Myth or fact: late night eating causes weight gain?

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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,634 Member
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    Eh I might as well throw in my anecdotal experience of late night eating. I eat up till 11:30pm every night. Go to sleep about 12:30am or 1am.
    I don't eat breakfast (will on rare occasions like vacations), and first meal is after 12pm.

    Have maintained about the same weight for the last 25 years or so. Oh, along with drinking diet Pepsi.

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  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
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    I don't generally eat dinner until at least 8:00pm (a lot of times past 10:00pm), which is almost always quite large as I save my calories for then, and snacking after. From 8:00pm - 10:00pm on, my calorie intake is almost always 1000+, and I've managed to lose almost 60lbs now.

    I should probably contact my local news, and medical professionals so I can start making money off of being a medial anomaly. 'cause science.
  • Bobbie63
    Bobbie63 Posts: 55 Member
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    To me, you have to do what suits you best. There is a reason farmers and Germans eat their largest meal in the middle of the day and not at dinner (at least it used to be this way). I think it had less to do with weight loss or gain and more to do with having the bulk of the nutrition during the part of the day when they needed it the most. Maybe in all the studies it doesn't matter, but maybe in my body it does. Some people can smoke and lose weight, I can smoke, not eat and not lose any weight. A calorie is a calorie, perhaps, but, I know some calories are better suited to provide energy then others, for me. So....everyone is an expert, for themselves.
  • Bobbie63
    Bobbie63 Posts: 55 Member
    edited May 2015
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    no. I'm saying forever people say oh i smoke and that helps me to not eat and i lose weight, but some of us smoke (yes I am disgusted at it too) and we eat, don't eat, and it doesn't seem to matter. I know, I can eat really really low for long periods of time, and not lose weight, but now at 1200 i am. I just think that some people know, they don't seem to process food as well later at night and therefore they should not eat later at night. It could be harder for them to lose weight. Some people can eat more calories and not gain weight, but they seem to have a high metabolism. I think this is so individual that to just say a calorie is a calorie, or all the no late night eating, or people not eating bread..to say it is all junk, is the same as saying one size fits all. A calorie might be a calorie, but what our bodies do with it, I think is very different.
  • marcelo_templario
    marcelo_templario Posts: 653 Member
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    shrinkingletters wrote: »
    Calories are calories no matter what time of day or night.

    That.

  • stephanieluvspb
    stephanieluvspb Posts: 997 Member
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    I work 3 twelve hour shifts a week, different days, every other weekend. My eating schedule is so off track it isn't even funny, I eat different hours of the day, sometimes eat for 24 hours straight, sometimes fast for 12-13 hours. I have had no problem with losing weight. OP, as long as you stay in your calorie allowance I don't think timing matters.
  • s2mikey
    s2mikey Posts: 146 Member
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    Nah, that's a myth. I'd argue that a hi sugar meal right before bed is probably worse than some protein or fat before bed but sugar is worse ANYTIME versus healthier options. I always chow at night. Usually it's some natural nut butter of whatever type I have. I glob it down and then go to bed without being hungry.
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
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    s2mikey wrote: »
    Nah, that's a myth. I'd argue that a hi sugar meal right before bed is probably worse than some protein or fat before bed but sugar is worse ANYTIME versus healthier options. I always chow at night. Usually it's some natural nut butter of whatever type I have. I glob it down and then go to bed without being hungry.

    Although I would love to agree with you the title of the thread is "WEIGHT GAIN" so it is truly about the calories

  • arachnofobia7
    arachnofobia7 Posts: 50 Member
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    Slightly different take on late night eating: during the night our body turns into a huge spa, all our cell are mobilised to do ''engeenering works'' on any small and big wear and tear. During the day the cells are busy keeping up with our daily activities, walking, taking, digesting etc,during the sleep when all those major functions stop our body gets time to take care of itself, if we don't sleep long enough or we eat late at night we shorten the maintanance period by distracting cells with digestion or not providing it with sufficient time to ''refurbish'' the body.

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