What is the truth about eating after 6:00pm?

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Replies

  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
    My husband is a wrestling coach and knows the ins and outs of what it takes to lose weight. He says that eating after 6:00 just turns the calories into fat and if I'm serious about losing weight I'll just have to take the hunger pains. Problem is I don't get home from work until after 5:30 and by the time I get the kids settled in at home it's well after 6:00 before I have time to start making dinner.

    Do I listen to him and not eat or is the myth false thus allowing me to eat dinner?

    ahaha you should tell him to do research before spouting nonsense!
  • bgraz1994
    bgraz1994 Posts: 56 Member
    In reality, calories do not know time. They will not automatically become fat. However, you are less likely to burn calories that you consume at night, thus this myth was born. Have dinner, but keep it small and make sure you throw in a little bit of extra activity to burn those calories (ie an evening walk).
  • mirandamayhem
    mirandamayhem Posts: 772
    If you eat after 6pm you will turn evil and try to destroy the world around you. Also, don't get wet.
  • Francesca3162
    Francesca3162 Posts: 520 Member
    Actually, it is not as simple as calories in and calories out. I had an interesting discussion with my fitness crazy, doctor, brother who explained to me that the pancreas secretes one of the hormones that is responsible for the breakdown of fat. It is called HGH or human growth hormone. It is usually at it's peak while we sleep or after exercise, because the pancreas only produces it when our blood sugar is low. The pancreas also produces insulin to move blood sugar into cells. It will not produce HGH when it is producing insulin. I understand that insulin has a half life of about 6 minutes and the pancreas continues to produce it until blood sugar is lowered. My brother has been taught that a meal before bed will significantly reduce the amount of HGH that the body produces and as a result reduce the amount of fat that is broken down (lipolysis). I would be interested in any more information corroborating or disputing this information. Thanks.

    I think what you are saying is true, but I also read that as long as there is 12 hours between your last meal of one day and your first meal of the next day, then your body has a chance to do all that you state here.......... but not sure if that is right either!!!
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    As i read so many crazy tips..like fasting for part of the day or not eating after six or seven? They are all strategies to cut down on the calories you put in your mouth. Therefore...these strategies work because you are not eating for chunks of time..therefore controlling your caloric intake. that is that. It is not the "not eating at a certain time" that works. It is the "not eating" ...haha!
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    Unless he's planning on having dinner made for you when you get home, I wouldn't listen to him. You need to eat. Are you expected to make dinner for your family but not partake. That's awful. I'm sure he means well, but I just don't see that as realistic.
  • Huskeryogi
    Huskeryogi Posts: 578 Member
    I lost 28 lbs last year eating 75% of my calories after 6:00 pm. If you're in a calorie deficet you should lose.
  • raeleek
    raeleek Posts: 414 Member
    That is a total myth that I used to believe. My life is so crazy right now and by the time I get done all I need to do in a day I usually don't eat dinner until around 8-9. I've been losing weight at a steady pace doing so. The only thing I ever head about eating late was from my GI doctor and he said to try to eat so that you have an hour to an hour and a half before you go to bed and this is mainly to prevent heartburn and GERD issues. As someone else said, stay around your calorie budget and eat whenever. It's not like 6 pm hits and your body switched to fat storing mode. Also if it does do that is it 6 pm eastern standard time, mountain time, or pacific time? :wink:
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    Do I listen to him and not eat or is the myth false thus allowing me to eat dinner?

    It's a myth.

    In fact, the Keim et al study actually showed that a greater amount of fat was lost when the women concerned consumed most of their calories in the evening.

    The reason that the advice to stop eating at a certain time in the evening is because most people tend to overeat or over indulge then. If they consciously stop then they tend to eat less total calories over all for the day. Nothing whatsoever to do with some magic fat storage window....
  • wingednotes
    wingednotes Posts: 274 Member
    Tell him to keep his coaching for the wrestlers, and be a husband for you instead.
    Do your research, tell him what your decisions are regarding your diet, and tell him to get on board or myob.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    He's a wrestling coach ;) He sees people not making weight after binging, or see them making weight from late night snacks, and attributes it to "fat." It's water retention, generally from wrestlers needing to make the next weight class packing it in (usually carbs). His science is about the same as spontaneous generation: observing something and giving it a non-scientific explanation (a.k.a, "Hey, I notice rats in a corner with garbage. Garbage must become rats!")
  • forgtmeknot
    forgtmeknot Posts: 7 Member
    If you eat after 6pm you will turn evil and try to destroy the world around you. Also, don't get wet.

