Does eating at night make you fat?

littlegirlwithprettybrowneyes
littlegirlwithprettybrowneyes Posts: 17
in Health and Weight Loss
Yes, again me :)

I'm a college student. So far, I had a steady life, but now I have a part-time job. I feel too tired & sleepy in the evenings while dieting. What happens if I eat 500 calories all morning and 1000 calories at night?
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Replies

  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    A calorie surplus = weight gain.
    A calorie deficit = weight loss.
    Meal timing is personal preference.
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  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Eating at night does not make you fat, just as eating in the morning does not make you thin.

    You gain weight by eating more calories than you burn. These overabundance of calories can be eaten in one sitting or eaten in small meals throughout the day.
  • sunsetzen
    sunsetzen Posts: 268 Member
    Is it an either/or choice? If you're hungry and tired at the end of the day, why dont you try to keep a constant blood sugar level by eating more frequently?
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Makes no difference whatsoever, as long as you are eating in a caloric deficit then meal frequency will have no bearing on weight loss. I take a 500 calorie snack to bed (literally) every night and have managed to lose a few pounds..... Best of Luck
  • wertgirlfor
    wertgirlfor Posts: 161 Member
    I used to have school 10 am to 3 then work 4 - 9 (no lunch break) almost every day so I ate very little all day, then a lot in the evening. I lost probably 10 pounds unintentionally in 6 months. so yes, you will lose weight not matter when you eat as long as you're under calories.
  • littleburgy
    littleburgy Posts: 570 Member
    I've always been told that it is better to try to spread the calories/meals evenly throughout the day. Though I've also heard that it's better to consume more calories earlier in the day rather than later if you are more sedentary at night. Some will say this is more "optimal" but I think what makes people fat is simply a matter of eating more calories than what is being burnt off.

    If you need more calories for the evening, so be it. See how you feel!
  • Mr_Bad_Example
    Mr_Bad_Example Posts: 2,403 Member
    Eating too much and doing too little makes you fat. It's very simple.
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    Eating too much and doing too little makes you fat. It's very simple.

    This!

    I personally prefer eating more throughout the day, but that's only because I will overeat if I don't eat all day AND if I'm not logging my food. However, that has absolutely nothing to do with the time of day.
  • albertine58
    albertine58 Posts: 267 Member
    No, it won't affect your weight loss, BUT saving most of your calories for nighttime might be the reason you're so tired.

    I used to do the SAME thing- I was so afraid of overeating at night that I'd save lots of calories, but then I just obsessed about food all day and it made sticking to my diet MUCH harder. I never lasted very long eating that way because I was miserable all day and looking forward to eating a lot at night. What I do now is a 300-375 cal breakfast, 400 cal lunch salad, 100 cal afternoon snack (almost always apple slices). I end up with about 550 cals left for dinner. Dinner is usually protein like fish, or a wrap sandwich or a tortilla pizza, plus a HUGE amount of veggies. Like, an entire cauliflower roasted or a pound of stringbeans. Whatever your favorite veg is. I roast the veggies until yummy and crispy, and I eat them in front of the TV like popcorn. I get the same satisfaction of snacking all night long but I stay in my calories. I have no problem fitting in a 1/2 cup serving of ice cream some nights too :)
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    Go ahead and eat at night! Makes no difference. Graze, eat big meals, whatever. As stated it's all about totals.

    One meat tip though: carb heavy meals make some people sleepy a couple hours later (the 4pm feeling). So if you concentrate your carbs at night, you sleep like a baby, and since they can trigger an urge to eat more, you're skipping that danger by being asleep.
  • littlegirlwithprettybrowneyes
    littlegirlwithprettybrowneyes Posts: 17
    Thanks for the replies!
  • ChantalGG
    ChantalGG Posts: 2,404 Member
    Im going to have to say from experience, eating late at night does affect your weight loss. Try to eat most of your calories in the first half of your day.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Im going to have to say from experience, eating late at night does affect your weight loss. Try to eat most of your calories in the first half of your day.
    Really? In my experience, it does not.
  • lexibelk
    lexibelk Posts: 83 Member
    Go ahead and eat at night! Makes no difference. Graze, eat big meals, whatever. As stated it's all about totals.

