Do you eat after 6pm?

BettyandVeronica
BettyandVeronica Posts: 333 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I find that if I eat after 7pm my body retains extra pounds for the next 2 weeks and I end up in a cycle of losing 3lbs one week then regaining them again the following week. However on the weeks that I do not eat after 6pm,coupled with exercise for 60 mins everyday,I find a steady weight loss of 2lbs.The only trouble is I finish work at 9pm and by the time I get home at 10pm I am Starvin' Marvin and then I raid the fridge like a demented cockroach.

What kind of slow energy release foods can I eat that wont make me keep piling on the pounds.

My diary is open
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Replies

  • lilmissbamaqueen
    lilmissbamaqueen Posts: 184
    The only trouble is I finish work at 9pm and by the time I get home at 10pm I am Starvin' Marvin and then I raid the fridge like a demented cockroach.




    Betty, I love how you put things... "demented cockroach"... lol... Anyway, I honestly don't think what time you eat makes any difference. I personally try not to eat after 9 pm, but that's more to help me sleep than anything else.
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
    yes but i also have not lost a pound in quite some time. Im not trying very hard to lose right now, just wanting to get stronger
  • GosuLoli
    GosuLoli Posts: 38
    Since my sleeping pattern is typical of a student (Stay up til the ungodly hours of the morning, wake up some time in the afternoon, if I go to bed at all) I usually eat after 6pm. I'm trying to quit that though, so if I get hungry in the evening, I'll have a bowl of muesli, that generally keeps me going for a good few hours. Breakfast cereals in general are quite slow-release, if you buy the healthy ones, so maybe those would work the same way
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I don't think time of day means anything. I eat dinner between 8pm-9pm daily and go to bed around 10pm. I've lost, on average, 1 Lb per week since joining MFP. It's not always linear...sometimes it's more, sometimes less...but when I average it out over a longer period of time, it comes out to about 1 Lb per week as per my goal.
  • mgmlap
    mgmlap Posts: 1,377 Member
    Peeked at your diary...I don't think the issue is when you eat..but what you eat. Lots of processed foods have loads of sodium. Try to add some fresh fruits and veggies.
  • butterflylover527
    butterflylover527 Posts: 940 Member
    Your body doesn't know time, so I don't think that matters. It might be what you're eating at that time.
  • Pinkylee77
    Pinkylee77 Posts: 432 Member
    I often (daily) have a evening snack and still lose weight. I don't think you body knows if it is 6:00 or 7:30.
  • q403ge
    q403ge Posts: 1
    from everything i have been reading, number of meals and time of meals dont have as much importance, if any, compared to the total amount of calories in vs calories out. I'd try reducing my caloric intake if weight loss is your goal.
  • traceytwink
    traceytwink Posts: 538 Member
    I eat when I'm hungry regardless of time and have lost weight doing so have you thought about snacking on nuts and seeds ( the raw kind on the salted ones) they might help with your snack monsters x
  • Game8
    Game8 Posts: 442
    Calories in vs calories out.

    Meal timing/ frequency has no impact on how your body utilizes nutrients. Countless studies have been done on this and the conclusion is always the same. There has to be another factor you're not taking into account.
  • seanezekiel
    seanezekiel Posts: 228 Member
    It depends on what time you go to bed. I go to bed at around 2am. Last snack is around 10-11.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    I find that if I eat after 7pm my body retains extra pounds for the next 2 weeks

    no
  • seanezekiel
    seanezekiel Posts: 228 Member
    Also one other thing. You want protein right after a work out. If you work out, go home and dont eat anything till the next day you are getting less out of your workout. Try having some tuna on rice cakes, or something egg white related.
  • 1Fizzle
    1Fizzle Posts: 241 Member
    That is not possible for me.....I would have to eat dinner while still at work.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    i eat after 6pm every night - we dont eat dinner until at least 7pm, if not later.
    and then theres dessert nights lol or nights i stay up past midnight. my only rule is i dont take food to bed with me
  • EdwarddeVere
    EdwarddeVere Posts: 178
    Don't listen to all the experts on the forum. As long as its healthy and works for you, keep at it.
  • Jemmuno
    Jemmuno Posts: 413 Member
    I would say eat something high in protein when you get home. Not sure if you eat meat or not, but eat a chicken breast or something of that sort. Your protein intake seems really low and eating protien shouldn't make you gain any weight, because your body uses protien to build muscle it doesn't get turned into fat in the body.
  • Catlady87
    Catlady87 Posts: 302 Member
    Every single day. Dinner isn't until between 7 and 8pm, and then I might have dessert too.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Yes I do... I eat right up til bedtime and am right back to eating first thing after I wake up. Meal frequency as no bearing on weight loss, there has to be other factors leading to the problem you described.... Best of Luck....
  • SatchGallamax
    SatchGallamax Posts: 549 Member
    Don't listen to all the experts on the forum.

