Eating dinner at 8pm

DaveyKal

Hi everyone,
I normally eat around 250 calories for breakfast, about 350 for lunch and then at dinner I usually eat salmon with veggies which is about 900 calories. I also work out so I have exercise calories. Is it ok if I eat 900 cals at 8pm. I have been losing weight slowly. Currently 5”3 and 182lbs

ChickenKillerPuppy

Yes! Eat your calories whenever you want. I also usually eat dinner (my biggest calorie expenditure) around 8pm. I am in maintenance. And I lost every week. You can't think of calorie intake as a day to day thing - it's about the long haul and overall picture. I actually look at weekly trends. The whole not eating late and IF (in my opinion - others may disagree) is about people who naturally want to binge or eat a bunch late at night, so it's about habits. If you are eating regular meals and your dinner meal just happens to be late, who cares. If you finish you meals by 7pm and then at 9pm you start to binge, that's a different story. I know it sounds cliche but calories in calories out - it's actually quite liberating if you are able to embrace it.

4legsRbetterthan2

It doesn't really matter when you eat. Do what works best for you and your schedule.

DaveyKal

Thank you so much. I appreciate the guidance and I will continue to push through 😌

youngmomtaz

Any time is fine! I eat the majority of my daily calories between 5pm-9pm, when you eat does not matter as long as you are eating at a calorie goal that suits you.

kissmynivarna

Calories don’t know what time it is! People only recommend eating four hours before bed to let your food digest 😊 find the bracket that suits you!

ruqayyahsmum

Eat whenever you like but try to finish eating before falling asleep, bit of a choking hazard

lemurcat2

I lost 90 lbs eating at 9 pm most days.

Psychgrrl

I lost over 100 pounds eating dinner later. I workout after work and usually don’t get home until 8 or 8:30pm.

If it fits in your calories for the day, it’s fine. I honestly think the “no eating after 6pm rule” came in to prevent the mindless noshing we can do at night in front of the TV.

Lillymoo01

The only times it wouldn't be fine is if it negatively impacts on your sleep, or causes you to snack at other times during the day resulting in you eating too many calories.

paperpudding

I eat dinner around 8 pm most nights.

Doesnt matter if it is salmon and veggies, vegetarian lasagne, chocolate cake, whatever.

Eat whatever calories you want whenever you want.

as long as the total is around the right amount

deannalfisher

I eat a bowl of cereal right before bed every night (mmm chocolate cheerios right now) - no issues with weight

ditzyFlip

"Calories don't know what time it is" - probably the most profound quote in this thread! It definitely puts things into perspective. Thank you!

bmeadows380

I'd be up a creek tonight if there was some repercussions to eating after 8 pm, cause where I am its now 9 pm and I still have yet to get dinner in, and I'm running short on calories today so I'm going to have to scrounge for dessert, too (which is something I've never encountered in my life before - looking for something to eat because I'm too short on my calories today!)

helaurin

When you eat the bulk of your calories - and the nature of those calories - might make a difference. Quoting from an article I read just yesterday:

"In 2013, a study done at Tel Aviv University with nearly 100 women studied the effect of differences of caloric intake at meal times and weight loss. The group was split in half and, for 12 weeks, one group ate 200 calories at breakfast, 500 calories at lunch and 700 calories at dinner, which is more reflective of the standard American eating pattern. The other group did the reverse; consuming 700 calories at breakfast, 500 at lunch and 200 at dinner. Keep in mind that the caloric intake and the foods consumed were the same for both groups. By the end of the study, the big dinner eaters lost an average of seven pounds, while the big breakfast eaters lost an average of 18. One of the explanations was the fact that eating big in the morning had a positive effect on insulin levels, which contributed to burning calories more efficiently all day."

So while a calorie doesn't know what time it is.... your body may react differently depending on the mix of macronutrients and where you are in your daily schedule. I think for most people, it's not something to obsess over. But if you find yourself stalling in your weight loss journey, it might be something to look at.

janejellyroll

I'm another person who tends to eat lightly throughout the day and then have the majority of my calories at a late dinner (usually around 8 PM, a couple of hours before I go to sleep).

One important thing to note about the study above: when I looked up the study itself I see that something important was left out of the summary. The women in the study all had metabolic syndrome, so the eating patterns to help them manage their glucose intolerance don't necessarily have to be followed for the rest of us to have success. Also, all the individuals in the study were sedentary and were asked not to increase their physical activity for the duration of the study, something that is also relevant (at least in my opinion). They also could be non-compliant (that is, eat more than their daily calories or break down their meals according to different percentages of calories than assigned) up to three days a week before they were withdrawn from the study. All in all, I'd want to see much more persuasive evidence before I concluded that eating more towards the end of the day was a problem.