How late do you eat?

Glampinupdoll · April 2013

Does it really matter what time I eat as long as I stay under my cals for the day? My schedule

8-9am wake up
10-11 breakfast
Gym
1-3 lunch
4 head to work ( I am physically active at work)
9:30-10pm home from work
10-11pm eat dinner
12-2am head to bed

I can't really change my work schedule to make dinner any earlier. I do try to have a snack at work so I don't get hangry!!

shadow2soul · April 2013

I tend to eat before bed. Sometimes it's just a snack and other times it's dinner (depends on how the day went). It hasn't affected my weight loss at all.

Deanna149 · April 2013

have heard it go both ways, i would say whatever works for you, if your seeing results then stick with what your doing. i personally have a weird schedule too, my first meal is usually around noon, and last between midnight and 2 am. i am a night owl, but it works for me and my situation. good luck!

mnm424 · April 2013

I eat dinner which is my last meal at 5:30 pm.... If I'm really hungry or super low on my macro's for the day then I will eat a snack like a banana or some pb but nothing past 8:30.

You have to find what works best for you...

LaurenAOK · April 2013

It absolutely does not matter what time you eat. The whole "dont eat past __pm " thing is an old wives tale. Eat when you want and when it fits your schedule. You'll do fine

myfitnessval · April 2013

i eat pretty late because of work, i usually dont have my first meal til like 11am and dinner comes around 10pm. as long as youre under for the day, it truly doesnt matter what time you eat.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane · April 2013

I finish eating by 11pm and then go to sleep.

skinnytayy · April 2013

My schedule is kinda crazy ... Fiance works one week from 4am-4pm and another 4pm-4am which means my "day" is during unusual hours compared to most. Obviously I eat then. I'll also eat 5 minutes before bed if i'm hungry. I don't have set times and I don't believe it makes a difference. All that I've read says the whole "don't eat after X time" is a total myth. I eat when I'm hungry, end of story. It hasn't affected my weight loss. A few years ago I lost nearly 40lbs with that mind set. Fiance lost somewhere around 40lbs so well. This time around, I've lost 14lbs so far and fiance has lost 34lbs and we still have the same mindset.

So in conclusion, to me it doesn't matter. If someone can provide proof as to why it would, feel free but to my knowledge, it doesn't really matter when you eat your calories. Calories ate before bed don't get stored as fat during your sleep or anything crazy like that. I actually read something that said you burn tons of calories during sleep so.

rileysowner · April 2013

I eat until I run out of calories. Meal timing, when calories are kept the same, makes no difference.

sarahg148 · April 2013

My schedule can be all over the map. Some days I'll be up at 8am...other days at 11am. I just make sure to eat an hour or two after I wake up and eat throughout the day if I can. I also tend to eat more at night (a bit too much lately!) so I save about 40-50% of my calories for at night. I'm also trying to eat within 1600-2000 cal/day regardless of activity for the day. I get enough averaging throughout the week, so I know I won't gain at this range...but will most likely lose slower. But at this point I'd rather lose slowly and maintain it vs trying to lose too much at once, getting too hungry, bingeing, and ending up getting no where and losing and gaining the same 5 lbs.

DirtyTrickster · April 2013

I'm still lifting as I write this. I usually finish up at 10:30 - 10:45pm then I eat my post workout meal which is usually a shake. So I finish eating after 11pm

CyberEd312 · April 2013

I eat in bed and have lost a few pounds.... Best of Luck :drinker:

sunislandgirl · April 2013

I do an overnight fast for 12 hrs each night. Meaning 12 hrs no food in between the last meal for the day and the first meal for the day. Something like what your doing but usually my last meal is light.

tmauck4472 · April 2013

I do IF and find I like to be done eating before 4pm. Usually I'm done by 2 or 2:30. It's just what I do and I like it this way.

skinnylady2014 · April 2013

Like you, I work late (either 3-11 pm or 4-11 pm). I am a night owl anyway. Most of my day's food is eaten between around noon and 7 pm, but I always have a snack at bedtime.

I think everybody just has to eat according to their schedule. For me, I don't rest well if I eat a really large meal shortly before bed.

realme56 · April 2013

I don't eat much past 7p cause I get reflux, daily goals are daily goals so calories in and calories out don't care what time you eat them.

Celeigh12 · April 2013

My family teases me because I eat like a senior citizen getting the early bird special. I tend to eat dinner at 5pm and don't usually eat anything past 6pm. If I have to wait to eat at a normal hour, I'm cranky as hell.

bettyann55 · April 2013

I try to stuck with the 7am to 7pm rule. If I do have a snack after 7pm I try to now go to bed for a least 3 to 4 hours after eating.
Here in Alberta, Canada our province has taken on the task two years ago of being proactive istead of reactive to individuals with weight issues. During a Weight Wise course I took it was stressed that we should try our best to not eat 4 hours before bed which brings in the 7 to 7 rule. It works well for me and I have lost weight following this advise.
I know we are all different but eating before bed is not good.

