, says Cara Harbstreet, M.S., R.D., L.D., owner of Street Smart Nutrition..
Though going to bed hungry can help with sleep and weight loss, lack of access to food can actually increase your risk of obesity, asthma, and other health problems.