Don't Eat After 7 And Six Other Weight Management Myths
IsMollyReallyHungry
Posts: 15,385 Member
Don't Eat After 7 And Six Other Weight Management Myths
By Michelle May, M.D.
Diets are filled with dogma about when, what and how much to eat. Certainly “the rules” are usually based on observations that make sense, but unless you understand why you do certain things, you’ll break the rules as soon as the temptation is greater than your motivation. Let’s examine some of these myths, where they come from and how to make long term changes that will work for you.
Myth: Don’t Eat After 7pm
Your metabolism doesn’t shut off at 7:01 pm so why is this rule so common? It’s based on the observation that many people who struggle with their weight overeat in the evening. Most have already eaten dinner so they aren’t snacking because they’re hungry. They snack because of boredom, television, loneliness and other triggers.
Rather than creating a rule to address those habits, ask yourself “Am I hungry?” whenever you feel like eating in the evenings. If you truly are, eat, keeping in mind that your day is winding down so you won’t need a huge meal. If you aren’t, consider why you feel like eating and come up with a better way to address that need. Ken, a man in one of my workshops, realized he was just bored so he started doing stained glass in the evenings to entertain himself. Whatever works!
Myth: Eat Small Meals Every 3 Hours
This rule is based on the fact that many thin people tend to eat frequent small meals. However, most of the thin people I know don’t check their watch to tell them it’s time to eat – they eat when their body tells them to. They eat when they’re hungry and stop when they’re satisfied. Since that tends to be a small meal, they get hungry again in a few hours.
Instead of watching the clock, begin to tune in to the physical symptoms of hunger to tell you when to eat. And remember, your stomach is only about the size of your fist so it only holds a handful of food comfortably. By learning to listen to your body’s signals, you are likely to follow a frequent small meal pattern naturally.
Myth: Don’t Let Yourself Get Hungry
This one is based on the belief that overweight people are incapable of controlling themselves when they’re hungry. In my experience with hundreds of workshop participants, once they learn to tell the difference between physical hunger and head hunger, the opposite is true.
Think about it. When you’re hungry, food tastes better and is more satisfying. My grandmother used to say, “Hunger is the best seasoning.” Besides, if you aren’t hungry when you start eating, what’s going to tell you to stop? Of course, you also need to learn to recognize hunger and make time to eat before you’re too hungry since it’s harder to make great choices when you’re starving!
Myth: Exercise More When You Cheat
I hate this one because it has caused millions of people to equate physical activity with punishment for eating. As a result, many people either hate to exercise or use exercise to earn the right to eat.
While it’s true that your weight is determined by your overall calories in versus your calories out, exercise is only part of the equation and has so many other important benefits. Instead of using exercise to pay penance, focus on how great you feel, how much more energy you have, how much better you sleep and how much healthier you’re becoming. In the long run, you are more likely to exercise because it feels good than because you’re forced to.
Myth: Follow Your Diet Six Days a Week Then You Can Have a Cheat Day
This is absurd! What if you were a harsh, overly strict parent six days a week then completely ignored your kids every Saturday? How would this approach work for your marriage or managing your employees?
It just doesn’t make sense to try to be perfect (whatever that is) Sunday through Friday while obsessing about everything you’re going to eat on your day off. Then on Saturday you overeat just because you’re allowed to so you end up feeling miserable all day. Huh? Personally, I’d rather enjoy eating the foods I love every day, mindfully and in moderation. I call this being “in charge” instead of going back and forth between being in control and out of control.
Myth: Eat X Number of Calories a Day
Does it make sense that you would need exactly the same amount of fuel every day? Aren’t there just days when you’re hungrier than others, maybe because of your activity levels or hormonal cycles?
Rather than setting yourself up to “cheat” on those hungry days and forcing yourself to eat more food than you want on your less hungry days, allow yourself the flexibility to adjust your intake based on your actual needs rather than an arbitrary number. Important: for this to work long term, you also need to learn to tell the difference between physical hunger and head hunger.
Myth: Carbs are Bad (or Fat is Bad)
This “good food-bad food” thinking makes certain foods special. As a result, you may feel deprived and think about them even more than you did before. Worse yet, healthy foods become a four-letter word.
The truth is all foods fit into a healthy diet. Since different foods have various nutritional qualities and calorie content, you can use the principles of balance, variety and moderation to guide you without trying to restrict an entire food group.
Truth: You Are In Charge
I assume the rule-makers are well-intentioned and don’t realize that they’ve created a tight rope that most people fall off sooner or later. It’s time to give yourself the flexibility to make decisions that both nourish and nurture you.
www.AmIHungry.com
By Michelle May, M.D.
