Eating After 8pm
boelyn
Posts: 90 Member
Hey Team UK
I would like to get some of your thoughts on the idea that it is not good to eat after 8pm. I have a job that requires a lot of travelling and find myself getting in quite late most evenings, earliest 7.30 pm.
Aside from the fact that I am generally too tired to cook I end up grabbing a bowl of cereal most nights but then obviously don't hit my calorie intake for the day.
My job does not allow me to eat a larger lunch.......so thought I would put the question out there and get your thoughts and feelings about the 'eating after 8' dilemma
Ta
B
I would like to get some of your thoughts on the idea that it is not good to eat after 8pm. I have a job that requires a lot of travelling and find myself getting in quite late most evenings, earliest 7.30 pm.
Aside from the fact that I am generally too tired to cook I end up grabbing a bowl of cereal most nights but then obviously don't hit my calorie intake for the day.
My job does not allow me to eat a larger lunch.......so thought I would put the question out there and get your thoughts and feelings about the 'eating after 8' dilemma
Ta
B
0
Replies
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I hear people talking about this matter, and I'm not really sure why it's an issue. I rarely eat after 8pm but that's because I'm fortunate enough to live close to where I work and can usually sit down to eat before 7pm most nights. However, personally, if I eat later than 7pm, I am so blinking hungry that I usually end up wolfing my food down and not appreciating it whilst I eat. :ohwell:0
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For me it's more a matter of being able to sleep well. If I eat too late, I'm still digesting into the night and find it difficult to get to sleep. That does have a bearing on weight loss, but as far as I know the "no eating after 8PM" guideline is in place for people who have already had dinner by then! Your schedule is your schedule and you need to eat, so unless someone with a medical degree or tremendous nutrition knowledge tells you otherwise, I'd say go ahead and eat your dinner regardless of the time!0
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Hi,
I rarely eat before 8pm infact 9pm would be a normal meal time for myself and my husband - I don't buy the argument that this effects weight. I have been thin (9 st) and big (13st) both maintaining a lifestyle that includes eating after 8pm, I even worked nights for a long time and would eat a main cooked meal at 3 a.m.
I believe that as long as you stay up late enough to digest the food it can't make any difference? But I do think that not eating your correct allowance or near as damn it will effect weight loss/retention - you've got to eat enough to lose the weight.0 -
In terms of your weight loss - it doesn't matter what time you eat, it is just about calories in vs calories out really. The only reason I would say not to eat after a certain time would be if it is disrupting your sleep. Most people won't need to allow a certain amount of time to digest food - your digestion still works pretty well when you are sleeping if necessary
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I think it's what suits you. If you're comfortable eating late and it's not causing you any issues then I don't see the problem. Think of those fokls who work shifts and eat at odd times - it's a case of what you get used to.0
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Personally I don't tend to eat starchy carbs after 7pm but if I'm hungry I'm all over the protein and veg!0
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I was actually reading something about this the other day; the time you eat food does not have any significant impact on weightloss. The myth that you shouldn't eat late/no carbs after 5pm arises bacause if we leave it too late, we have a tendency o snack on high carb food such as biscuits. Provided you can avoid that trap and keep within your calories for the day, you'd be fine.
If possible, try to have a few heathy snacks throughout the day so that you don't get to 8.30 feeling ravenous.0 -
I wouldn't stress over it, if I was you. Just fit in dinner when you can. The defecits are what matter, IMHO
Good luck!0 -
The only reason I avoid carbs later on isn't anything to do with weight but digesting starchy carbs takes much more energy than other food groups and I tend to find it affects the quality of my sleep if I eat them too late!0
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I am a night time eater.
Hunger simply wakes me up and I need to eat - not always the best choices if you think it may be anytime between 2 and 5 am....
And no, drinking water does not fill me up at all. all it does is mae me wake up even more - to go for a pee...
Especially if I do eat breakfast - then I am hungry all day and night after that.
Am I a total weirdo?0 -
Eating in the evening is bad - total myth!
If you are waking up whilst you should be asleep, your body is telling you that you didn't eat enough prior to sleep.
Your body is also less sensitive to insulin in the evening so a few carbs could actually prevent you waking up and vice versa so breakfast should be more proteins and fats - Mr Kelloggs has got us thinking about carby cereals in the morning!0 -
I am a night time eater.
Hunger simply wakes me up and I need to eat - not always the best choices if you think it may be anytime between 2 and 5 am....
And no, drinking water does not fill me up at all. all it does is mae me wake up even more - to go for a pee...
Especially if I do eat breakfast - then I am hungry all day and night after that.
Am I a total weirdo?
Your body has just got used to you feeding it at these times... you could easily change it back to a more social time. ;-)0 -
Re carbs and cereals.....
One of the books I have read, put me off most for.. long time....
Very good book actually, talks a lot about bread/milk and what we were/are being fed by media about the godness of several things yukkkkk
No idea how to switch to day time only eating, wake up feeling starved middle of the night and have to eat something.. sigh....0 -
We often have meetings that start at 6.00 p.m. and don't finish till 8 or later. I find it really difficult to eat just before going out, and tend to eat after 9.00. I think one of the reasons for not eating too late, is because after you have finished eating you sit around and don't exercise. Since joining MFP just after Christmas, we have been making an effort to either have a main meal at lunchtime, which we can do as we're both retired, or to have a meal ready prepared for when we get in, so there is no hanging around, nibbling at crisps, etc. We normally don't go to bed till after midnight, so digesting the meal is not a problem, but if we went earlier, then it might be.
You need to match your eating and exercise to your lifestyle, unless you have the possibility of changing that!
Good luck!0 -
I always have crazy work hours and just have to eat when I can, even if that means dinner at 2 in the morning. I wouldn't worry about it, if that's the time you have available for dinner then that's when you eat it, not much else you can do 0
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I tend not to eat after 8pm if I can help it but that's only because I like to exercise at night after my boys have gone to bed and if I exercise too soon after I eat it makes me feel sick. Not only that but I usually go to bed by 11pm because I'm up early with my boys and if I eat too late I don't sleep well. It's now to personal choice/ circumstances though, if you're gonna be able to burn it off before you go to bed there's no reason why not.0
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You wouldn't need to "burn off" a late meal, though, if you have allowed for it in your calories for the day? I'm losing weight, though I regularly eat after 8pm - 10pm is quite a usual time for me! I'm losing because the total calories consumed for the day, including the ones eaten after 8, are within my limit for the day.0
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