    ^ lol - good one :laugh:
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    I would be interested in any more information corroborating or disputing this information. Thanks.

    I would be interested in what your brother makes of this study:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11319656

    In short it suggests that in response to a larger meal being given in the evening that the body responds by continuing to process it into the night due to a higher themogenic effect of food (TEF). Your body doesn't suddenly stop this process simply due to the time of day or sleep.
  • CupcakeHarpy
    CupcakeHarpy Posts: 100 Member
    It's not true. Your body doesn't just say "oh snap, it's after 6pm..gotta start turning this food directly into fat"!. Doesn't work that way...

    lol.. oh snap.. yea I agree. I don't get to cook dinner until 6pm, eat around 7. I look at cals over the coarse of a week, then check if what I did during the week helped or hindered.
  • xipow
    xipow Posts: 58
    Actually, it is not as simple as calories in and calories out. I had an interesting discussion with my fitness crazy, doctor, brother who explained to me that the pancreas secretes one of the hormones that is responsible for the breakdown of fat. It is called HGH or human growth hormone. It is usually at it's peak while we sleep or after exercise, because the pancreas only produces it when our blood sugar is low. The pancreas also produces insulin to move blood sugar into cells. It will not produce HGH when it is producing insulin. I understand that insulin has a half life of about 6 minutes and the pancreas continues to produce it until blood sugar is lowered. My brother has been taught that a meal before bed will significantly reduce the amount of HGH that the body produces and as a result reduce the amount of fat that is broken down (lipolysis). I would be interested in any more information corroborating or disputing this information. Thanks.
    Lol, your brother needs to rehash human physiology then. GH is secreted from the pituitary.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    No, that mistake was mine. Lol, sorry bout that.
  • xipow
    xipow Posts: 58
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2145853/Eating-late-night-DOES-make-fat-researchers-say.html

    This study found that mice gained weight when they ate at all hours compared to mice that ate the same calories on a schedule.
  • xipow
    xipow Posts: 58
    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/17/health/17really.html?_r=1

    Very debatable topic. you can find evidence for both sides of the discussion..

    a study on adult men and women, published in April in the journal Obesity, has added support to the claim that eating late does have a greater effect on the waistline.

    In the study, researchers followed the sleeping and eating patterns of 52 people over seven days. About half the subjects were “late sleepers,” meaning the midpoint of their sleep cycles was 5:30 a.m. or later. The others were “normal sleepers,” whose midpoints were before 5:30 a.m.

    At the end of the study, the scientists found that the late sleepers had higher body mass indexes, typically downed more calories at dinner, and ate fewer fruits and vegetables. The late sleepers also slept fewer hours, a habit that is generally linked to weight gain. But even after adjusting for these and other variables, the scientists discovered that eating after 8 p.m. was associated with a higher body mass index, suggesting that late-evening calories are, for some reason, more hazardous to your weight.

    THE BOTTOM LINE

    Recent studies suggest that eating at night may in fact lead to more weight gain, though it’s not clear why.
  • xipow
    xipow Posts: 58
    Obviously, it is not about the time of day or if it is dark or light outside. I do wonder if eating before sleeping affects metabolish and slows digestion. Perhaps, eating at the end of your awake time rather than earlier promotes larger portions, especially if you calorie restricted during the day. I agree it is clearly a myth that eating after a certain time of day causes weight gain. I am not so sure that eating before sleep does not play a role in fat retention.
  • Loulady
    Loulady Posts: 511 Member
    Wrestling coaches have their athletes run around in garbage bags and spit in a cup all day to make weight. They wouldn't be my go-to for healthy info on weight loss.
  • vmerie
    vmerie Posts: 36
    It's rubbish. Total calories consumed over the course of the day, or even the average over a week for that matter, are what counts. The only difference you might see is if you weight yourself the morning after a big dinner and it hasn't had time to "pass through your system" beforehand, if you see what I mean.

