Eating dinner late in the evening

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abull1204
abull1204 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone,
So I have a question I've been wondering for the past few weeks. Is there any truth to the "don't eat after 8" idea? I just started working out again and most the the classes I'm taking are from 7-8ish. I know you aren't supposed to eat a meal before working out, but I'm not eating dinner until I get home from the gym which is usually around 830. I'm just wondering if this is an issue for my weight loss. I'm not used to eating so late but I find that I am pretty hungry when I get home.
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Replies

  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
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    Basically it shouldn't be a problem, although if you are getting too hungry it might make it more challenging to make good choices. Maybe plan a snack and then a lighter late dinner?
  • xxshebearxx
    xxshebearxx Posts: 23 Member
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    i eat at 1 am when i get home from work, I'm still losing weight/ cms so I'm sure its not too bad for you to eat at 8;30
  • longleggedbeotch
    longleggedbeotch Posts: 6
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    I would eat around 5. It will fuel you for a stronger workout as well and you'll push harder with more energy. Going to bed with a lead belly just isn't appealing at all to me. Instead wake up fresh and empty and having digested everything and you'll be ready to fuel your day with a nice wholesome breakfast (rather than still digesting leftover remnants from last nights late meal)
  • jenniferhanisch5
    jenniferhanisch5 Posts: 44 Member
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    I work nights therefore dinner is 1am. It doesn't matter.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    As long as you stay in a deficit for the day it doesn't matter when you eat the calories.
  • kvansanity
    kvansanity Posts: 108 Member
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    Eat when you're hungry. Eat all at once or eat spread meals out throughout the day. Just stay in your limits that's all that matters. Your body doesn't operate on a clock :)
  • ChildrenCryinNCoffee
    ChildrenCryinNCoffee Posts: 477 Member
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    Maintain some sort of routine and balance. Don't let your blood sugar drop (tell tale signs: irritability, loss of concentration or focus, the shakes, severe thirst, etc) My last meal is usually between 6-10 pm, it varies, even though I'm a SAHM who could eat at the typical 5pm every day if I chose to, lol. Just eat, doesn't matter if it's before 8 or after 8, just eat something, especially if you're hungry, just don't binge and don't allow yourself to become starved to the brink of binging.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    You can eat at any time--immediately before a workout, late at night, etc. Different people like to eat at different times and it is all fine. Your body is a 24/7 factory, always working on something, whether it's digestion, muscle repair, etc. Calories are always being burned just keeping you alive.
  • gotolam
    gotolam Posts: 262 Member
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    Eat when you're hungry. Eat all at once or eat spread meals out throughout the day. Just stay in your limits that's all that matters. Your body doesn't operate on a clock :)

    Actually, it does. It's called a circadian rhythm.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    Meal timing doesn't affect weight loss. Just don't blow your calorie deficiency.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    As long as you stay in a deficit for the day it doesn't matter when you eat the calories.
    Yes.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Unless you have a health reason not to (i.e. heartburn/acid reflux), meal timing doesn't matter. I can't eat dinner until 9:30 tonight and it won't affect my weight.
  • gotolam
    gotolam Posts: 262 Member
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    Meal timing doesn't affect weight loss. Just do blow your calorie deficiency.

    I know this is an oft-quoted popular myth on MFP, but it's really not true.

    It's not to say you won't lose weight while in a deficit, but meal timing definitely affects the physiology of nutrition.
  • p_emmel5
    p_emmel5 Posts: 39 Member
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    Eating before bed won't affect your weight loss, but it can affect your quality of sleep. A healthy snack is ok, but a full meal may make for restless sleep. If your body is working at digesting food it isn't getting quality recovery time.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
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    As long as you have a deficit, you don't need to worry about meal timing if you are trying to lose weight.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    The don't eat after 8 (or 6 or 7 or whatever it is) makes no logical sense. It relies on the idea that your digestion stops while sleeping and that everyone has a similar bedtime. The first alone is sufficient to show it's nothing but an old wives tale (or whatever the nutrition version of that is). The second is obviously false and only matters if eating soon before bed affects your sleep (it does not affect mine, but on that people differ).

    Anyway, I often work late and when I don't I often exercise after work, so I usually eat dinner around 9 and sometimes as late as 10. I prefer 9 or so, since when I eat at 10 I stay up later than I like, but that has nothing to do with weight loss, except that better rest is helpful.

    For me, eating at 9 or after has had no negative effects on my weight loss at all. In fact, again for me, it means that I'm never inclined to snack at night as lots of people report issues with.

    For what it's worth, I eat breakfast between 6 and 7, lunch anywhere from 11:30 to 2, and dinner as discussed above. I generally don't snack--I just eat filling meals. If I have something sweet I incorporate it at the end of lunch or dinner. I sometimes have nuts or a yogurt if I workout early in the afternoon but after lunch, but I usually try to work out immediately before a meal (I like the morning). If I bike to work I sometimes leave a portion of breakfast to eat when I get to work. IMO, this is all personal preference.
  • holeshottdr
    holeshottdr Posts: 364 Member
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    As long as you stay in a deficit for the day it doesn't matter when you eat the calories.

    ^^This^^

    Meal timing and frequency is irrelevant when it comes to fat loss.
  • brendawhite2765
    brendawhite2765 Posts: 11 Member
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    We asked my Jazzercise teacher the same question, her answer was don't binge, eat sensibly and try and eat within 90 mins of exercising because the body is still metabolising at a high rate. Personally I don't want to eat after an hours session with her, which is a bonus!!

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