No Eating After 7pm

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  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
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    joejccva71 wrote: »

    It's been a debate that has been broken for the past several weeks.

    Listen very close folks:

    Unless you have hypothyroidism or are diabetic, it is simply about calories in versus calories out. I have said this time after time after time again.

    It's Calories you CONSUME in your body in a 24 hour period versus your ENERGY EXPEDENTURE.

    It does NOT matter that you don't eat past 7pm. You can eat if you want to. It makes absolutely no difference.

    Do you REALLY think that if you eat a calorie SURPLUS but don't eat after 7pm that you will still lose weight?

    You are the one that is not getting it. Seriously. You are not even comprehending the issue. Good grief.
  • SadDolt
    SadDolt Posts: 173 Member
    edited August 2016
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    if you're weighing everyday then it does matter how early you stop eating. but from my experience it doesn't matter what time, if you only weigh weekly. all that matters is that you eat under. i was eating as late as 10pm and ould always lose a little over a pound a week
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    SueInAz wrote: »
    A calorie is a calorie, no matter what time of day it is consumed. So if you eat 1200 calories a day it doesn't matter at what time of day you eat them.

    However, what happens to a lot of people is that they'll eat a certain amount of calories up until dinner time and then after dinner will sit on the sofa, watch TV and eat another 1000 calories plus of junk. Cutting out those "extra" calories would certainly cause someone to lose weight.

    That right there. THAT is why the "no eating after #:oo" works. Many people have horrible snacking habits, and often they lose control at night, after already consuming their full calorie allowance for the day. If you make a firm rule to not eat at all, and stick with it, then obviously you eliminate those extra calories.

    Not sure why so many people have a hard time understanding it. It's a control/discipline thing.

    Having a cutoff time to prevent binges is one thing, but many people do believe if you eat after a specific hour those calories will turn to fat whether you're in a deficit or not
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    malibu927 wrote: »
    SueInAz wrote: »
    A calorie is a calorie, no matter what time of day it is consumed. So if you eat 1200 calories a day it doesn't matter at what time of day you eat them.

    However, what happens to a lot of people is that they'll eat a certain amount of calories up until dinner time and then after dinner will sit on the sofa, watch TV and eat another 1000 calories plus of junk. Cutting out those "extra" calories would certainly cause someone to lose weight.

    That right there. THAT is why the "no eating after #:oo" works. Many people have horrible snacking habits, and often they lose control at night, after already consuming their full calorie allowance for the day. If you make a firm rule to not eat at all, and stick with it, then obviously you eliminate those extra calories.

    Not sure why so many people have a hard time understanding it. It's a control/discipline thing.

    Having a cutoff time to prevent binges is one thing, but many people do believe if you eat after a specific hour those calories will turn to fat whether you're in a deficit or not

    I think that comes from the belief that our bodies digestive system and metabolism slows down when we sleep, so it isn't as efficient at burning off our food, especially a big meal right before bed, so what it can't efficiently /properly burn gets turned to fat easier, than if we ate that same meal earlier in the day when we were more mobile/active.

    I am NOT saying i believe or agree with this, but have read some such thing many times over the years.
  • Wynterbourne
    Wynterbourne Posts: 2,222 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Not sure why so many people have a hard time understanding it. It's a control/discipline thing.
    You are the one that is not getting it. Seriously. You are not even comprehending the issue. Good grief.
    malibu927 wrote: »
    SueInAz wrote: »
    A calorie is a calorie, no matter what time of day it is consumed. So if you eat 1200 calories a day it doesn't matter at what time of day you eat them.

    However, what happens to a lot of people is that they'll eat a certain amount of calories up until dinner time and then after dinner will sit on the sofa, watch TV and eat another 1000 calories plus of junk. Cutting out those "extra" calories would certainly cause someone to lose weight.

    That right there. THAT is why the "no eating after #:oo" works. Many people have horrible snacking habits, and often they lose control at night, after already consuming their full calorie allowance for the day. If you make a firm rule to not eat at all, and stick with it, then obviously you eliminate those extra calories.

    Not sure why so many people have a hard time understanding it. It's a control/discipline thing.

    Having a cutoff time to prevent binges is one thing, but many people do believe if you eat after a specific hour those calories will turn to fat whether you're in a deficit or not

    Exactly, I've spoken to people who do indeed believe, that say, 500 calories eaten at 6pm are treated differently by the body than the same 500 calories would be at 9pm. They honestly think their body would consider the latter calories as more. @fitmom4lifemfp just because you realize that some people gain weight due to late night snacking doesn't mean that everyone thinks this is the cause. No need to be condescending to those who think that post-7 eating has a different issue than what frequently happens. We're here to share knowledge and help correct misconceptions not make them feel bad about them.
  • BiggDaddy58
    BiggDaddy58 Posts: 406 Member
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    I understand the thinking behind it. You actually cut out excess food/calories that one might normally "binge" on in the evening. Your work for the day is done (whatever time it is before you go to bed 7 P.M. , 9 P.M. 2 A.M.) and so you relax..grab some snacks and watch TV..or whatever it is you do to relax..and eating those snacks..(Unless they're in your calorie budget) put you over for the day..
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    "Is a calorie a calorie no matter when it is consumed? Or does eating before turning in for the night become stored fat/energy?"