Diets are filled with dogma about when, what and how much to eat. Certainly “the rules” are usually based on observations that make sense, but unless you understand why you do certain things, you’ll break the rules as soon as the temptation is greater than your motivation. Let’s examine some of these myths, where they come from and how to make long term changes that will work for you.
Myth: Don’t Eat After 7pm
Your metabolism doesn’t shut off at 7:01 pm so why is this rule so common? It’s based on the observation that many people who struggle with their weight overeat in the evening. Most have already eaten dinner so they aren’t snacking because they’re hungry. They snack because of boredom, television, loneliness and other triggers.
Rather than creating a rule to address those habits, ask yourself “Am I hungry?” whenever you feel like eating in the evenings. If you truly are, eat, keeping in mind that your day is winding down so you won’t need a huge meal. If you aren’t, consider why you feel like eating and come up with a better way to address that need. Ken, a man in one of my workshops, realized he was just bored so he started doing stained glass in the evenings to entertain himself. Whatever works!
Myth: Eat Small Meals Every 3 Hours
This rule is based on the fact that many thin people tend to eat frequent small meals. However, most of the thin people I know don’t check their watch to tell them it’s time to eat – they eat when their body tells them to. They eat when they’re hungry and stop when they’re satisfied. Since that tends to be a small meal, they get hungry again in a few hours.
Instead of watching the clock, begin to tune in to the physical symptoms of hunger to tell you when to eat. And remember, your stomach is only about the size of your fist so it only holds a handful of food comfortably. By learning to listen to your body’s signals, you are likely to follow a frequent small meal pattern naturally.
Myth: Don’t Let Yourself Get Hungry
This one is based on the belief that overweight people are incapable of controlling themselves when they’re hungry. In my experience with hundreds of workshop participants, once they learn to tell the difference between physical hunger and head hunger, the opposite is true.
Think about it. When you’re hungry, food tastes better and is more satisfying. My grandmother used to say, “Hunger is the best seasoning.” Besides, if you aren’t hungry when you start eating, what’s going to tell you to stop? Of course, you also need to learn to recognize hunger and make time to eat before you’re too hungry since it’s harder to make great choices when you’re starving!
Myth: Exercise More When You Cheat
I hate this one because it has caused millions of people to equate physical activity with punishment for eating. As a result, many people either hate to exercise or use exercise to earn the right to eat.
While it’s true that your weight is determined by your overall calories in versus your calories out, exercise is only part of the equation and has so many other important benefits. Instead of using exercise to pay penance, focus on how great you feel, how much more energy you have, how much better you sleep and how much healthier you’re becoming. In the long run, you are more likely to exercise because it feels good than because you’re forced to.
Myth: Follow Your Diet Six Days a Week Then You Can Have a Cheat Day
This is absurd! What if you were a harsh, overly strict parent six days a week then completely ignored your kids every Saturday? How would this approach work for your marriage or managing your employees?
It just doesn’t make sense to try to be perfect (whatever that is) Sunday through Friday while obsessing about everything you’re going to eat on your day off. Then on Saturday you overeat just because you’re allowed to so you end up feeling miserable all day. Huh? Personally, I’d rather enjoy eating the foods I love every day, mindfully and in moderation. I call this being “in charge” instead of going back and forth between being in control and out of control.
Myth: Eat X Number of Calories a Day
Does it make sense that you would need exactly the same amount of fuel every day? Aren’t there just days when you’re hungrier than others, maybe because of your activity levels or hormonal cycles?
Rather than setting yourself up to “cheat” on those hungry days and forcing yourself to eat more food than you want on your less hungry days, allow yourself the flexibility to adjust your intake based on your actual needs rather than an arbitrary number. Important: for this to work long term, you also need to learn to tell the difference between physical hunger and head hunger.
Myth: Carbs are Bad (or Fat is Bad)
This “good food-bad food” thinking makes certain foods special. As a result, you may feel deprived and think about them even more than you did before. Worse yet, healthy foods become a four-letter word.
The truth is all foods fit into a healthy diet. Since different foods have various nutritional qualities and calorie content, you can use the principles of balance, variety and moderation to guide you without trying to restrict an entire food group.
Truth: You Are In Charge
I assume the rule-makers are well-intentioned and don’t realize that they’ve created a tight rope that most people fall off sooner or later. It’s time to give yourself the flexibility to make decisions that both nourish and nurture you.
www.AmIHungry.com
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Replies
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Meh....
Myth: Don’t Eat After 7pm
Myth. Agreed.
Myth: Eat Small Meals Every 3 Hours
This one is neutral. Eating every 3 hours or so is good for staving off hunger and maintaining a level of comfort throughout the day. It's not a required rule to follow.. But it's a fine way of living.
Myth: Don’t Let Yourself Get Hungry
Good advice actually. It promotes staying in equilibrium all day. With an ideal diet we would never be hungry and never be thirsty because we're keeping ourselves properly fed and watered all day.
