Eating after 8pm

prettytoxic

I know that it's supposed really bad for your metabolism to eat after 8pm but my question is fairly simple.

I work nights, I rarely wake up before 1pm and I don't get home until 10.30-11.30pm meaning I don't really get to bed until 4am at the earliest, so would it work differently seeing as I'm up at different times?

taso42

It's fine to eat at any time of day or night.

JaycrazyRose

I would think that it is okay since you work that kind of schedule.

joejccva71

Meal timing is irrelevant. You can eat before 8pm or at midnight and then go to bed right afterwards. It matters not.

LuneBleu85

I don't really agree with that or abide by that rule. I work 5pm-1am quite often and I keep eating to stay awake! My mfp food "day" in my diary ends when I go to bed. It seems to be working for me as I have lost weight and am just toning up now
Best wishes

jenfactor

I would just try to stop eating 2 hours before you go to bed (so 2am), and see if you can make it longer than that. I think in my skinniest days, I was not eating 4 hours before bed. Good luck!

Enforcer25

I work mids, I eat dinner at 8pm, breakfast around 2:30. I usually don't eat before bed, then eat again when I get up at 3:30pm. On my off days I have eaten after 8pm, and have not noticed any difference. There was a thread on here where people stated it had no effect eating after 8pm. Good luck on reaching your goal. I personally think if you eat healthy and good portion sizes you will be fine.

Rachaelluvszipped

Yes, totally..because you go to bed at 4am...your hours are totally different..just eat according to your body's needs..you should do fine..my hubby works nights as well..and he is constantly trying to eat our schedule as well..doesn't work well for him..

BrewerGeorge

Meal timing is irrelevant for all intents and purposes.

RaeN81

There really isn't any reason that you can't eat when you get home.

prettytoxic

Ok thanks guys =]
Puts my mind at ease cause I usually feel kinda crappy having to eat so late.

cronus404

It doesnt really matter when you eat. Your body is going to burn the same amount of calories per day no matter when you eat. If you burn 2000 calories per day and you only consume 1500 calories per day you are going to lose weight regardless of whether you eat those calories at 10am or 10pm. The whole dont eat at night myth is more in regards to digestion than metabolism. Your more likely to wake up in the middle of the night too if you have a heavy late night meal. Weight loss wise though your fine just watch the calories

aurorasangel2000

Definitely agree with the timing not making much difference. The only thing I've seen that doctors say is around an hour or two before going to bed, and even then, it may not make much difference. Maybe just not eating some huge meal before you sleep, but, other than that. I've eaten before going to bed, maybe a snack or so, and I'm still losing :-) And I know what you mean, my sleeping schedule is crazy too, lol.

McKayMachina

Time doesn't matter one bit.

The 8pm rule is silly because 1. your body can't tell time. 2. Everyone goes to sleep at different times, sleeps for different lengths of time and wakes up at different times. There's nothing magical about 8pm.

You could eat 2 minutes before bed and it wouldn't matter. I, personally, would feel STARVING when I woke up (I always do when I eat late...it's weird) so that's why *I* wouldn't do it. But really, don't worry at all about eating at special times. Just hit your goals with a 24-hour window and you're golden.

DannyMussels

I think the misconception comes in when people eat their 3, 4, or 5 meals a day....then eat MORE at night.

They attribute the time to weight gain and it being the reason......not the fact that they ate a normal days worth of food...then are eating MORE.

Just be aware of your intake for the day. If you ate half your food before work, go nuts and eat the other half after.

anubis609

I don't see the congruence between feeding time and metabolism. How much I eat and what I decide to do with that intake pretty much dictates the drive for my metabolism. If I wanted to slow it down, I'd do nothing and increase my calorie intake. If I want to increase it, I'd move or lift more, then increase my calorie intake to compensate for the burn. And I could choose to do this at 3AM if I wanted.

koosdel

Meal timing is irrelevant. You can eat before 8pm or at midnight and then go to bed right afterwards. It matters not.

Said like a true Spartan.

quara

Generally, people who stick to a "regular" schedule find themselves mindlessly munching in the evenings, after dinner, as they relax and watch TV or do whatever it is they do. It's not the particular time of day - it's just the routine. If you have a very different routine, don't worry about the "after 8 pm" rule. But if you come home from work at 11pm and stay up till 4 am playing on the net and eating chips, you may want to limit yourself to not eating a few hours before you go to sleep.

kregerems

I work a 12 hour night shift; 6 p.m. until 6 a.m., so I eat supper with my family which I count as lunch then 3 to 4 hours later I eat supper with small snack between them and a small snack or protein bar after midnight. I eat breakfast when I get home and go to bed approx. 1 to 2 hours later. When I get up, I work out and start all over. I've lost 15lbs in the last 6 weeks plus with another 15 to 20lbs to go. Good luck.

barbiex3

yeah. it's nt gonna make a difference.. my pictures are proof

MikeSEA

I tend to get stomach trouble if I try to eat a large meal and then go directly to bed, but that's really the only downside. And that's more of a physiological problem (that may or may not affect anyone else) more than a metabolic issue.

creasonr

Thanks for asking this question. I work in the evenings also and get home around 11 pm. Logically I thought that it was O.K. to eat later but it is nice to see the question discussed.

alebalestra

The time to eat is cultural. I eat late because in my culture we eat late. I am from Argentina, and we have dinner at 9 pm or later, and most of the people is not fat. The reason is the people walk a lot. For this reason when I moved to USA, I gained weight, here I do not walk too much, until one year ago when I decide to do something with my weigth and I lost 43 pounds... most of the secret is that I am doing a lot of exercise.

SUgrad04

I think the idea is to stop eating a few hours before bedtime so you're not introducing a bunch of energy into your system at the time of day when you're least likely to burn it off -- also, some people think that it's good to keep blood sugar levels low when your body is about to go into sleep mode. Some people think it does make a difference; some don't -- I'm trying it myself now just to see if it makes a difference.

R4z0r4Mm0

Like what everyone else has said - timing is irrelevant. I've eaten meals and snacks before bed, and I'm still losing, as long as the late night snacks are accounted for in your calories. 77lbs lost and more to go, works well for me.

The night before weigh-ins though, I'd avoid a late night dinner because of water retention. No solid food for me 12hours before weigh-ins. For me, I tend to retain quite a bit of water from the night before (anywhere from 3 to 5lbs), especially if the dinner is high in sodium and I didn't drink enough water to flush it out.