    A calorie is a calorie no matter when it is consumed. The reason this might work for some people is the difference between not paying attention to when and how much you eat (so you eat more) versus imposing rules upon yourself for when you can eat which makes you be more critical of your food choices and thus you tend to eat less because you are paying attention.

    Eating after 7pm doesn't turn you into a Gremlin.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    ...and I just realized OP posted this in 2011.
  • Wynterbourne
    Wynterbourne Posts: 2,222 Member
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    Aaron_K123 wrote: »
    ...and I just realized OP posted this in 2011.

    Been quite a few necro resurrections recently. Saw a nine year old one the other day. Oldest I've seen so far. Heh
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
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    joejccva71 wrote: »

    It's been a debate that has been broken for the past several weeks.

    Listen very close folks:

    Unless you have hypothyroidism or are diabetic, it is simply about calories in versus calories out. I have said this time after time after time again.

    It's Calories you CONSUME in your body in a 24 hour period versus your ENERGY EXPEDENTURE.

    It does NOT matter that you don't eat past 7pm. You can eat if you want to. It makes absolutely no difference.

    Do you REALLY think that if you eat a calorie SURPLUS but don't eat after 7pm that you will still lose weight?

    You are the one that is not getting it. Seriously. You are not even comprehending the issue. Good grief.

    @fitmom4lifemfp
    Joe posted that 5 years ago in 2011 and hasn't been on MFP since November of last year (and wasn't active then).
    He's not going to see your reply.



    But he was absolutely right.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,027 Member
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    SadDolt wrote: »
    if you're weighing everyday then it does matter how early you stop eating. but from my experience it doesn't matter what time, if you only weigh weekly. all that matters is that you eat under. i was eating as late as 10pm and ould always lose a little over a pound a week

    I realize this is a necro thread, but this comment is recent. It doesn't matter if you weigh daily and eat after 7 pm. I almost always eat dinner around 7 and I usually have a snack around 9 pm. I weigh daily and I lost 60 pounds and moved into maintenance. If one needs to cut out evening snacking to stay under their goal then that is one thing, but if you stay at your calorie goal it doesn't matter what time you eat and that is true whether you weigh daily, weekly or monthly.
  • Mentali
    Mentali Posts: 352 Member
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    kgirlhart wrote: »
    SadDolt wrote: »
    if you're weighing everyday then it does matter how early you stop eating. but from my experience it doesn't matter what time, if you only weigh weekly. all that matters is that you eat under. i was eating as late as 10pm and ould always lose a little over a pound a week

    I realize this is a necro thread, but this comment is recent. It doesn't matter if you weigh daily and eat after 7 pm. I almost always eat dinner around 7 and I usually have a snack around 9 pm. I weigh daily and I lost 60 pounds and moved into maintenance. If one needs to cut out evening snacking to stay under their goal then that is one thing, but if you stay at your calorie goal it doesn't matter what time you eat and that is true whether you weigh daily, weekly or monthly.

    I read that a little differently - for example, I weigh daily and my fluctuations are HUGE when I eat late. Not because of anything magical or special snowflake, but simply because sometimes I eat smaller portions that are more calorie-dense, sometimes I eat bigger portions that weigh more in my stomach but are less dense, sometimes I drink a lot of liquid with dinner, etc. If you eat late and then weigh before the food weight is all gone, then you'll probably experience more fluctuations, but the weekly weighing means you've lost enough weight overall that the fluctuations might not mask it.

    That's how I saw that anyway :)
  • hmltwin
    hmltwin Posts: 116 Member
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    I think it's much less because she's stopped eating late in the day and going to sleep on a full stomach somehow makes all the food consumed become fat and... she's probably snacking less, because after 7PM was her time for snacks.

