I hear it helps not to eat past 8pm

sunnysteph0420

Hi,
Are you really more likely to lose weight if you dont eat past 8pm?Thoughts

justicer68

I don't think it matters as long as you burn more than you take in. Unless you have reflux or integestion issues when you go to bed. I know from personal experience it never has mattered.

babycrisci

In my experience it does help to stop eating after 8. That stopping number should probably be adjusted based on when you actually go to sleep though...
We simply don't need to eat that much food as the day goes on because we normally use less and less energy. (most people use energy during the day and relax at night...). If you exercise at night you may want to ignore that cut off time. Just don't eat right before bed...

LoraF83

In my experience it does help to stop eating after 8. That stopping number should probably be adjusted based on when you actually go to sleep though...
We simply don't need to eat that much food as the day goes on because we normally use less and less energy. (most people use energy during the day and relax at night...). If you exercise at night you may want to ignore that cut off time. Just don't eat right before bed...

None of the above is true. Your body does not stop or slow down it's inner workings (organ function, nervous system, metabolism) simply because you sat down on the couch at the end of the day.

Meal timing is about personal preference. I reguarly eat hundreds and hundreds of calories after 8pm. I eat RIGHT before bed. It hasn't affected my weight loss.

Eat when it works for you. There is no reason not to eat late at night - unless it makes you feel bad or gives you medical issues (acid reflux, etc).

pamwhite712

I literally just had this conversation with my husband. I was saying that I still have quite a few calories to eat today (I'm in the US, central time). He said I shouldn't eat too close to bedtime. Thanks to the knowledgeable people here, I was able to tell him that it's simply not true.

MoreBean13

I eat over 1k cals after 8pm almost everyday.

taso42

nope, has no bearing on weight loss or body composition

vmekash

I love to have a bowl of oatmeal right before bed. I never sleep as soundly as I do on a full tummy.
BTW, calories cannot tell time.
:drinker:

1ConcreteGirl

My ears are my most useful weight-loss tool, for sure; I try to ignore that grey mass between them.

Contrarian

It's total bull****.

Melo1966

I eat dinner and have snacks after 8pm more days than not.

Sharkington

I eat up until 12 a.m. (I have a different schedule than a lot of people) many nights and have not had any problems losing, or now, maintaining my weight. I do not feel bloated when I wake up, either, but I know it is different for everyone. Just do what makes you feel best - if you don't like eating after a certain time, or you wake up feeling off, that's fine as long as you're getting enough calories in your diet throughout the day.

sarahg148

You can eat at any time, but for me, I try to not eat a few hours before bed. I find when I do that, that I wake up less tired and bloated...but that's me. I try to eat throughout the day and not get too hungry. I think many people eat emotionally after a certain hour and they could benefit from not eating after a certain time...just my opinion.

FitForLife81

I eat most of my calories later in the day it doesn't matter! Your body doesn't know how to tell time!

Crankstr

no

cmriverside

Myth.

Elleinnz

Over a 100 lbs lost - and eating around 30% of my 2000 calories a day after 8pm - so my personal experience says it is nonsense......

Eat a deficit (but make sure you actually eat enough) and you will lose the weight

magerum

Meal timing has nothing to do with weight control. I eat 2500 calories within 90 minutes of going to bed most nights.

cpocica

It is good not to eat 2-3 hours before bedtime, especially if you have Acid Reflux problems.

HealthWoke0ish

Often, my evening routine is: Workout, intake some protein, take a shower, go to sleep. Works for me:)

earlswimsuit

In my opinion it's best not to eat anything after dinner UNLESS it's a light fruit. That just stops me from eating unnecessarily. I think you'll lose that extra bit of weight that way but others can disagree.

jennyrebekka

It's kinda like those terrible lies we were all told about having to WAIT 30 mins after eating, before going swimming. I know time stood still on many a vacation....under this rule.

CharityGC

I eat whenever I'm hungry and some days that means an hour or less before bedtime.

PhyllisPerry

I no longer eat past 7pm. I believe it does work because it makes sense. Many people are less active during this time. The more you eat during less active times , the more incline you are to gain weight!

SurfyFriend

It doesn't matter when you eat.
It matters when you exercise.
If you play sport at night then it wuld make sense to have a protein meal when you get home.
If you have an active day ahead it makes sense to have a large carb based meal for dinner.
If you have a slow day ahead, don't eat after 8pm because the food will be stuck in your gut and will digest too slowly.
If you are a night shift worker and will be on your feet all night it makes sense to have a balanced meal to sustain you until you can have a snack in your break.
So I believe it is more appropriate to think of how hungry you are, and how much activity will occur before you next meal.
I wonder if anyone else thinks like this.

justicer68

The only other reason I can think of as why not to eat later at night other than tummy issues is because generally people tend to gravitate toward the not so healthy snacks rather than the healthier ones. I had heard that somewhere. I know that's not the case for everyone but it happens.

foxro

Great question - if your body or muscles need rest for repair, does it make sense to fuel them with a protein snack before beddybye - just trying some logic here not being a biologist

DavPul

It's just a shortcut for people that aren't counting calories. People starting teaching that as a sneaky means of calorie restriction. Basically it would cut out 500 or more cals of after dinner snacks and drinks. As long as you are under your total calories for the day you don't have to worry about it.

majope

If you're NOT tracking calories, it can be a helpful rule, because it will keep you from snacking aimlessly at night.

If you ARE tracking calories (and since you're here, I assume you are), it's meaningless, because it doesn't matter when you eat your day's calories as long as you meet your goal.

JenniTheVeggie

I don't think it matters.

justicer68

Great question - if your body or muscles need rest for repair, does it make sense to fuel them with a protein snack before beddybye - just trying some logic here not being a biologist

When I first lost the bulk of my weight I drank a protein drink before bed every night. It worked too! :-).