    One meat tip though: carb heavy meals make some people sleepy a couple hours later (the 4pm feeling). So if you concentrate your carbs at night, you sleep like a baby, and since they can trigger an urge to eat more, you're skipping that danger by being asleep.

    I had never heard that before, but it makes sense! I was always worried heavy night carbs were bad.
  • stormyinfinity
    stormyinfinity Posts: 12
    Im going to have to say from experience, eating late at night does affect your weight loss. Try to eat most of your calories in the first half of your day.
    Really? In my experience, it does not.

    Didn't you hear? Nighttime calories are actually smaller. Same rule applies if they're eaten while standing or if it's past noon on Saturday.
  • kennie2
    kennie2 Posts: 1,170 Member
    yes. if you eat anything after 6 you will instantly gain 100lb!
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    What happens if I eat 500 calories all morning and 1000 calories at night?

    Well, it adds up to 1,500 cals
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    If it puts you over your TDEE (the calorie amount needed to maintain your current weight AFTER your activity level, including workouts, is factored in) then yes. If it doesn't, then no.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    When you eat, how many times you eat, and all the rest make no difference except in how it affects your overall ability to stick to your calorie goals. Personally for me starting to eat later in the day, skipping breakfast time and sometimes even the typical mid-day lunch time works fine. I prefer the large meals and have no issue with energy. Others prefer eating a bunch of small meals spread throughout the day. Others prefer eating bigger meals in the morning. As long as whatever pattern you use keeps you eating the number of calories you should, they all work fine.
  • TheSlorax
    TheSlorax Posts: 2,401 Member
    does eating on your lunch break and then going and sitting at your desk for the rest of the day make you fat?


    same concept as eating at night. neither make you gain weight unless you are eating at a caloric surplus.
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    Im going to have to say from experience, eating late at night does affect your weight loss. Try to eat most of your calories in the first half of your day.

    Yes I see now. Calories eaten at night turn to fat because sleeping is like being dead, except you store fat. Then if you don eat the next day, your bod won't use any of that zombie sleep fat, and it runs on unicorn magic instead.
  • GrandMaKandy
    GrandMaKandy Posts: 259 Member
    Makes no difference whatsoever, as long as you are eating in a caloric deficit then meal frequency will have no bearing on weight loss. I take a 500 calorie snack to bed (literally) every night and have managed to lose a few pounds..... Best of Luck

    Phenominal weight loss ~ well done!

    OP ~ No!
  • ssrose33
    ssrose33 Posts: 6 Member
    one of the things you may want to think about is sodium from foods and especially the heavier foods that are harder to digest. When you eat like this, in some foods you will retain water and your body may not burn calories as you would while up and working through the day.
  • NonnyMary
    NonnyMary Posts: 982 Member
    no. eating at night if im hungry keeps me from freaking out starving!
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
    Only if you eat under a full moon......

    But no, it doesn't matter when you eat.
  • sophorae
    sophorae Posts: 17 Member
    I never thought of roasting a cauliflower. What other veges do you roast? I'm guessing roasted potatoes, pumpkin and sweet potatoes are out.
  • endoftheside
    endoftheside Posts: 568 Member
    Eating too many carbs in one sitting makes me sleepy, so if that 1000 calories at night included too many carbs it would defeat the purpose of helping me not feel sleepy. :laugh: If I were trying to NOT feel sleepy in the evening, I would eat a normal breakfast and lunch, a higher carb snack in the afternoon + exercise, followed by a lower carb dinner. I would keep playing around with your meal timing, macro percents, and exercise until you find something that works for you. Is it possible that you really need more sleep than you are getting (if so, disregard everything I said and just get more sleep :flowerforyou: )?
  • 87monkey
    87monkey Posts: 83 Member
    I tend to eat a smaller breakfast, snack throughout the day, and a larger calorie dinner (all within my calorie budget ;) )....I say whatever works for you, as long as you don't feel starving throughout the day. For me dinner is more mentally satisfying than any other meal so that's my reasoning lol.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    one of the things you may want to think about is sodium from foods and especially the heavier foods that are harder to digest. When you eat like this, in some foods you will retain water and your body may not burn calories as you would while up and working through the day.

    Exactly how would sodium and water retention effect calorie expenditure for the same activity level in a day?

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