What is the latest time i should have my dinner?

aedw1122

Some people have been saying that a late dinner is a no-no for weight loss.
What is the latest time i should have my dinner?
5pm? 7pm?
Share with me your meal schedule!

apullum

Fat loss is caused by consistently being in a calorie deficit, not by eating at certain times. Meal timing is irrelevant for weight loss. You only need to worry about nighttime eating if it causes you to have trouble sleeping or other problems.

lorrpb

It doesn’t matter Per se, aside from what works best for your digestion and sleep. Personally I don’t like to eat or drink very late.

middlehaitch

apullum wrote: »

Fat loss is caused by consistently being in a calorie deficit, not by eating at certain times. Meal timing is irrelevant for weight loss. You only need to worry about nighttime eating if it causes you to have trouble sleeping or other problems.

Can’t say better than that. ^^^^

Meal timing is all about satiety; nothing to do with weight loss.
Eat at a time, frequency and schedule, that works for you.

Cheers, h.

Hollis100

aedw1122 wrote: »

Some people have been saying that a late dinner is a no-no for weight loss.
What is the latest time i should have my dinner?
5pm? 7pm?
Share with me your meal schedule!

Have dinner when you want it.

If a late dinner was a no-no for weight loss, then police, firefighters, doctors, nurses, etc. who work late/overnight shifts would have a bigger struggle than people who work in the day. Not true.

MikePTY

"Don't eat after X o'clock" is one of the silliest weight loss myths. A calorie is calorie no matter what time of day it is eaten.

corinasue1143

I try to eat my last meal of the day at least 2 hours before bedtime because of nighttime heartburn. I can’t tell I lose any more weight or lose any faster. I just feel better.

lemurcat2

Doesn't matter unless it affects your sleep negatively.

I work late and sometimes workout before coming home if I get off earlier, so my meal schedule most of the time I was losing weight (my weight loss of 90 or so lbs occurred in 2014-15) was 7 am (after a morning workout), around noon, and 9 pm (sometimes even later). I consistently lost more than predicted.

Between Monday and Thursday I typically have the same schedule now, at maintenance.

When people insist dinner should be completed by some super early hour like 5 or 6 I wonder how they think most working people would manage that. Plus, it's irrelevant.

JBanx256

aedw1122 wrote: »

Some people have been saying that a late dinner is a no-no for weight loss.

Some people also say the earth is flat.

Time of day (or night) for your meals is completely irrelevant. I mean, just think critically for a minute:
-daylight savings time?
-traveling between time zones?
-shift workers?
Your body doesn't just magically shut down at some pre-determined time. Eat whenever you want to and/or it's convenient for you.

unstableunicorn

In terms of weight loss, timing only affects whether or not you’re weighing undigested food in the morning.

nighthawk584

Personally, I try not to eat anything past 7 pm, but only because of digestion. I used to have extreme acid reflux and since losing a significant amount of weight, it is gone or at least in remission! I just don't take any chances and it works for me.

RovP6

unstableunicorn wrote: »

In terms of weight loss, timing only affects whether or not you’re weighing undigested food in the morning.

But if you always weigh yourself at the same time of the day then that is irrelevant.

I have my last meal of the day at around 9pm and have never had a problem with fat loss or sleep. Do whatever works for you.

tryingagain5

MikePTY wrote: »

"Don't eat after X o'clock" is one of the silliest weight loss myths. A calorie is calorie no matter what time of day it is eaten.

I agree! I work 3rd shift so not eating after 6pm wouldn't work for me at all.

Even when I worked during the day there were many times I didn't eat until 9pm.

Pretty sure that a calorie can't tell time.😉

cacarrollkral

I don't eat after a certain time - but it is not related to weight loss. People who are diabetic may find they have issues with blood sugar regulation if they eat too much too late. So it's more about maintaining a healthy blood sugar for me.

FireyChimera

Well I usually eat dinner at 10 pm and dessert around 11 pm

AnnPT77

Hard and fast rule: Do not eat while asleep. If you get indigestion/heartburn when eating close to bedtime, stop eating early enough to avoid that. If eating late compromises your sleep quality, stop eating early enough to avoid that. That's it.

Me, I have the cast iron digestive system of the true genetic peasant. I eat right up to bed time with no ill consequences, did so frequently while losing 50 pounds in less than a year, and have done so for 4 years of maintaining a healthy weight since.

It's pretty much all about the calories, not when you eat them. (But decent nutrition helps with health and energy level, so worth working toward.)

Ignore the silly blogs, tabloids, photoshopped IG fitness models, etc. Eat proper calories in a way that keeps you healthy, satisfied, energetic: Lose weight. Simple ( ... but not always easy! ).

Best wishes!

unstableunicorn

RovP6 wrote: »

unstableunicorn wrote: »

In terms of weight loss, timing only affects whether or not you’re weighing undigested food in the morning.

But if you always weigh yourself at the same time of the day then that is irrelevant.

I have my last meal of the day at around 9pm and have never had a problem with fat loss or sleep. Do whatever works for you.

Totally agree! 😃 I simply meant that a spaghetti dinner right before bed might skew a weigh-in the next morning. One of my husband’s friends swears that timing of dinner matters because he weighs more the next morning, and I can’t get him to understand the problem is that he probably hasn’t taken a crap yet. 🙄

paperpudding

Worrying about when you eat a meal because it might cause a temporary fluctuation in weight next day is silly.

Everyone's weight fluctuates anyway and temporary fluctuations are irrelevant to the big picture.

teresa19622015

Whenever you like seems to be the consensus! I try and limit eating window as I’m not that hungry in the morning but as soon as I have breakfast I do get hungry! So breakfast 9 or if weekend 11, lunch about 1 or 2 (or not at all on weekends so I can have fewer but bigger meals). I eat with my kids in the evening so that means around 7pm. Then my daily treat of a latte around 9pm. Trying to get that minimum 12 hour overnight fast, 16 on weekends.

AnnPT77

For weight loss, no minimum fast is required either. Longer fasting periods help some people manage cravings/appetite more effectively, which helps them stick to a calorie goal. It's the calorie intake/output balance that determines weight loss/gain/maintenance, not the timing.

WinoGelato

Whoever those people are, if they are real life acquaintances, stop talking to them about anything weight loss, health or fitness related. If this was a website, stop visiting it for reliable weight loss info.

kiddycat73

Mine is all over the place when I’m working. I work 3 days a week night shift, which is 4p-4a at my clinic. On those days I eat dinner around 10-11pm. On my off days I eat with my family at 6-7pm. But right now I’m on medical leave so it’s 6-7pm every day for the next few weeks.