SCENE | SEPTEMBER 15, 2005 | Send features tips

Pac on the Pounds
Eating too much at night can lead to weight gain and hurt sleep

Photo Illustration by Tiffany Murphy and Mark Roberts

By Kayla Murillo
The Shorthorn staff

It’s 2 a.m., and you’re pulling an all-nighter. Again. Your stomach starts to make noise, alerting you it needs to be fed.

The nearest places open are fast-food restaurants, and stopping to eat seems logical because it’s cheap and tasty.

However, some view late-night eating as unhealthy, especially eating fast-food.

Nursing junior Katherine Lim said she ate late at night when she stayed up studying last semester, but she noticed she was gaining weight.

“I don’t know how much I gained, but I know I gained weight,” she said.

Since then, Lim has refrained from hitting the fast-food restaurants and has tried to be more selective in her meals.

“I’m trying to watch what I eat,” she said. “I don’t eat out as much but eat healthy snacks instead.”

According to http://www.mcdonalds.com a Quarter Pounder with cheese contains 510 calories, and a large order of french fries has 520 calories. That’s 1030 calories from one late-night meal.

Since mostly fast-food restaurants are open at night, students may think eating at night should be avoided completely.

Accounting junior Lidia Tesche said she tries not to eat late at night because of the unhealthy side effects of fast food but realizes that on some days she doesn’t feel like cooking.

In situations like these, she chooses Whataburger.

“I try not to eat after 10 p.m.,” she said. “But when I’m hungry, I’m hungry. And since Whataburger is open 24/7, why not?”

Greg Bateson, Health Services substance abuse health education coordinator, said students should not eat late in the evening because it wastes energy at night. He described sleeping as a time for our bodies to recuperate from the day’s work and to prepare for the next day.

“When you sleep, your body is regenerating and building up your immunity,” he said. “You don’t want to send all your blood to your digestive tract so it can digest the pizza you just ate.”

Bateson also points out that the sleeping position does not promote digestion.

Whitney Kongevick, health center administrative coordinator, said the issue’s not eating late but rather the meal’s portion.

“The whole reason for food consumption is to give your body food and energy,” she said. “It doesn’t matter when but how much you consume. If a student eats smaller meals throughout the day, he or she wouldn’t feel the need to have a large meal at night.”

Kongevick said that if students go to bed with an empty stomach, it jeopardizes their sleep.

While Bateson and Kongevick’s opinions about health issues differ, they agree that if students do eat at night, they should keep their portions small.

“The simpler the food, the better,” Bateson said.

If students are going to eat at night, they should keep it as healthy as possible, Kongevick said.

“It’s about portion control,” she said. “Never eat until you feel stuffed. Wendy’s has dollar items on their menu. The chicken nuggets may not be the healthiest thing, but they are small.”

Kongevick, who recently lost weight by cutting down on her late-night meals, said that no matter what students eat, they should remain physically active.

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