How late do you eat?

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  • sundaywishes
    sundaywishes Posts: 246 Member
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    I don't finish my workout until almost 8pm most days. I have a protein shake as soon as I get home, which is about 10 minutes after I leave the gym. Then, if I don't have leftovers from the night before, it takes me about 45 minutes to cook, prep time included. So I tend to eat my dinner around 8:30, usually closer to 9:00 :noway: . You need to make sure you get protein and carbs into your body within an hour after your workout to give you body fuel that it just burned. If I didn't eat after a "certain" time (such as 7pm), I would not make significant progress towards my goal of losing fat and building lean muscle. I need the protein to repair my torn muscles and the carbs to replace energy. And regardless of not making significant progress, it would just be bad for my body if I didn't refuel it. Recovery from a workout has everything to do with consuming carbs and protein if you're lifting after your workout. Your body is *slightly* more likely to hold onto food you eat later at night, but if you are at or under your calorie goal it really doesn’t make a difference. And I stress “slightly.” :flowerforyou:

    If you workout in the morning, make sure you don't do it on an empty stomach. You'll utilize more fat for energy without the risk of catabolizing muscle protein since you haven’t basically fasted for the whole night. If you don't work out in the evening then it isn't so imperative that you eat at night. But just know that you can :smile:
  • beachloe
    beachloe Posts: 51 Member
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    I eat at night all the time. I'll eat something right before going to bed if I'm hungry.
  • imogenjade
    imogenjade Posts: 131
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    starve all day, pig out at night...my bad habit
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
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    i eat until bedtime. i can't go to bed if i'm hungry.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,579 Member
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    11pm at night sometimes later. Time has no bearing factor on when you eat. It's HOW MUCH you eat overall.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • tzeoli86
    tzeoli86 Posts: 75 Member
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    I actually save most of my calories for my dinner and late evening snack (9-10). I have lost 53 pounds since February ;)
  • kitinboots
    kitinboots Posts: 589 Member
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    I work nights, so when I get home I have something small and quiet (no cooking or noisy food prep) then go to bed. Depending what time my shift started and what time I ate dinner I might have gone 6 or 7 hours without eating by that point.
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
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    Any time I'm hungry. If I'm hungry at 3am, I'll eat at 3am.
  • lrivera85
    lrivera85 Posts: 35 Member
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    I normally stop eating 3 hours before bed. I work 3rd shift so for me during the week that's at 5:00 am or 5:30 am. If I do get hungry for some reason I'll normally eat cottage cheese or eggs whites with some veggies,nothing to heavy or full of carbs. I personally stay away from starchy carbs before bed becasue carbs are used for energy, you don' need energy to sleep. On my days off I typically stop eating at about 7 or 8 pm. Once again if I do get hungry I eat as long as I stay within my calorie intake. Everyone is different though, there so much info/research that contradict one another, do what's best for your body. It's all about trial and error until to figure out what works best for you.
  • TNoire
    TNoire Posts: 642 Member
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    Actually, the science is clear!

    Your body uses its own internal clock, called your circadian rhythm, to regulate enzyme function

    6:00 AM EST - 8:00 PM EST you can eat normally with normal metabolism
    8:01 PM EST - 5:58 AM EST you cannot eat at all or it will immediately be stored as fat!
    5:58 AM EST - 5:59 AM EST, little known "magic minute" during the day when your metabolism "wakes up" to get ready for the day and it is in overdrive!! any food at all eaten during that minute becomes burned immediately!






    before someone yells at me. . . . . j/k


    I am a night owl so this don't apply to me :P
  • KJanae87
    KJanae87 Posts: 54
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    I really dont believe in the "certain time to stop eating" rule. I think it can be used as a tool to not over eat, but if your calories are still at ur goal then it doesnt matter when you consumed them.

    I work 5 different shifts where i work from daylight to nights and eat around the clock, all hours of the night. But its all under or around my calorie goal. Im losesing weight regardless.
  • strawberrie_milk
    strawberrie_milk Posts: 381 Member
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    Meal timing does not matter. Personally, I follow an intermittent fasting regime so my feeding window is between 2PM-10PM just because I find it easier to stick to my diet.. but the timing really does not matter. Just count your calories.

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