    Yeah, people that know what they're talking about are SOOOO overrated. :noway:
  • JacksMom12
    JacksMom12 Posts: 1,044 Member
    Eat more protein.
  • joeymalone142
    joeymalone142 Posts: 69
    I stopped eating after 6pm for several weeks a while back and it did not seem to make any difference for me, so I went back to not trying to do that. I still don't eat any later than 8 most nights. I usually stop between 6 and 8 depending on where I am with having calories left.

    What I did learn was that if I run out of calories at 6pm I can handle it. If I want to use the rest of my calories for the day on my dinner and not worry about saving some for a snack later, or that I might be hungry later, I can. I used to be kind of paranoid about running out of calories too early in the evening, and deliberately being done by 6 for a few weeks showed me I am just fine if I don't have any calories left after dinner.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Don't listen to all the experts on the forum. As long as its healthy and works for you, keep at it.

    I think if it was working for him, he wouldn't be posting. :wink:

    Up until recently, when my husband's shift changed, I didn't have dinner until 7:30 or so most nights. Big dinner, too, usually around 1000 calories or so. Never hurt my progress. Meal timing is irrelevant, unless it disrupts your sleep.

    Providing the daily calories are the same, the ONLY impact eating later might have on your weight is if you weigh yourself in the morning and haven't pooped yet.
  • connie1208
    connie1208 Posts: 20
    I would drink a protein shake low on carbs or eat some chicken breast with veggies..its never to late to eat..when you eat the right food
  • RowenaBernice
    RowenaBernice Posts: 17
    Agree with everyone else, the whole "don't eat after 7pm or you'll retain it all" thing is a myth. I did scope out your diary and your eating seems very back and forth, with irregular meals and calorie intake throughout the day. What I have found is that making sure I eat about 5 times a day helps keep you from that fridge-raiding threatening feeling that you get from going hours without eating. For example: I have a small breakfast, usually just one egg, then between breakfast and lunch have a snack, same with between lunch and dinner, I workout after dinner and then have a small snack between dinner and bed. Developing this routine has REALLY helped me. Also, you might not be counting calories correctly (I was having trouble losing weight and someone said this to me- it felt like a slap, but it was TRUE.) based on correct portion/ serving sizes. Plus depending on what your goal is for the day, you don't always want to eat back your exercise calories- especially if you're not hungry because then you get more of a calorie deficit for the day.
  • Ryanmariem
    Ryanmariem Posts: 46 Member
    I find that if I eat after 7pm my body retains extra pounds for the next 2 weeks and I end up in a cycle of losing 3lbs one week then regaining them again the following week. However on the weeks that I do not eat after 6pm,coupled with exercise for 60 mins everyday,I find a steady weight loss of 2lbs.The only trouble is I finish work at 9pm and by the time I get home at 10pm I am Starvin' Marvin and then I raid the fridge like a demented cockroach.

    What kind of slow energy release foods can I eat that wont make me keep piling on the pounds.

    My diary is open

    All foods that fit in the low Glycemic Index are good to have slow release, also protein is a slow release food. (I am assuming that slow release means how fast it is burned, or more or less how fast it raises your glucose levels). It is important to try and keep our glucose levels even and avoid to many spikes and dips.

    The rule of thumb is to try not to eat 3 hours before you go to sleep. That way you have given your body a chance to digest your food... if you eat right before you go to bed, there is no where for that energy to be used, so it will be stored (fat)... also you won't get as good night rest when your stomache is busy trying to digest a meal.

    In addition to the not eating 3hrs before bed, I do the 7-7/ 8-8 etcc... so if I have dinner at 7pm I will not be eating breakfast until after 7am ect... also if I am having dinner at 7 I am not going to bed until 10pm. That way I have a 12hr fasting between my dinner and "break" fast. I will say since I started doing this, I feel more energized.
  • BettyandVeronica
    BettyandVeronica Posts: 333 Member
    I find that if I eat after 7pm my body retains extra pounds for the next 2 weeks

    no

    What do you mean no???

    That is what my scale shows me.I'm trying to work out all the factors that lead to this.
  • sallydurkin
    sallydurkin Posts: 211 Member
    Almost aways I don't think we've ever eaten before 6pm.... Generally its after 7 for supper we are busy and my husband works all hours. Sometimes I wait till 10 for him to come home... and I've never had a problem lost 85 lbs even eating this way.
  • eatcleanNtraindirty
    eatcleanNtraindirty Posts: 444 Member
    To each, their own. If it works for you, go for it!

    But eating after a certain time = weight gain is absolutely ludicrous. There are windows of opportunity that can help maximize your effort in the gym and your recovery, but for the most part it doesn't matter when you put nutrients into your body. Many times I am eating dinner at 11pm and I have a normal schedule... Work at 10am get off work at 8, go to the grocery store and get home at 9, prepare and cook food, sit down and finally start eating sometimes at 10:30-11. And then I go to bed 30 min later.
  • hungergames324
    hungergames324 Posts: 240 Member
    As long as it fits into your calories for the day you should be fine!

    To answer you question, yes! I always have a snack while watching tv at night.

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