Eating after 7:00pm

LeopardPrintedLove

Okay-- So I have been using MFP for a little over a month now and I am super excited with the progress I have made. I am so happy to be surrounded by others who aren't wanting to "diet" but to change their lifestyle and maintain it forever....

My question for today is....

Do you eat after 7:00pm?

I have heard both sides of the story--

Left side: "It doesn't matter what time you eat as long as you get all of your calories in and don't go over."
Right side: "If you eat after 7:00 or too close to bedtime, all of those calories just sit in your stomach and don't go anywhere."

Here's the thing: I have been faithfully losing every week, and many times, I don't eat dinner until 8:30 or so. I work from 7:15-4:15 and eat breakfast and lunch at work. Right after work, I generally eat a healthy snack like fruit and maybe a piece of whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter before going to the gym. I usually go to the gym for about an hour, drive home and get home around 5:30-5:45. At that point, I drink a bunch of water, clean the house, run errands, go to the softball fields with my husband or do a jillion other things. By the time I get started on dinner, it's getting late....Is this bad? Do you think I would be making MORE progress and more quickly if I managed to choke something down after the gym? I really don't want to eat when I am not hungry, and it seems I don't get hungry until later! I have also found, if I eat dinner TOO early, then I am dieing for a snack right before bed (with calories I usually don't want to spend)....But when I eat a little later (8:30 or 9) then I am satisfied and do not have the right-before-bed cravings....

What do you think?

olDave

Yes...probably 75% of evenings. I am achieving my weightloss goal for the last 15 weeks.

smn76237

I think you have your own personal data that the left side is right and the right side is full of *kitten*.

meltedkeys

I recently read that as long as you eat something decent, it won't affect you. Problem is, our bodies and minds tend to choose unhealthy things. Stay inside your calories and eat fruit or cereal at night and it shouldnt matter.

bcattoes

Do you eat after 7:00pm?

Yes, every day. Usually during the week, by the time I get home from work and finish my workout, it's at least 7:00 before I even begin preparing dinner. We typically eat somewhere between 8:30 -9:30 p.m.

summersbest

My partner doesn't get home from work until around 7pm so we always eat late. I tend to have an afternoon snack around 4ish to hold me over. As well, I don't eat breakfast before 9:30am.

I don't really think it matters what time your meals/snacks are as long as they are mostly healthy. ~

dawningr

your food doesn't just 'sit' there, its broken down and processed in your stomach regardless of the time.
I routinely eat after 7, and am closing in on 40 lbs since the New Year.

LeopardPrintedLove

Thanks for all of the responses, everyone! I am getting sick of people telling me not to eat so late, I'm doing great and it seems to be working! Just wanted to get some other feedback and see where yall stood!!

Happy Friday, everybody behave yourselves over the weekend!

CyberEd312

Meal Frequency has absolutely no bearing on weight loss.... I eat in bed everynight and it has never effected my weightloss... Only if you have a medical condition like Acid Reflux could eating this close to bedtime effect you.... Best of Luck....

alsunrise

^^ I'm taking his advice.... Awesome weight loss!!!

bcattoes

I think the advice to not eat after a certain time may be helpful to those who eat an early dinner. Often people with children or older people eat an early dinner around 5:00 - 6:00. For these, I can see this being a good rule to prevent late night snacking after you've already eaten all the calories you should. But it's just a diet tip or trick to keep your calories down. It has nothing to do with how your body works.

jonnythan

I eat less than an hour before going to bed almost every night.

I eat ice cream just before going to bed 2-4 days a week.

Decide for yourself.

airangel59

I sure do.
Most of my dinners are after 7pm, close to 8pm and then 2 hrs later I have a snack before I go to bed.

Absonthebrain

I do it all the time and still have good results.

mistesh

I eat less than an hour before going to bed almost every night.

I eat ice cream just before going to bed 2-4 days a week.

I can only assume you think you know exactly what you're doing and why.

tonyrocks922

Whether you believe or not that it's a bad idea to eat within a certain time of going to sleep, "Eating after X:00" is a dumb topic because we're not in boot camp or a monastery and don't all go to bed at the same time.

Ready2Rock206

I don't even get home from work until 7pm. That not eating after X time is total BS - these people who have their entire day complete by 7 have way too much time on their hands.

cwolfman13

I eat at 8:30/9:00 PM pretty much every night. I go to bed at 10:00 PM. I'm doing just fine.

JoanB5

At 1200 calories a day, I craved and needed food every 3-5 waking hours.

Now that I am about where I want to be and added 200-300 calories, I find that meals fill me and I don't have to have snacks as often, but I usually do fruit or popcorn or a glass of light chocolate milk or something healthy if I want one.

JacquiMayCrook

I work in a residential care home and my shift pattern is
either 7.20am - 3.20pm
or 3.20pm - 9.40pm
or 9.20pm - 7.30am
This varies on a daily basis. This plays havoc with my diet as I cannot stick to a regular time for my main meal, and often have just a snack as my husband is at work.

The one meal I can rely upon is breakfast. No matter what shift I work, somewhere between 6am and 8am my porridge meter runs out!

xx