Does the time you eat matter?

PiscesMan123
PiscesMan123 Posts: 23 Member
edited November 8 in Food and Nutrition
I was under my calories yesterday, BUT I ate 1200 about 2 hours before bed. Will I lose weight just as fast if I stay within my caloric guide no matter what time I eat?
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Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    edited December 2014
    It does not matter at what time you eat. It's all about calories in vs. calories out :)
  • KylaDenay
    KylaDenay Posts: 1,585 Member
    The time you eat does not matter. All that matters is you sticking to your caloric budget.
  • civilizedworm
    civilizedworm Posts: 796 Member
    edited December 2014
    Probably not - although there are recommendations when you should time your protein supplements if you are intent on building muscle.

    Unless you get hangry, then it matters a heck of a lot to the people around you.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    NO
  • leodru
    leodru Posts: 321 Member
    It doesn't matter but if you limit the time you eat - for example i don't eat after 8 - then it helps you do calorie restriction. Basically less hours a day to eat so easier to achieve your goals. I normally have about 200 calories after supper left so i find by not eating after 8 its easier in my head to accept considering there is "less time" to eat - versus being able to eat all night and trying to stretch that over the full night.
  • lisele03
    lisele03 Posts: 133 Member
    Unless you get hangry, then it matters a heck of a lot to the people around you.

    lol... ^this...! and no, it doesn't matter.

  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    Probably not - although there are recommendations when you should time your protein supplements if you are intent on building muscle.

    Unless you get hangry, then it matters a heck of a lot to the people around you.

    Not really the case. Overall daily protein intake is far more important than any sort of protein timing.
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
    edited December 2014
    Probably not - although there are recommendations when you should time your protein supplements if you are intent on building muscle.

    Unless you get hangry, then it matters a heck of a lot to the people around you.

    Caloric surplus, progressive overload, rest, repeat to build muscle... Assuming overall protein intake during the day is sufficient (edit to steal @AJ_G's statement about adequate protein) nutrient timing comes in dead last.
  • RangedLunatic
    RangedLunatic Posts: 49 Member
    Technically no, not for weight loss, but from what I understand eating can spike your blood sugar a bit. It's one of those things that can lead to developing type 2 diabetes. It's good to be active after a meal and that takes more planning when you eat late than when you eat early.

    Personally when I eat late (after 9 or so) I make sure to go for a short walk as well.
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
    Technically no, not for weight loss, but from what I understand eating can spike your blood sugar a bit. It's one of those things that can lead to developing type 2 diabetes. It's good to be active after a meal and that takes more planning when you eat late than when you eat early.

    Personally when I eat late (after 9 or so) I make sure to go for a short walk as well.

    Eating can lead to developing type 2 diabietes?
  • mz_getskinny
    mz_getskinny Posts: 258 Member
    I eat all of my daily calories between 5:00 and 9:00 every night. Timing definitely doesn't matter!
  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
    As long as your eating pattern doesn't make you likely to eat more, timing doesn't matter.

    If you find that fasting too long makes you lose control when you do eat, or that eating too often results in higher calorie intake, you need to change it. If you are consistently meeting your calorie goals, nothing to worry about at all.
  • civilizedworm
    civilizedworm Posts: 796 Member
    AJ_G wrote: »
    Probably not - although there are recommendations when you should time your protein supplements if you are intent on building muscle.

    Unless you get hangry, then it matters a heck of a lot to the people around you.

    Not really the case. Overall daily protein intake is far more important than any sort of protein timing.

    I was citing that there are recommendations regarding this ( from Jim Stoppani, here and here) not that I endorse such a view.

    Of course it could be both. Your total protein intake and when you take it.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    AJ_G wrote: »
    Probably not - although there are recommendations when you should time your protein supplements if you are intent on building muscle.

    Unless you get hangry, then it matters a heck of a lot to the people around you.

    Not really the case. Overall daily protein intake is far more important than any sort of protein timing.

