eating during evenings only?

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floop1207
floop1207 Posts: 194 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
i'm plodding on with my slow and steady weight loss, logging as accurately as i can. however, this week i've been unwell (ear and sinus infection) so i just don't have much of an appetite, especially during the day.

i'm eating an evening meal with the family and a couple of snacks afterwards if i fancy them so my calorie intake is ok on average (i tend to zig zag a bit even when well).

bit concerned that this may affect my weight loss though, just eating the bulk of my calories between 6pm and 10pm?

Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    Timing of meals and quantity has nothing to do with weight loss. Eat whenever and how many meals you want. Just stay in a deficit.
  • Beastmaster50
    Beastmaster50 Posts: 505 Member
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    Timing of meals and quantity has nothing to do with weight loss. Eat whenever and how many meals you want. Just stay in a deficit.
    great post. The only real concern about eating close to bedtime is if you tend to get heartburn. Other than that, keep up the good work.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    Timing of meals and quantity has nothing to do with weight loss. Eat whenever and how many meals you want. Just stay in a deficit.
    great post. The only real concern about eating close to bedtime is if you tend to grt heartburn. Other than that, keep up the good work.

    True. Some other people struggle with sleep issues if they go to bed on a full stomach. But outside of that its all good.
  • floop1207
    floop1207 Posts: 194 Member
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    thank you.

    i thought it didn't really matter when i ate so long as i ate a decent amount but my other half has been nagging how bad it is for me not to eat during the day then eat quite a bit at night. then again, he's a breakfast eater - needs food as soon as he's up but i rarely eat until after 11.30 am anyway.

    i'll carry on ignoring him :tongue:
  • blueboxgeek
    blueboxgeek Posts: 574 Member
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    Lots of people successfully follow the leangains type of intermittent fasting where you fast for so many hours and then have a feeding window. I think the most popular is 16 hours of fasting (including sleeping time) and an 8 hour feeding window. Some do more extreme and go 20 hours fast and 4 hour feed window or even just one large meal.

    I think the trick is making sure you get plenty of protein in and hit your nutritional goal. If you are only eating once a day it might be tough to get the calories and nutrients you need in that one meal. But if you can do it, then timing is irrelevent.

    I can't eat a big meal just before bed as I get indigestion but other have no problem. It's just personal preference.
  • floop1207
    floop1207 Posts: 194 Member
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    Lots of people successfully follow the leangains type of intermittent fasting where you fast for so many hours and then have a feeding window. I think the most popular is 16 hours of fasting (including sleeping time) and an 8 hour feeding window. Some do more extreme and go 20 hours fast and 4 hour feed window or even just one large meal.

    I think the trick is making sure you get plenty of protein in and hit your nutritional goal. If you are only eating once a day it might be tough to get the calories and nutrients you need in that one meal. But if you can do it, then timing is irrelevent.

    I can't eat a big meal just before bed as I get indigestion but other have no problem. It's just personal preference.

    thank you :smile:

    i thought the fasting type diets meant that you had to have days with really low calories though? or am i getting confused with something else?

    i've not been doing it intentionally, just listening to my wonky body but i must say, it seems to suit me for now. if i were to continue like this, would i have to have low calorie days too?
  • floop1207
    floop1207 Posts: 194 Member
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    Timing of meals and quantity has nothing to do with weight loss. Eat whenever and how many meals you want. Just stay in a deficit.

    thank you :smile:

    i've found it easier (ie without trying) to stay in deficit just eating at night. i have a very sedentary life due to health problems so maybe forcing myself to eat lunch when i didn't really want it was a bad thing as i still ate a hearty evening meal and sometimes ended up over my calorie recommendation.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    There are lots of different kinds of fasting - some (5:2) you have 2 very low calorie days. Others (intermittent fasting) you just eat in a certain time "window".
  • floop1207
    floop1207 Posts: 194 Member
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    There are lots of different kinds of fasting - some (5:2) you have 2 very low calorie days. Others (intermittent fasting) you just eat in a certain time "window".

    thank you for clarifying. any idea how intermittent fasting works though? or is it just that if you only eat during 4 or 5 hours a day, you will usually consume less calories?
  • firesoul19
    firesoul19 Posts: 37 Member
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    I've always been baffled by the intermittent fasting thing too. I am a student of Japanese culture, and was told the "Sumo Wrestlers' Diet" was that they only ate one huge meal a day. Something about the huge meal plus not eating the rest of the time helped them pack on the pounds. When I was a littel older and trying to get my weight under control, I learned how smaller, frequent meals have so many benefits, like controlled blood sugar, keeping your metabolismn up, not letting you get ravenous so you don't overeat at the next meal... and this really seemed to agree with how the SWD worked.

    So yeah.... I don't know. Guess it has to do with the actual calorie amount more than the timing. I guess the sumo wrestlers must eat waaaaay above their needs, in addition to the timing of it. But to me that begs the question. During IF, if you are eating so little to stay within your calorie limits, don't you get REALLLLLY hungry??
  • blueboxgeek
    blueboxgeek Posts: 574 Member
    Options
    Lots of people successfully follow the leangains type of intermittent fasting where you fast for so many hours and then have a feeding window. I think the most popular is 16 hours of fasting (including sleeping time) and an 8 hour feeding window. Some do more extreme and go 20 hours fast and 4 hour feed window or even just one large meal.

    I think the trick is making sure you get plenty of protein in and hit your nutritional goal. If you are only eating once a day it might be tough to get the calories and nutrients you need in that one meal. But if you can do it, then timing is irrelevent.

    I can't eat a big meal just before bed as I get indigestion but other have no problem. It's just personal preference.

    thank you :smile:

    i thought the fasting type diets meant that you had to have days with really low calories though? or am i getting confused with something else?

    i've not been doing it intentionally, just listening to my wonky body but i must say, it seems to suit me for now. if i were to continue like this, would i have to have low calorie days too?

    I am doing the 5:2 right now, and yes you are right I do 2 days with just 500 calories and then average out around 1800 - 1900 the rest of the days.

    For the leansgain approach, you eat your set amount of calories in your feeding window. So if you normally eat 1800 calories, you still do that, but just in your feeding window.

    Some people will have 3 meals in that time, other will have 1 or 2 larger meals to meet their calories. I know people who once they start eating feel like they can't stop until very full. So they will only eat 1 or 2 meals a day but they are obviously larger or denser meals that leave them feeling really full. Where as if they were eating 3 meals with a couple of snacks for the same calories they wouldn't really feel satisfied.

    It's all just personal preference really. But if it's something you might be interested in, google search "leangains" and you will find lots of info about it.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    My boss has always only eaten once a day, usually about 8 pm. He's 66, very healthy and very thin. I have no idea how he can pack away as much food as he does in one sitting and then go to bed but he's done it most of his life and seems to get on just fine.

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