    I've never eaten after 7PM, but that's because my "snacktime" was at 3 PM - midafternoon. I've decided to keep my meals to designated times and not snack between them. (I also have a designated snacktime in the morning.) That's helped me cut back on my caloric intake. It's not when you eat, it's how much.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    if you have a severe reduction in calories, no matter when they are, or are not consumed, you will have weight loss.

    i eat my lunch around 10 am and dinner at 4 or 5. i rarely eat past 7, but i also go to bed around 8. If im hungry though, I will have a snack of some kind.

    otherwise known as ... i listen to my body and not the clock.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    kizanne1 wrote: »
    An Australian study just finished working on this very question. Many of the previous studies simply were observational. The Australian study had people specifically eat 700 calorie breakfast, 500 calorie lunch and 200 calorie dinner. Then another group was reversed with a 700 calorie dinner, 500 calorie lunch and 200 calorie breakfast with similar nutritional profiles like 100 grams protein.

    Turns out even though they had the same calories in the big breakfast group lost more than twice as much weight.

    http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/big-breakfast-aids-weight-loss-study/story-e6frgcjx-1226692963738

    this is one of the few studies that actually kept the nutritional profiles the same and didn't just do observational studies.


    I would love to actually read the study, and not just the report. There are a couple of flags that stick out to me.

    1) All participants ate 1400 Calories. I would expect different people to lose different amounts of weight, if they ate the same number of Calories. As such, without further info, this doesn't really show anything.

    2) When did they weigh in? If they all weighed in first thing in the morning, there would more likely be undigested food and/or waste in those that ate more at night. This probably wouldn't account for a full 4.76 kg (about 10.5 lb) difference, but really - an average difference of nearly a full pound per week indicates something isn't right.

    3) How much exercise did they do? Not that I necessarily think they did this, but one group exercising, the other not would skew results.

    Basically, this report - per usual - has a lot of relevant information missing. I suppose it could very well be that the findings are truly legit, but without those details (and possibly more answers to more questions that may arise after reading the study), there isn't really enough to make any real determinations.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    malibu927 wrote: »
    SueInAz wrote: »
    A calorie is a calorie, no matter what time of day it is consumed. So if you eat 1200 calories a day it doesn't matter at what time of day you eat them.

    However, what happens to a lot of people is that they'll eat a certain amount of calories up until dinner time and then after dinner will sit on the sofa, watch TV and eat another 1000 calories plus of junk. Cutting out those "extra" calories would certainly cause someone to lose weight.

    That right there. THAT is why the "no eating after #:oo" works. Many people have horrible snacking habits, and often they lose control at night, after already consuming their full calorie allowance for the day. If you make a firm rule to not eat at all, and stick with it, then obviously you eliminate those extra calories.

    Not sure why so many people have a hard time understanding it. It's a control/discipline thing.

    Having a cutoff time to prevent binges is one thing, but many people do believe if you eat after a specific hour those calories will turn to fat whether you're in a deficit or not

    I think that comes from the belief that our bodies digestive system and metabolism slows down when we sleep, so it isn't as efficient at burning off our food, especially a big meal right before bed, so what it can't efficiently /properly burn gets turned to fat easier, than if we ate that same meal earlier in the day when we were more mobile/active.

    I am NOT saying i believe or agree with this, but have read some such thing many times over the years.

    That's even further logically disconnected from reality, because if you don't put enough fuel into your car to reach your destination, it doesn't matter whether you drive slower or faster, you won't reach your destination.
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,114 Member
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    It doesn't matter when you eat - just the number of calories consumed over the course of the day. I save a few calories for a bedtime snack. I would hate to go to bed with a rumbling tummy.
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
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    As someone with hypothyroidism, I can categorically say that eating after 6 p.m. affects my weigh loss and I am not stuffing my face watching TV.

    For me to lose weight, I have to eat my main meal before 6:00 pm and I will continuously lose weight. Even with exercise, I stick have to stick to the 6 pm deadline.

    For those of you who do not have this problem I envy you; before losing my thyroid I was in your shoes, eating right up to bedtime, now this is something I definitely cannot do.

    I have started to make sure that I eat my main meal between 3 - 6 p.m. If I am really hungry I will drink water and eat an apple or 2 Ryvitas, that will just satisfied the hunger pangs.
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
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    There are millions of shift workers who, by the very virtue of their existence, disprove this myth, as not all shiftworkers struggle with weight gain (or loss). Tummies dont tell time.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    socajam wrote: »
    As someone with hypothyroidism, I can categorically say that eating after 6 p.m. affects my weigh loss and I am not stuffing my face watching TV.

    For me to lose weight, I have to eat my main meal before 6:00 pm and I will continuously lose weight. Even with exercise, I stick have to stick to the 6 pm deadline.

    For those of you who do not have this problem I envy you; before losing my thyroid I was in your shoes, eating right up to bedtime, now this is something I definitely cannot do.

    I have started to make sure that I eat my main meal between 3 - 6 p.m. If I am really hungry I will drink water and eat an apple or 2 Ryvitas, that will just satisfied the hunger pangs.

    Hypothyroid or not, that is simply not true.