does when you eat really matter?

senyosmom

Ive been told that you should not eat anything after a certain time (7 pm or so) - but I have also been told that it does not matter when you eat and all that matters is how many calories you are eating vs how many you are burning. Does anyone know which is accurate?

kirstyg1980

I'm intermitted fasting (www.leangains.com) - currently on my way through a 24 hour fast and will eat my days calories between 6pm and 9pm

on a normal fast I eat between 1pm and 9pm

to answer your question, no it doesn't matter

Check out eat stop eat

Drastiic

As long as you meet your DAILY target calories/macros, it doesn't matter when you eat.

terrabit

I eat almost nightly at about 7-7:30 pm. I also have a snack just before going to bed. To date I have lost 52 lbs and so far no plateaus.. averaging about 3 lbs per week.
Granted I had a lot to lose, but so far eating times don't seem to matter much for me.. staying below my calorie threshold is what really seems to matter for my weight loss. Macronutrient ratios seem to matter with regard to how my exercising goes (intensity and endurance).

I find it far more difficult to "pace" my food out so that I dont get too hungry throughout the day.

IveLanded

Nothing extreme in dieting is ever true. It's almost always somewhere in the middle.


My trainer and nutritionist have both said that it's probably NOT good for you to consume a lot of calories and then go to bed, i.e. slow your metabolism down. And that makes sense. I have noticed that when I was eating large dinners, late in the day, it was harder for me to lose weight. One week, I was so busy I was eating the BULK of my calories after 6pm, and I gained 4lbs.

Most people who have seen good, healthy, long term results are usually folks who eat moderately through the day.

That said, if you are working out regularly and keeping your metabolism up, a light snack after dark probably won't hurt you. However, everyone is different. If you are losing just fine and eating midnight snacks, then obviously *you* can do it. If you find yourself struggling, it's worth considering how you space out your calories so your body is burning them efficiently.

roachhaley

Eat whenever the hell you want. If you eat dinner late and suddenly gain 100 pounds, maybe you should quit. I dunno. I've heard that you should only eat on a full moon between midnight and 1am, but that seems a bit weird to me...

grinch031

Eat your carbs at dinner.

http://www.hivehealthmedia.com/timing-carbohydrates-dinner-diet/