Not eating after 5pm... does this work?

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  • KnM0107
    KnM0107 Posts: 355 Member
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    Most of my calories are eaten between 5pm and 10pm. I eat light while at work because I work outside and it is a physical job which for me doesn't mix well with large meals. I have a large dinner and snack before bed. Meal timing doesn't matter. Eat at times that work for you. If I stopped eating by 5pm I would not be able to eat enough to sustain my activity level which would be detrimental to my goals just like eating too much would be detrimental to my goals.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    I've read that it doesn't matter when you eat its the amount of calories. I have to stop eating 3 hours before bed because of acid reflux. I hope this helps :)

    my mom's a dietitian. it doesn't matter the time you eat. its about eating 5-6 smaller meals spaced throughout the entire day rather than 3 large meals. keep your body supplied with steady/constant nutrition.

    Half of this is correct- and I'm not sure how you can actually type those two sentences next to each other because they are completely contradictory. It's like saying jumbo shrimp- it's just illogical.

    It doesn't matter when you eat.

    And it doesn't matter if you eat 5-6 small meals either.

    If you want to eat all 2000 of your calories for breakfast- fine- go for it. If you want to eat all 2000 for dinner- fine go for it.

    You get XXXX calories- to consume in a 24 hr period of time. do it how it makes sense to you to do it. I personally eat toward the second half of the day- I usually have a late breakfast- a lunch, a 3-4 PM snack, and then I have a 6 PM snack and a huge meal when I get home at 1130 PM. it works for me


    If NOT eating after 5 PM works for you- go with it.
  • DMZ_1
    DMZ_1 Posts: 2,889 Member
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    Calories in vs calories out, that's what matters.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Ridiculous. And I have a job - I'm at work at 5pm. These people who don't eat after 5 have too much free time on their hands.
  • sjp_511
    sjp_511 Posts: 476 Member
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    Calories can't tell time.


    And if I go to bed hungry, my stomach gets angry around 3AM and wakes me up demanding food.
  • DaveneGfit
    DaveneGfit Posts: 338 Member
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    the reason that breakfast is the most important meal of the day is because you may not have eaten for 8-12 hours, and this puts pressure on you pancreas, from what my health lecturer has told me

    your body works overtime as you have not eaten in so long, so its important to have a good brekkie

    so if you are not eating from 5pm, you may not be eating for 12-16 hours and i think this is too long as you body is under pressure

    someone else might know all the technical jargon, but i think this is the idea :heart:

    calories are calories so i dont think it makes much difference, unless you eat like 20 minutes before you go to bed, i think maybe leave an hour in between, this is enough

    :flowerforyou:

    Ask your health lecturer where they got this from. This makes no sense, especially when you actually are required to fast when you have issues with your pancreas.

    Yeah i was wondering the same thing
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
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    If you eat more calories before 5 pm than you burned that day, it will not work.
  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member
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    The time of day you eat your food has such and incredibly small amount to do with weightloss. It's not even worth fussing over. Just maintain your deficit and ensure you are getting your macro and micro nutrients.
  • pierrena
    pierrena Posts: 37
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    "The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.”
    ― Ann Wigmore
  • abickford82
    abickford82 Posts: 207
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    I try to as much as possible, but I've eaten a banana to help me go to sleep and it doesn't seem to do too much harm carb-wise. It's more important to get the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep than not eating after a certain time.
  • pierrena
    pierrena Posts: 37
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    "The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.”
    ― Ann Wigmore
  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member
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    I eat nearly half my calories within 2 hours of going to bed. Meal timing doesn't matter in the slightest. It's all about what works for you to hit your goal most days.

    It actually does matter a slight amount, just not significantly enough for it to be worth working around. When you eat, your body goes into a state called TEF or Thermogenic effect of feeding. During this time, your body is motabolizing what you ate. Studies have shown that this state lasts aproximately 2-4 hours. So, the longer you are in TEF, the more calories you burn. TEF is responsible for aproximately 10% of your TDEE.
  • pierrena
    pierrena Posts: 37
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    The time of day you eat your food has such and incredibly small amount to do with weightloss. It's not even worth fussing over. Just maintain your deficit and ensure you are getting your macro and micro nutrients.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    I eat nearly half my calories within 2 hours of going to bed. Meal timing doesn't matter in the slightest. It's all about what works for you to hit your goal most days.

    It actually does matter a slight amount, just not significantly enough for it to be worth working around. When you eat, your body goes into a state called TEF or Thermogenic effect of feeding. During this time, your body is motabolizing what you ate. Studies have shown that this state lasts aproximately 2-4 hours. So, the longer you are in TEF, the more calories you burn. TEF is responsible for aproximately 10% of your TDEE.

