Do you eat after 6pm?

For me it was all about calories in vs calories out, the time of day didn't hinder my weight loss. For me it was the gym after work, then dinner...so I was having dinner anywhere from 8 - 9 pm.

really? a calorie is a calorie. it doesnt matter when you eat it.

If eating after 6pm made people gain weight us overnight people would never lose weight. Don't be silly.

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.

I read this at least once a week on MFP that calories are what matter for weight loss. I just can't get myself to trust it. When I am done eating for the day, unless I eat something not homemade, I am always just under 1000 calories. That is not enough but my fat and protein are always close to target. What can I change? Should I just go by calories?

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.

QFT! ^^^This gal knows what she's talking about.

FWIW - I eat probably 1/2 of my daily calories between 6pm and midnight. It's when I'm most hungry, so that's when I eat. My body can't tell time.

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.

I read this at least once a week on MFP that calories are what matter for weight loss. I just can't get myself to trust it. When I am done eating for the day, unless I eat something not homemade, I am always just under 1000 calories. That is not enough but my fat and protein are always close to target. What can I change? Should I just go by calories?

I'm going to tell you the same thing, because you only have a few pounds to lose. You should be set to lose .5 lb a week. Please read this. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

Considering you have not logged your food, you are probably eating more when you eat late.

Start logging.

It does not matter if you eat after 6pm... the key is not to eat right before you go to sleep....you should wait 2-3hrs after you dinner before bed.

Other than possible sleep disruption, what reason would you give for this?

I eat right up until bed time. When my husband is deployed I usually save around 500 calories for after dinner snacking.

The issue is how many calories you are eating, not what time you eat them.

I don't even get home from work until after 6, then I still have to cook!

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.

He means no. The time you ate isn't the only thing different unless for those two weeks you ate the exact same thing, walked the same number of steps each day, blinked the same number of times, went to bathroom the same number of times, etc, and the only thing different was the time you ate. That's what you would call a controlled experiment.

Other controlled experiments in humans have show that timing does not affect weight gain (some studies show it's correlated in animal models). As others have said, you seem to have an aversion to real food, so you need to be tracking your sodium as it can cause water retention (and mask weight loss). Also, you need to be eating back at least half of your exercise calories.

I actually checked out your diary. The logging is either inaccurate (not consistent) or you have a serious problem hitting your daily goal. I went back to Feb 20 and on several occasions you were 600 - 1000 calories under your goal. A couple of times 800 - 900 for the entire day. That might be the root of your problem. Try meeting you daily goal for a weeks in a row and you may have better luck.

There is no medical reason to wait 2-3 hours after eating to sleep. There is lots of folk lore and weight gain info out there most of is just plain garbage started with some popular weight lose book or person trying to say his or hers is the best diet out there. It eating late=wt gain most Europeans would be over weight. In Spain they almost never eat until after 9:00

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

I haven't read all the replies so maybe someone else already mentioned this, but to sum up:
When you don't exercise for 60 minutes a day every day you don't lose weight.
When you do exercise for 60 minutes a day every day you lose 2 lbs a week.

I'm seriously the same way. I eat dinner early - 5pm - at 8pm I'm generally hungry so I eat. Doesn't do me any good in the weight loss department. I think everyone is different though.