    This^^^
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    The insulin fairy will come and make you fat.


    Truthfully meal/nutrient timing is pretty irrelevant except when it comes to personal preference.
  • justal313
    justal313 Posts: 1,375 Member
    If you eat less than 2 hours before you go to sleep, you will have bad dreams, maybe even the dreaded Iguana dream. The Iguana dream is the most terrifying thing you will ever experience and if you don't die of fright in your sleep it will haunt you until the end of your living days.

    So if you eat late, STAY UP!!!! Being unrested at work tomorrow is better than the Iguana dream.
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
    I don't get out of work till 6:30, so I guess I'd never eat dinner if I followed this rule.
  • xipow
    xipow Posts: 58
    If you eat less than 2 hours before you go to sleep, you will have bad dreams, maybe even the Iguana dream. The Iguana dream is the most terrifying thing you will ever experience and if you don't die of fright in your sleep it will haunt you until the end of your living days.

    So if you eat late, STAY UP!!!! Being unrested at work tomorrow is better than the Iguana dream.

    Actually, getting enough sleep is important in weight loss. Check out this great article. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/06/29/can-eat-late-and-still-lose-weight/
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,722 Member
    completely arbitary. I woke up today at 12:30 pm. Therefore, I only have a 5 hour window to eat??? That's silly!! You should eat when you are hungry. The only thing I don't do is eat right before I go to bed.
  • ZugTheMegasaurus
    ZugTheMegasaurus Posts: 801 Member
    If you eat less than 2 hours before you go to sleep, you will have bad dreams, maybe even the Iguana dream. The Iguana dream is the most terrifying thing you will ever experience and if you don't die of fright in your sleep it will haunt you until the end of your living days.

    So if you eat late, STAY UP!!!! Being unrested at work tomorrow is better than the Iguana dream.

    Actually, getting enough sleep is important in weight loss. Check out this great article. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/06/29/can-eat-late-and-still-lose-weight/
    ...you know that was a joke, right? Life-altering Iguana dream?
  • natachan
    natachan Posts: 149
    It really depends on your body. For me, personally, I don't eat or drink anything but water after about 8 or 9, depending on when I have to go to bed. This is because the added sugars and proteins keep me awake. Not getting enough sleep WILL effect your weight loss. So it won't hurt your weight loss DIRECTLY but there might be some indirect reasons for it.
  • xipow
    xipow Posts: 58
    If you eat less than 2 hours before you go to sleep, you will have bad dreams, maybe even the Iguana dream. The Iguana dream is the most terrifying thing you will ever experience and if you don't die of fright in your sleep it will haunt you until the end of your living days.

    So if you eat late, STAY UP!!!! Being unrested at work tomorrow is better than the Iguana dream.

    Actually, getting enough sleep is important in weight loss. Check out this great article. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/06/29/can-eat-late-and-still-lose-weight/
    ...you know that was a joke, right? Life-altering Iguana dream?

    Yea, I saw a movie like that once. I think it was called Night of the Iguana.
  • JenMull44
    JenMull44 Posts: 226 Member
    If I followed your husband's advice, I'd never get to eat dinner!

    EXACTLY !!! I eat dinner around 7-7:30 pm. Go to bed around 11:00 pm.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    Well, at the risk of beating a dead horse...

    I work out in the evenings and eat about 700-1000 calories every night within an hour or two of bed (~9-10pm). I've lost over 100 lbs doing this. I don't think I will change my habits and I think as long as you are within your limits, then you are fine.


    I think this myth probably has a LITTLE bit of truth in it from the sense that if you eat at night, your body probably doesn't need that much energy, so it converts it to fat overnight because you will need it during the night and the next morning. However, unless you are overeating on a regular basis and have a continual stream of excess food energy, the fat is quickly burned the next day.

    Your calorie deficit is the most important thing to worry about. All the other "tips" are secondary (if they are even valid).

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