Blackman -- you can probably answer this.
A friend of mine (men's health cover material) has a theory to knock out a 100 calorie protein shake right before going to bed to keep your metabolism firing all night.
What's your thoughts on that?
That's a good theory that I know a lot of people follow.
When you are dieting strictly you're body becomes accustomed to getting a dose of protein every 3-4 hours. Then when you go to sleep you deprive those muscles for an 8 hour stretch. I am sure his shake is casein, which is the slowest to digest. So if your metabolism has been conditioned to burn fat all day, why screech it to a hault overnight?
The key is the casein which will slowly digest and absorb into the muscle. Whey (which is fast moving and perfect for post workout) will be flushed out too quickly.
Hope this helps.