No Eating After 7pm

Schwiggity

Hey everyone who works the night shift, I guess your first meal of the day should be your last!

Froggy1976

Meal timing is irrelevant.

- It doesn't matter if you eat at 7pm, 10pm, 11pm, 2am, etc.
- You also don't have to eat every 2-3 hours.
- You don't have to eat 5-6 or 7 meals a day.

People don't magically lose more weight because they don't eat after a certain time.

They lose weight because they are eating a calorie deficit under their maintenance, and they continue to lose weight through plateau's by hitting their macros every day.

Are we STILL debating this fact?

This is incredibly rude.

I don't find it rude at all. Just because it is a different point of view does not make it rude. Really your feelings are hurt by this?

koosdel

Meal timing is irrelevant.

- It doesn't matter if you eat at 7pm, 10pm, 11pm, 2am, etc.
- You also don't have to eat every 2-3 hours.
- You don't have to eat 5-6 or 7 meals a day.

People don't magically lose more weight because they don't eat after a certain time.

They lose weight because they are eating a calorie deficit under their maintenance, and they continue to lose weight through plateau's by hitting their macros every day.

Are we STILL debating this fact?

This is incredibly rude.

I don't find it rude at all. Just because it is a different point of view does not make it rude. Really your feelings are hurt by this?

Rude is how they are defining "doesn't agree with me" these days.

aj_rock

My sister has lost 50lbs within the last year, with her 'only' change being not eating after 7pm. I can tell you for a fact that she eats less than she used to (not cramming her face) and is making a few better food choices. In the evenings we are usually winding down from our day and sometimes I get the munchies for something sweet. Not eating after 7pm could save me 500-1500 calories a week.
What do you think of not eating 3 hours before bedtime? Is a calorie a calorie no matter when it is consumed? Or does eating before turning in for the night become stored fat/energy?

The REAL reason this works isn't because of some magical time split difference. If you don't eat at a time you normally eat food and change nothing else, you consumer less calories, and therefore drop weight.

The reason 7 o' clock was chosen is because it's easy to follow and lots of overweight people tend to do late night snacking.

bcattoes

Meal timing is irrelevant.

- It doesn't matter if you eat at 7pm, 10pm, 11pm, 2am, etc.
- You also don't have to eat every 2-3 hours.
- You don't have to eat 5-6 or 7 meals a day.

People don't magically lose more weight because they don't eat after a certain time.

They lose weight because they are eating a calorie deficit under their maintenance, and they continue to lose weight through plateau's by hitting their macros every day.

Are we STILL debating this fact?

This is incredibly rude.

I don't find it rude at all. Just because it is a different point of view does not make it rude. Really your feelings are hurt by this?

I think it was the last sentence that is being read as "rude". It sort of reads like no one should be "debating" the subject just because this one user thinks they have the answer. Though the OP was just a question, not really taking either side of a debate.

PamDW

I make it my rule not to eat after 7:30 at night, unless of course we are having a late dinner. It isn't because I don't want to eat so close to bed... it is because it cuts out hours of unnecessary eating for me. Night time was a munch time for me.... So I think that those that see a difference, may be seeing it because you have changed your eating habits... (less snacking).
I see some people on here attacking people for thinking it is the answer. If a choice helps you to cut back on eating, especially less than healthy eating, then it is an answer, probably one of many towards healthy living.
I think with anything... it all depends on the person. I lost 50 pounds since Feb... but I didn't just do it, cutting out eating at 7:30... I did it with alot of other healthy changes too....
I personally think setting a time that you can follow most of the time is not such a bad idea.... I also do it with smoking, that is my next goal.

joejccva71

Meal timing is irrelevant.

- It doesn't matter if you eat at 7pm, 10pm, 11pm, 2am, etc.
- You also don't have to eat every 2-3 hours.
- You don't have to eat 5-6 or 7 meals a day.

People don't magically lose more weight because they don't eat after a certain time.

They lose weight because they are eating a calorie deficit under their maintenance, and they continue to lose weight through plateau's by hitting their macros every day.

Are we STILL debating this fact?

This is incredibly rude.

I don't find it rude at all. Just because it is a different point of view does not make it rude. Really your feelings are hurt by this?

I think it was the last sentence that is being read as "rude". It sort of reads like no one should be "debating" the subject just because this one user thinks they have the answer. Though the OP was just a question, not really taking either side of a debate.