Myth: Exercise More When You Cheat
Not really a myth. Just bad advice.
Myth: Follow Your Diet Six Days a Week Then You Can Have a Cheat Day
Not a myth at all. Lots of people enjoying success employee a once a week free day.
Myth: Eat X Number of Calories a Day
Not a myth at all. Calories in vs Calories out.
Myth: Carbs are Bad (or Fat is Bad)
Myth. Agreed.0 -
bump0
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Great article. Thanks.0
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Thanks for sharing, I like the way this author thinks.
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Thanks for this! Very helpful and informative. 0
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AWESOME STUFF!!! VERY WELL PUT............THIS IS A MUST FOR EVERYONE TO READ0
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Good post, all of that is so true!0
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Thanks for sharing.0
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Agreed and agreed and so on.
Too bad not everybody will read this....0 -
*like*0
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I think the cheat thing is more about shocking your body. I really hope that people who "Cheat" don't actually just scarf down 5000 calories and feel good about it. But if you cheat properly, then you shock your metabolism up and lose more weight that way. But when I say cheat, I mean 300 calories over! So yes, this term is thrown around way too loosely probably.
I zig zag, way better.0 -
I think the cheat thing is more about shocking your body. I really hope that people who "Cheat" don't actually just scarf down 5000 calories and feel good about it. But if you cheat properly, then you shock your metabolism up and lose more weight that way. But when I say cheat, I mean 300 calories over! So yes, this term is thrown around way too loosely probably.
I zig zag, way better.
i also zig-zag...LOVE IT!!!0 -
Bump0
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I get the general idea of this post, but these aren't all right...take #1- The myth stems from the fact that most people sleep at night and are active during the day. Toward that end, they recommend eating earlier b/c you have more activity earlier. Your metabolism, albeit working, isn't working as well as it is when you're walking around the office or exercising in the gym
Just my thoughts...0 -
Thanks for sharing!0
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What a great article. Thank you for posting it. I plan on reading this again and again just to try to re-train my brain. I was brought up believing most of these myths by a well-meaning but yo-yo dieting mother who never successfully lost weight.0
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I think the cheat thing is more about shocking your body. I really hope that people who "Cheat" don't actually just scarf down 5000 calories and feel good about it. But if you cheat properly, then you shock your metabolism up and lose more weight that way. But when I say cheat, I mean 300 calories over! So yes, this term is thrown around way too loosely probably.
I zig zag, way better.
i also zig-zag...LOVE IT!!!
I agree on a cheat day WITHIN REASON is OK. More like cheat meal vs a whole day. That way consumption is no overkill and will kill your hard work on the other six days. A WW leader advise was a CHEAT MEAL ve a CHEAT DAY.......:)0 -
I think the cheat thing is more about shocking your body. I really hope that people who "Cheat" don't actually just scarf down 5000 calories and feel good about it. But if you cheat properly, then you shock your metabolism up and lose more weight that way. But when I say cheat, I mean 300 calories over! So yes, this term is thrown around way too loosely probably.
I zig zag, way better.
Never heard it put that way, "zig zag", but I like it! I do have my "cheat" days every now and then (usually happens on a weekend). But I agree, it MIGHT be 200-500 calories over for that one day, and thankfully for me it hasn't messed up my goals at all.0 -
Bump0
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Well, if I really was able to trust my body to cue me when to eat and what to eat, I wouldn't be in this position. I mean, it's a good idea, but for me the reality is I need structure because those cues are apparently drowned out by my love of eating.0
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I really enjoyed reading this! Thanks for sharing.0
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MollieDon't Eat After 7 And Six Other Weight Management Myths
By Michelle May, M.D.
thank you so very much for sharing this vital mythbuster. It is fantastic advise for anyone on the slow, but steady path to glory :flowerforyou:0 -
Bump0
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when i have a cheat day i eat my maintenance calories for my goal weightI think the cheat thing is more about shocking your body. I really hope that people who "Cheat" don't actually just scarf down 5000 calories and feel good about it. But if you cheat properly, then you shock your metabolism up and lose more weight that way. But when I say cheat, I mean 300 calories over! So yes, this term is thrown around way too loosely probably.
I zig zag, way better.0 -
when i have a cheat day i eat my maintenance calories for my goal weightI think the cheat thing is more about shocking your body. I really hope that people who "Cheat" don't actually just scarf down 5000 calories and feel good about it. But if you cheat properly, then you shock your metabolism up and lose more weight that way. But when I say cheat, I mean 300 calories over! So yes, this term is thrown around way too loosely probably.
I zig zag, way better.
That is a good idea!0 -
lovw it!0
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Thanks for sharing!0
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your welcome! it was good for me to re-read this one again today 0
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