Eating at night vs eating during day..?
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ShanBanKrup
Posts: 55 Member
I've been told it doesn't matter when you eat but how much you eat and what u eat (outside of physical activity to burn calories) and that virtually anytime u eat within a 24 hr period is all that matters. Is it true tho that maybe eating at night isn't as good as eating during the day? I did a little bit of digging and some sources say it messes with your circadian rhythm and can also lead to weight gain because most ppl tend to eat poorer food choices at night but what if u just eat at night what u would normally eat during the day? Is it ok to do this? Or is it true that it causes weight gain? Please help debunk this myth!!!
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Of course it would make a difference if you made poor choices. But no. If you ate the same food in the morning or at night it wouldn't matter. Many ketoers fast from 8pm til midday the next day, eating all of their calories in an 8 hour window.1
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There are some benefits shown to IF (but it is not a plan for everyone!), but meal timing is irrelevant when you are eating correctly within your chosen diet.
That being said, some people have heartburn/acid reflux issues if they eat too close to bed time, so you need to be aware of your own body and how it deals with food/eating patterns.
Personally, I find it easier to have coffee with HWC as breakfast, eat lunch after 12:00, have dinner around 6:00 and then maybe have a light snack between 8:00 and 9:00. If I have breakfast as a meal, I find that I am hungrier during the day and have a tendency to overeat.3 -
for diabetics I did see a recent study that showed improved A1C with eating breakfast and lunch (no dinner) vs eating lunch and dinner (no breakfast)...however, if you don't have an underlying metabolic disorder, then it really doesn't matter...you should eat on whatever schedule makes it easier for you to achieve your calorie and food goals, because what is easy will be sustainable and long term sustainability is going to be the biggest key to success for just about anyone3
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My schedule is all kinds of crazy because I work graveyards for 7 days and then I am off work for seven days and switch back to a traditional schedule. This caused a lot of trouble for me before I started doing LCHF because I found that on my switch days, and on days when I didn't sleep enough I pretty much ate nothing but grains and sugar and the vending machine would call its siren song across the building. With LCHF that hasn't been the issue it was before, I really don't crave the junk anymore and I always have a good keto snack handy. I've found that the schedule changes have been easier too, I can take a short nap and still feel energetic on my switch days. I pretty much eat when I am hungry, whatever time of day it is, even if I know I am going to bed right away. I do try to avoid cheese or nuts right before I go to bed, I just seem to sleep better. I also have to stick to meal tracking rigidly from midnight to midnight, otherwise on the days I switch it looks like I ate 5 big meals and blew my calorie goal out of the water. By always logging set times I can see how much I really eat in a given period and see patterns better.2
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I worked the graveyard shift on my nursing job for 31yrs (now semi retired), and always ate my dinner around 2-3 a.m. I still do. Just finished my Buffalo Wild Wings and it's after 1 a.m. Now off to bed to watch TV until I drift off to sleep (usually around 5 a.m. until my "baby" Cocker Spaniel gets tired of me lying down and wakes me up by tapping my shoulder, usually by 8 a.m.).
No problems losing weight, no reflux ever! But this has been my norm since my early years, and I'm also not a sleeper. I average 3, occasionally 4hrs sleep per day (and this is broken sleep). My family thinks I am "not of this world"
Yes, I have had my share of weight woes over the years, being morbidly obese and going through gastric bypass surgery 17ys ago, but when I put my efforts into losing, the weight goes down and I don't ever change the timing of my meals. Just reached my first goal of 167 lbs having lost 41 lbs since 9/23/16. Did low carb (<100g) at first, then started keto on 10/17/16. Loving it!!! 17 lbs to go to GOAL!1 -
My trouble is usually an evening beer or two. Carbs and calories
Then that breaks up my sleep for a couple of pee breaks. 0