    I was citing that there are recommendations regarding this ( from Jim Stoppani, here and here) not that I endorse such a view.

    Of course it could be both. Your total protein intake and when you take it.

    http://www.jissn.com/content/pdf/1550-2783-10-53.pdf
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  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Only if eating right before bed causes you to have heartburn/acid reflux. Otherwise, it doesn't matter for weight loss.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    no.

    outside of low blood sugar crashing and just generally not having enough food to do what you need to without killing your co-existing people... it doens't matter in the slightest.

    There are times it might be wise- heavy lifting workouts- have a snackypoo ahead of time- but it's not a crisis either way.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »
    Technically no, not for weight loss, but from what I understand eating can spike your blood sugar a bit. It's one of those things that can lead to developing type 2 diabetes. It's good to be active after a meal and that takes more planning when you eat late than when you eat early.

    Personally when I eat late (after 9 or so) I make sure to go for a short walk as well.


    What?????

    Yea...What??
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    Technically no, not for weight loss, but from what I understand eating can spike your blood sugar a bit. It's one of those things that can lead to developing type 2 diabetes. It's good to be active after a meal and that takes more planning when you eat late than when you eat early.

    Personally when I eat late (after 9 or so) I make sure to go for a short walk as well.

    Links to your outlandish claim?

  • SuggaD
    SuggaD Posts: 1,369 Member
    edited December 2014
    No. I eat dinner late because I get home late either because I have to work late or because I went to the gym before going home. And then I usually fall asleep almost immediately afterwards. lol I still lost all the weight I wanted and am maintaining just fine continuing with that habit. I have noticed, however, that too much fat late at night never works out well for me, so I try to limit my fat intake late at night.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    personally I feel its nice to be well feed and ready for workouts... but other then that no, timing is meaningless. and being properly fueled for a work out isn't necessarily going to make you lose weight faster either, just make for a better workout IMO
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    On a scale of 1-10 of importance I would give meal timing a 1. In regards to performance, I would rate it higher.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    Nope, doesn't matter. It is good to be aware if you eat a bunch of food at like 11:00 pm and then weigh yourself at 6:00 am that your weight might be artificially inflated. Doesn't mean you gained weight, just means it's not fully digested yet.
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
    Except possibly in the cases of certain elite athletes engaged in endurance sports, meal timing is irrelevant, and the 'metabolic window' in which you need to get your protein is close enough to 24 hours as to make no difference.
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
    edited December 2014
    Except possibly in the cases of certain elite athletes engaged in endurance sports, meal timing is irrelevant, and the 'metabolic window' in which you need to get your protein is close enough to 24 hours as to make no difference.

    Yes. I always think of Michael Phelps in the Olympics, when he had 45 minutes between various meets, and had to get calories in. Didn't even matter where the calories came from... It always makes me laugh when someone swears by eating only certain foods to "fuel" your body.
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
    edited December 2014
    double post

  • beastcompany
    beastcompany Posts: 230 Member
    To the everyday lifter/trainee, meal timing is of minimal importance and the emphasis should be placed on overall daily dietary intake and simply meeting your calorie & nutrient goals.

    Of course, going to dietary extremes, or having LARGE gaps between meals & training (+3-4 hours pre-/post-), could be potentially detrimental...but even if these situations, there really is no science/research explaining to what extent the negative effects of such dietary extremes would be.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    It doesn't matter when you eat except if you have reflux. Then the recommendation is not to eat within 3 hours of going to sleep because your food will come back up, or not go down...
  • fearlessleader104
    fearlessleader104 Posts: 723 Member
    No, not in your case.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    edited December 2014
    As long as you're eating less than you're burning, you'll lose weight.
    But if you have about half your calories for breakfast, a medium lunch, and a small dinner, you'll lose more weight.

    See the last half of this post for the studies.
    (There are links to the abstracts & full texts; don't take my word for it, read them yourself.)
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-10-some-studies-about-weight-loss-667818

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This discussion has been closed.