If people are going to take my last sentence as rude then I don't know what to tell them. It's the way I am.

halthaml

i did this nearly 3 years ago whilst using my exercise bike for 30 mins in the morning and late afternoon and i still ate what i wanted for dinner but had a healthy lunch and breakfast and i lost 18lbs in a month i believe it helps

walkthebluesaway

Its a good tool to use when it fits into your life. When it doesn't tweak something else in your routine. Flexibility is the ticket!
Not eating after 7 unless there is a special occasion is working well for me now, but I have had work schedules when it would have been a nuisance. At 48, I need different tools for different situations - It would be great to see a thread about the different changes to routine people have used that work in real (middle aged) life.

kgirlhart

If you typically eat 500-1500 calories after 7 pm and you stop eating those calories you will lose weight. If you stop eating them after 7 and eat them before 7 you won't lose weight. I eat most of my calories at my evening meal and often eat dinner around 7 or later. I have lost 54 pounds so far and am almost to my goal. Unless you have a medical condition meal timing is irrelevant and it simply boils down to eating less than you burn. Your sister cut 500-1500 from her daily calories. That is why she has lost weight.

godlikepoetyes

My doctor advised not eating after six. I started doing this before I started losing weight, before MFP, and it became a habit. Now I try to stop at four, with six as an absolute cutoff. I have GERD and other digestive problems so this works wonders for me. My body feels cleaner and I sleep so much better. Of course this doesn't work for everyone. I am a morning person and I go to bed early. For night owls, I suspect this would be torture.

malibu927

godlikepoetyes wrote: »

My doctor advised not eating after six. I started doing this before I started losing weight, before MFP, and it became a habit. Now I try to stop at four, with six as an absolute cutoff. I have GERD and other digestive problems so this works wonders for me. My body feels cleaner and I sleep so much better. Of course this doesn't work for everyone. I am a morning person and I go to bed early. For night owls, I suspect this would be torture.

With health concerns, having a cutoff time to stop eating is a good idea. Otherwise, it isn't necessary. I rarely even eat dinner before 7, but I also have no issues sleeping.

PaulaWallaDingDong

As long as you arrive at the correct number of calories, whatever floats your boat.

ETA: Oh noes the zombie ate my brain!

bpetrosky

Silly, arbitrary rule for most people, and doesn't work with many people's schedules if they get home from work after 7.

For people who are accustomed to eating snacks in front of the TV in the evening, the rule "works" because they cut out calories from those snacks. The problem is they credit the timing and not the fact they've cut out a big chunk of calories.

cerise_noir

joejccva71 wrote: »

Meal timing is irrelevant.

- It doesn't matter if you eat at 7pm, 10pm, 11pm, 2am, etc.
- You also don't have to eat every 2-3 hours.
- You don't have to eat 5-6 or 7 meals a day.

People don't magically lose more weight because they don't eat after a certain time.

They lose weight because they are eating a calorie deficit under their maintenance, and they continue to lose weight through plateau's by hitting their macros every day.

Are we STILL debating this fact?

This.
I lost over 80lbs eating up to an hour before bed most nights. I can't sleep if I am hungry.

srecupid

Probably a good idea but if I'm hungry I'm eating don't care if it's 2pm or 2am

ninerbuff

Erin_26 wrote: »

Theoretically, yes. A calorie is a calorie. But when you eat does have effect. If you eat a clean dinner and then have a nice walk, that gives your body a chance to burn a bit off before you retire for the night. If you eat high-fat/calorie/sugar/carb items right before bed, your body is given no chance to burn and they will be stored as fat, more likely.

I try to stick to water, Crystal Light after 7.30ish.

If one overeats ANYTIME in the day and ends up in a surplus, they will store fat.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

adoette

There isn't a magic reset button in your body that resets at midnight (bear with me on this). And your body doesn't shut down when you sleep. When you go to sleep is when your body's focus changes from getting you around to healing itself. Your metabolism (when not exercising) is actually fairly consistent.

Not eating before bed does help some people though. The reason isn't physical, it's psychological. As you get tired your judgement and critical thinking takes a hit and you're more likely to engage in mindless eating. For whatever reason, we do it to try and stay awake, which is why a poor night's sleep tends to bring poor food choices the next day.

If you snack a lot at night (and go outside your calories doing so) then instituting a stomach bedtime before your bedtime will help with weight loss.

CattOfTheGarage

You can't change fuel consumption by filling your tank at a different time of day, and you can't change weight loss by eating at a different time of day.

If eating less at a certain time increases your weight loss, it's because that pattern makes it easier for you to eat less or to move more. That's all it is, and that will vary from person to person as we all have different rhythms for activity and appetite.

So experiment. Maybe eating less in the evening helps you to eat less overall, maybe it doesn't. It would make no difference to me as I have little appetite in the evening anyway - that's just the way I'm made. You may be different.

However, I would advise against blanket rules like "no eating after 7pm ever" - rules are made to be broken and you will increase your desire to eat in the evening if it's "forbidden".

cityruss

People really need to do a high school standard course in human biology if some of the rubbish posted in this thread is really believed.