Eating Late

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Astar898
Astar898 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
With work schedules sometimes it is 10 o'clock before I eat dinner. I was wondering if anyone here has had success with weight loss while eating late. I always hear to never eat after 8 o'clock but I would assume that varies by individual and their schedule.

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  • ideang
    ideang Posts: 95
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    I eat supper between 6 and 8 depending on my husband's work schedule. I also always have an evening snack between 9 and 11. It has not effected my weight to eat late.
  • Mom3b3g
    Mom3b3g Posts: 10
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    Can you break up your meal and eat part of it as a late afternoon snack? EG if you're gonna have a soup or a rice pilaf maybe bring it in a thermos / Tupperware and microwave it at work at around 5pm. Like this you're not starving by the time you sit down to dinner, and also you're eating less of a heavy meal late at night.
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
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    There is no physiological reason not to eat after 8pm. It "works" because most people who adopt this tactic simply end up cutting out a post dinner snack and thereby eating less total calories each day. Your body doesn't have a clock though, so it has no idea if you're eating at 10am or 10pm. It only knows how many calories you are putting into it. Well, that's a bit of an oversimplification if you're looking at things like IF, but for the question of eating after 8pm, it's pretty accurate.

    Personally, I rarely eat dinner before 8pm and I almost always have a snack right before going to bed. Still averaging around a lb a week of weightloss, which is slightly faster than MFP predicts based on my stats.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    The only thing I have noticed with eating late at night is that I have to move my weigh in to later in the day. If I eat dinner at 9 or 10 then a snack between 11pm and 1 am then weigh at 7 or 8 am I always weigh higher than if I wait till noonish. That gives the food time to digest/evacuate.
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
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    I prefer eating later at night. During the spring and summer, my schedule forced me to eat around 9pm or later and I didn't have any issues, but I was only maintaining weight at that time. I eat a little earlier now, between 6 and 9 pm, but eating dinner late can also prevent too much late-night snacking! There's no reason not to eat dinner late.
  • Vorenus85
    Vorenus85 Posts: 112 Member
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    I have lost all my weight eating until upwards of 2-3 am daily. The body doesn't know the difference between 6pm and 6 am. So, just stay within your calorie goal and eat whenever suits you.
  • Spiderkeys
    Spiderkeys Posts: 338 Member
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    If you an early morning daily weigher, eating late is not a good idea, most meals weigh around a couple of pounds and not to mention the water you retain overnight from the sodium, my rule of thumb is, eat your meal by 6pm, stop drinking by 10pm - this gives me best accurate lowest weight possible in the mornings.
  • Phoenix_Warrior
    Phoenix_Warrior Posts: 1,633 Member
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    Your body is blissfully unaware of the exact time it receives sustenance. I eat quite a bit snack wise at 9pm or later and have not had any issues. If you're creating a deficit, you will lose weight. :) Good luck!
  • JessHealthKick
    JessHealthKick Posts: 800 Member
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    just count your cals, eat it any time of the day :)
  • CeddysMum
    CeddysMum Posts: 101 Member
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    Being an insomniac I eat throughout the night daily and I'm losing.

    All that matters is the total calories consumed not when they are consumed, so if you make sure you have enough calories left for late night eating you'll be fine :)
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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    Doesn't really matter if you weigh higher due to food in your tummy, it won't stop you from losing fat.
  • Astar898
    Astar898 Posts: 6 Member
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    Good to hear all the feedback cause that is one thing i was really worried about. Once i eat dinner about 10 thats the last time i eat that day, no snacks or anything after. I do usually have a snack between lunch and dinner however to hold me until dinner.
  • timbrom
    timbrom Posts: 303 Member
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    With work schedules sometimes it is 10 o'clock before I eat dinner. I was wondering if anyone here has had success with weight loss while eating late. I always hear to never eat after 8 o'clock but I would assume that varies by individual and their schedule.

    The theory is that the food you eat right before bed is stored as fat since you aren't as active when you sleep.

    The theory, coincidentally, is also completely and totally wrong.
  • Tffanie4712
    Tffanie4712 Posts: 115
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    I believe it depends on how many times a week you do it and how healthy the food is i would say if you do. Do something light and try to walk around maybe while eating i know it sounds crazy but true or take that extra mile and add 10 more mins to your workout.
  • ktc1968
    ktc1968 Posts: 24 Member
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    Is there anything specific you shouldn't eat? I typically will have some soup or a salad with some chick peas around 8:30-9pm.
  • themedalist
    themedalist Posts: 3,215 Member
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    There is no physiological reason not to eat after 8pm. It "works" because most people who adopt this tactic simply end up cutting out a post dinner snack and thereby eating less total calories each day. Your body doesn't have a clock though, so it has no idea if you're eating at 10am or 10pm. It only knows how many calories you are putting into it. Well, that's a bit of an oversimplification if you're looking at things like IF, but for the question of eating after 8pm, it's pretty accurate.

    Personally, I rarely eat dinner before 8pm and I almost always have a snack right before going to bed. Still averaging around a lb a week of weightloss, which is slightly faster than MFP predicts based on my stats.

    This! The only way for me to achieve my goal weight and size was to shift most of my calories to later in the day. I always had a sizeable bedtime snack as well around midnight. I still eat this way. I can't sleep if I'm hungry.

    I really avoid one size fits all dieting "rules".

    Best wishes!
  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
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    I go to the gym in the evening and I eat dinner when I get home, between 8:30 and 10 most nights. Doesn't affect my weight. Stay within your calorie goal and you will do awesome. Good luck!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    meal timing is irrelevant...I eat dinner at 8:45 - 9:00 PM every night, sometimes even later on the weekends. I've easily lost 40 Lbs and have easily been maintaining my loss for 6 months.

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