Eating after 7pm

aspyn1622

Hi there everyone! I am having a problem with my work days and eating past 7. I work 3 days a week, I go in around 5am and don't get out most of the time until around 6:15pm. Then I have to go get my son from the sitter's house, drive home, make him dinner and get him ready for bed. I walk in the door around 6:45-7pm. My question to everyone is this....how would you keep from eating past 7 with this schedule? My last break is at 3:30pm so it is a bit early to have my dinner then. I have tried packing an extra sandwich when I go to work so I can eat it on the way home, but that has not been working for me. (I forget it at work or it just does not fill me). I have also tried just eating at last break then going to bed hungry, but I would want to gorge myself in the morning. I work in a warehouse environment so I am burning a lot of calories during my day, so I wonder if the 7pm rule is that big of a deal or not (I always heard it was). I was just wondering if anyone else has this problem and how they fixed it? Thanks!

bahacca

Why is 7pm a magic number for you? What time do you get to bed those days? If you are not going to bed until 9 or 10 pm, I see nothing wrong with eating your meal at 7.

3dogsrunning

No, it is not true. Eat when you can. I work shiftwork, some days, all of my meals are after 7pm, I am losing just fine.

As a matter of fact, it is 8pm now and I still have two small meals left to eat.

Sublog

Nothing wrong with eating past 7. At all. Daily cumulative intake is all that matters. Meal timing/frequency has not much, if any, effect on weight loss.

tecallahan

Agree- as long as you don't eat and then climb in bed, you should be ok. I would stick to something that won't digest too fast - stay away from sugary items, bread, potatoes, pasta -- no white food -- but I think you can have a gigantic salad and go to bed 2-3 hours later.

Qarol

everyone knows you'll turn into a gremlin...oh wait, that's midnight

carry on!

fteale

I weigh 123 lbs and have been known to eat at 2 am, so I am guessing the 7pm rule is a load of guff. Just from my experience!

Edit to add, I never EVER eat my evening meal before 8pm, and often at 9.30.

3dogsrunning

Agree- as long as you don't eat and then climb in bed, you should be ok. I would stick to something that won't digest too fast - stay away from sugary items, bread, potatoes, pasta -- no white food -- but I think you can have a gigantic salad and go to bed 2-3 hours later.

Why no white food?
As long as it doesn't bother a person to eat before bed, like someone who gets reflux if they go to bed on a full stomach, there is no reason to avoid eating before bed.

angel79202

Many nights I eat at 8 or after...

pupcamper

Hasn't done me any harm! I sometimes eat supper at 8:30pm and go to bed a couple of hours later - but every body is different!

HonkyTonks

Hi there everyone! I am having a problem with my work days and eating past 7. I work 3 days a week, I go in around 5am and don't get out most of the time until around 6:15pm. Then I have to go get my son from the sitter's house, drive home, make him dinner and get him ready for bed. I walk in the door around 6:45-7pm. My question to everyone is this....how would you keep from eating past 7 with this schedule? My last break is at 3:30pm so it is a bit early to have my dinner then. I have tried packing an extra sandwich when I go to work so I can eat it on the way home, but that has not been working for me. (I forget it at work or it just does not fill me). I have also tried just eating at last break then going to bed hungry, but I would want to gorge myself in the morning. I work in a warehouse environment so I am burning a lot of calories during my day, so I wonder if the 7pm rule is that big of a deal or not (I always heard it was). I was just wondering if anyone else has this problem and how they fixed it? Thanks!

Meal timing is irrelevant. You could eat your entirely daily caloric allowance at 7:01pm and still lose weight, all that matters it the overall caloric deficit.

Cr357

Nothing wrong with eating past 7. At all. Daily cumulative intake is all that matters. Meal timing/frequency has not much, if any, effect on weight loss.

This ^^^^^ daily macros

LilMizDetermined

I asked a similar question about eating too late. The way it was explained to me was that your body doesn't change as far as BMR during sleep, so it really doesn't matter what time you eat. Granted foods and beverages high in sugar and caffeine may keep you up, and some food may not sit well while you sleep.

I hope this helps.

rockerbabyy

most nights we eat dinner between 7 and 8... then after the kids go to bed, we exercise and have our post-workout snacks or shakes.. its usually 11 or 12 when we have those, and then go to bed almost immediately after.. no problems here.
like was mentioned, unless you have reflux issues, or problems getting comfortable and getting to sleep on a full/semi full tummy, theres no reason not to eat right up until bedtime

MrsObundles

I work from 9-7:00 four days/week so I eat around 7:30 and it hasn't affected me. If you get GERD (gastric reflux) then you should eat around 3 hours before you go to bed. Otherwise, eat when you can and keep it within your calorie goals.

grassette

Have your big meal at noon. That is what the French and the Italians do. That gives you the rest of the day to work off your calories. And then have something light for supper: soup and a salad. Something light that digests quickly so you don't get reflux when you go to bed.

Gorging yourself in the morning also sounds like a good idea to me. You would be stronger throughout the day.

CMmrsfloyd

I budget several hundred calories each day for snacks after dinner. I snack right up until bedtime with no problems at all. I can't go to bed hungry, if I do I will ever not be able to go to sleep or if I do go to sleep ill wake up hungry at 2 am and grab snacks at a time where I'm not in the frame of mind to control portions. I'm much better off just budgeting in some eveni snacks so I feel satisfied when I hit the sheets. Your body burns calories 24/7 keeping you alive and your organs functioning, eating a snack at night is not going to hurt your weightloss efforts unless it messes with your daily calorie goals. As long as your snacks work into your calorie goal for the day and won't give you any personal issues with being able to get to sleep, go for it.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I eat right up until bedtime and I've had no problems losing weight. Eat when it works with your schedule.

aspyn1622

Thanks for all the advice, I don't remember where I heard the 7pm rule, but I know it was more than once. Your posts were very helpful and I will no longer fear eating after work. Thanks again!

3dogsrunning

Thanks for all the advice, I don't remember where I heard the 7pm rule, but I know it was more than once. Your posts were very helpful and I will no longer fear eating after work. Thanks again!

Its pretty common "advice". Many still follow it, but it is not necessary.

rileysowner

The don't eat after 7PM thing is as common as the eat 6 small meals a day. Both have no ground to stand on. Eat when it is convenient and maintain a calorie deficit. You will lose weight whether you eat one meal a day of 12.