Anthony110101111110001101 · April 2013

I eat whenever but typically I am done by 9pm. Just depends on how busy my day has been to get in my dinner & dessert (bowl of fruit typically). do what works for you and if it isn't working switch it up

mistesh · April 2013

I eat until I run out of calories.

That's often also the time when you run out of willpower.

So in conclusion, to me it doesn't matter. If someone can provide proof as to why it would, feel free but to my knowledge, it doesn't really matter when you eat your calories. Calories ate before bed don't get stored as fat during your sleep or anything crazy like that. I actually read something that said you burn tons of calories during sleep so.

So sleep burns fat before just eaten carbohydrates, lol?

"Before electricity and all-night diners, we humans used to spend a long stretch every night without food passing our lips. "Staying up and eating late is a very recent phenomenon in human history," Panda notes. So our metabolisms are hardwired to expect a nightly fast, which is a key time for your body to burn fat.

Here's how that works: During the day, your brain and muscles use some of the calories you eat for fuel, and the rest gets stored in the liver in the form of glycogen. At night, your body converts that glycogen into glucose and releases it into your bloodstream to keep your blood-sugar levels steady while you sleep. Once the stored glycogen is gone, your liver starts burning fat cells for energy. Yes, you read that right -- you burn fat while you sleep.

The catch: "It takes a few hours to use up the day's glycogen stores," Panda says. So if you snack until midnight and sit down to your breakfast of oatmeal or eggs at 7 a.m., your body may never get the opportunity to burn any fat before you start reloading your glycogen stores again.

It doesn't help that you're also likely to overeat when you're up late -- indeed, night owls consume an average of 248 calories more per day than those who go to bed earlier, and most of those excess calories rack up after 8 p.m., according to a 2011 study published in the journal Obesity.

"Willpower is lower when you're sleepy," explains study author Kelly Baron, Ph.D., a clinical health psychologist at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. "So if you're eating in the middle of the night, you're more likely to overeat and make poor food choices.""

Can You Eat Late And Still Lose Weight?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/22/eat-late-weight-loss_n_1619425.html

XXXMinnieXXX · April 2013

My last snack is 9-10pm at night, and my 'treat' of the day. Keeps me sane and hasn't stopped me losing the weight. I rwreally thinkit ddoesn't matter for weight loss personally!

Zara

Emalilly13 · April 2013

So just to let you ALL know, eating after 8 and putting on weight is a myth!
I finish work at 7 and sometimes hit the gym then and eat at 9 maybe even 10
and im LOOSING weight. Take note its a myth! :flowerforyou: :laugh:

sunnyflower1177 · April 2013

When I was younger i could eat late at night and go to sleep, but now, im older and i just cant do it without being up all nightt. I have acid reflux so 7pm or 7:30pm is when i stop eating.

ItsCasey · April 2013

Meal timing is not really important in terms of weight loss. Some people like to eat as soon as they wake up, and others don't want to eat anything for the first few hours of the day. Some people like to go to bed with a full stomach, and some people don't sleep well if they eat too close to bedtime. Those are really the only concerns you should have about when to eat.

I practice intermittent fasting. On a typical day, I wake up around 5:30 AM. I have my first meal around 11 AM. I train at 4 PM, and I have a protein shake right after. Then I have my last meal of the day between 6 and 7 PM. I'm usually in bed by 9 PM and asleep by 9:30 (on weekdays).

PS The theory that you don't burn fat (and, thus, shouldn't eat late at night) is absolute horse****.

From Leangains.com (with links to actual studies below, not quotes from a Huffingandpuffington Post article):

The strongest argument against this are the numerous studies available on body composition and health after and during Ramadan fasting. This meal pattern of regular nightly feasts has a neutral or positive effect on body fat percentage and other health parameters. This is quite an extreme and telling example. People literally gorge on carbs and treats in the middle of the night to no ill effect. And yet, in the bizarre world of bodybuilding and fitness, people worry whether it's OK to eat 50 grams of carbs in their last meal.

If the scientific data on Ramadan fasting aren't enough, there are plenty of other studies showing no effect on weight loss or weight gain from eating later in the day.

In one study comparing two meal patterns, which involved one group eating more calories earlier in the day and one group eating most calories later in the day, more favorable results were found in the group eating large evening meals. While those who ate more in the AM lost more weight, the extra weight was in the form of muscle mass. The late evening eaters conserved muscle mass better, which resulted in a larger drop in body fat percentage.

Ramadan study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17909674

Effects of different meal times study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3508745

Effects of meal timing on lean mass study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3508745

Eating later in the day does not automatically mean "snacking until midnight." Some people actually plan their meals and eat like adults.