    TEF is related to the quantity not the timing of food, assuming the same food choices. TEF is different for each macro, with protein being the highest.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    I've read that it doesn't matter when you eat its the amount of calories. I have to stop eating 3 hours before bed because of acid reflux. I hope this helps :)

    my mom's a dietitian. it doesn't matter the time you eat. its about eating 5-6 smaller meals spaced throughout the entire day rather than 3 large meals. keep your body supplied with steady/constant nutrition.

    Half of this is correct- and I'm not sure how you can actually type those two sentences next to each other because they are completely contradictory. It's like saying jumbo shrimp- it's just illogical.

    It doesn't matter when you eat.

    And it doesn't matter if you eat 5-6 small meals either.

    If you want to eat all 2000 of your calories for breakfast- fine- go for it. If you want to eat all 2000 for dinner- fine go for it.

    You get XXXX calories- to consume in a 24 hr period of time. do it how it makes sense to you to do it. I personally eat toward the second half of the day- I usually have a late breakfast- a lunch, a 3-4 PM snack, and then I have a 6 PM snack and a huge meal when I get home at 1130 PM. it works for me


    If NOT eating after 5 PM works for you- go with it.
    This! Meal timing should be driven by preference and performance. it has no impact on weight loss or gain. Only total calories do.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    I eat nearly half my calories within 2 hours of going to bed. Meal timing doesn't matter in the slightest. It's all about what works for you to hit your goal most days.

    It actually does matter a slight amount, just not significantly enough for it to be worth working around. When you eat, your body goes into a state called TEF or Thermogenic effect of feeding. During this time, your body is motabolizing what you ate. Studies have shown that this state lasts aproximately 2-4 hours. So, the longer you are in TEF, the more calories you burn. TEF is responsible for aproximately 10% of your TDEE.

    TEF is related to the quantity not the timing of food, assuming the same food choices. TEF is different for each macro, with protein being the highest.

    QFT! TEF is the same for the some amount of calories and macronutrients no matter what time they eaten.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    If you maintain on 2000, and eat 2500 before 7pm, you'll gain weight.

    If you maintain on 2000, and eat 2500, including 500 after 7pm, you'll gain weight.
  • anna1m
    anna1m Posts: 29 Member
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    I think 8pm would work well for me :) Personally I have eaten all or most of my calories by then and am not hungry in the least. The only reason I eat after eight is because I am bored, lonely, or tired. If I had a limit of eight pm to get my calories in, I would be less likely to eat all the crappy useless food I crave in the evenings (sugar, candy, chips). I do well with limits. I would just have to find something else to do and deal with the emotions in a more positive manner.

    I understand the concept of calories for weight loss and how it doesn't matter when you eat - only how much you are eating. I also allow room for 'treats' in my day. I also often leave room in my calories for a late night snack-this does not stop me from being restless and searching the pantry for Christmas Candy.

    Just wanted to point out that for anyone like me who finds themselves reaching for empty calories later at night for emotional reasons, even though they have eaten their calories for the day and are not hungry, a limit like this might help with that.
  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member
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    I eat nearly half my calories within 2 hours of going to bed. Meal timing doesn't matter in the slightest. It's all about what works for you to hit your goal most days.

    It actually does matter a slight amount, just not significantly enough for it to be worth working around. When you eat, your body goes into a state called TEF or Thermogenic effect of feeding. During this time, your body is motabolizing what you ate. Studies have shown that this state lasts aproximately 2-4 hours. So, the longer you are in TEF, the more calories you burn. TEF is responsible for aproximately 10% of your TDEE.

    TEF is related to the quantity not the timing of food, assuming the same food choices. TEF is different for each macro, with protein being the highest.

    QFT! TEF is the same for the some amount of calories and macronutrients no matter what time they eaten.

    The European Food Safety Authority did a commutative study on this back in 2012. They found a few elements worth noting.

    First, The initial phase of DIT/TEF peaks at aproximately 15 minutes with the second phase slowly declining for roughly 3 hours. It was found that the overall duration of these phases, were not significantly affected by the quantity/composition of the food intake. This is why many people suggest eating every 3-4 hours. So that you remain in this state for as long as possible. Even though it is responsible for only a minimal caloric expenditure, it does still burn calories.

    Secondly, they found that while meal size and composition did have an affect on DIT/TEF but this was mostly related to the magnitude and not so much longevity of the affect. Furthermore, there appeared to be a limited range of meal sizes which actually make a difference.

    Finally, as you previously said, macro nutrients do make a difference. With fat being the smallest contributor and protein being the largest.

    Granted, the overall affect of meal timing/composition only account for such a small fraction of caloric expenditure that it isn't really worth it for most to build their diets/nutrition around it. However, with their findings, I don't believe it can be said as an absolute that meal timings have absolutely "nothing" to do with metabolism.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    For me, having a snack before bed works. Meal timing is simply a matter of personal preference. It won't cause/prevent fat loss.

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