Food cutoff time?

me525
me525 Posts: 155
in Food and Nutrition
Is it really that big a deal to eat after 7pm? I'm generally up until at least 1030/11pm. Some days I'm not very hungry at my familys meal time. Instead of forcing myself to eat dinner I have a small bit, then have a snack later if I get hungry. I'm drinking tons of water so I rarely eat late, but again I keep hearing that eating late is bad news if you're trying to lose weight.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Replies

  • akp4Him
    akp4Him Posts: 227
    bump
  • ken_hogan
    ken_hogan Posts: 854 Member
    No big deal eating after a certain time. I, and a lot of other people, work different shifts and have no problems eating at 3AM or other times after 7.
  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
    The only reason not to eat right before bed is because your body has A LOT of functions it needs to do while you're asleep and it's much harder for it to digest food. You don't gain more fat if you eat at one time of day or another, nor is it harder to lose weight.
  • allshebe
    allshebe Posts: 423 Member
    Eat whenever you're hungry, as long as the calories fit into your 24 hour or seven day budget and you log everything (just be careful about "mindless" eating of uncontrolled portions if you eat when you're "sleepy")
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    I eat right up to the time I go to bed, you're fine. Meal timing is not important and irrelevent to weight loss.
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
    I stop eating when I am no longer hungry or my calories/macros are met for the day/
    I can't sleep well with a super fulll stomach, but a small snack right before bed helps my low blood sugar (for the next morning)
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    Don't eat in bed it can be messy. Other than that go for it. I always wonder about these people who don't eat after a certain time - they have entirely too much free time on their hands. I don't even get home from work until 7 - then if I go to the gym we're not eating dinner until around 9:00.
  • belleflop
    belleflop Posts: 154 Member
    The only reason I would agree with foot cut off times would be if you are personally doing an intermittent fasting routine, but that's generally just to hit your sequences and nothing more. Other than that, anyone who tells you shouldn't be eating after X o clock because of XYZ reason is generally incorrect. As previous posters have identified as long as you are eating within your goals for a 24 hour/7 day cycle you will be golden.
  • getting_fit86
    getting_fit86 Posts: 128 Member
    This is a controversial topic. In a general sense, most people argue that having a meal cut off time allows you to have a 10-12 hour period (when your sleeping and just before you go to bed) to fast. When you go to bed, your not using as much energy, so why eat before bed?

    The other side of this is that your body isn't going to know what time it is - you can eat whenever you want as long as you stay within your calories and are eating at a deficit.

    I really agree with the second one - your body isn't going to know what time it is. Yes you are going to sleep and using less energy but it doesn't matter, that is all a part of your BMR. Just make sure you are staying within your calorie goals and you will be golden.
  • me525
    me525 Posts: 155
    Thanks to all of you! I feel much better now:)
  • corgicake
    corgicake Posts: 846 Member
    Meal timing is for managing energy and cravings, not for speeding up weight loss. For example, carbs before bed aren't hurting my weight loss but they are making getting up easier.
  • me525
    me525 Posts: 155
    Meal timing is for managing energy and cravings, not for speeding up weight loss. For example, carbs before bed aren't hurting my weight loss but they are making getting up easier.

    Really?! I'll have to try that. I am not a morning person and would love an extra energy boost in the AM:)

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