Supper

I admittedly have supper every night.

It's usually a mug of milky coffee (I know, it's caffeine) with biscuits, crackers or digestives. Not a very big meal (at least to me) and just the right amount of food to help me sleep after supper. It feels like a nice closure to a long day. A small luxury to indulge in. And carbs give you good dreams. Don't quote me on this, but I am absolutely convinced that I'm right.

They say it makes you fat - eating right before bed, carbs too - but I think that's rubbish. The right question should perhaps be: "How can eating supper make me fit?"

I load up with carbs before I sleep because of my morning routine. I am one who believes in exercising first thing in the morning, before breakfast. (I do allow myself a cup of black coffee though.) Firstly, you pump up your metabolism for the rest of the day - which is great, as far as fitness is concerned. Secondly, it is effective output with regard to daily caloric intake; apparently, exercising in the morning has the greatest results. Here is where my supper enhances the effects... The sugars in the carbs are stored by the body as glycogen; the glycogen stores in your muscles are easily mobilized when your muscle contracts (during exercise) and screams for energy. Sufficient glycogen in muscles means a longer, more consistent and greatly satisfying workout. You also get to keep your muscles (which otherwise turn into energy sources when glycogen stores are severely depleted). Muscles keep your metabolic rate high even on the days you don't exercise.

Having said that, of course, if you consume carbs beyond the glycogen storage capacity (which is totally possible especially when it is chocolate digestives), the remaining sugars turn into fat - so don't overeat. Not only at supper, but also breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner, etc. Don't overexercise either.

If you must know, this supper-sleep-gym routine (and understanding the science behind it) has worked wonders for me. It helped me shed the pounds I gained from pregnancy; it keeps me fit; it keeps eating disordered thoughts at bay somehow; and it is what I love returning to after an eating vacation. It feels like going on some sort of diet and yet, it is so delightfully delicious! I look forward to supper every day. Well, on most days, at least.

So YES, eating supper can make you fit. I'll vouch for that.