Does not eating past 7pm help?

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rose_lemonade
rose_lemonade Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've heard some people swear by this rule but I don't know if there's any science to back it up. My boyfriend also wants to lose weight but he doesn't usually get in from work till 9pm or later and then I either cook or we order in. I wake up feeling bloated and I'm sure this is the cause, but in terms of actual weight loss/gain, does eating late make a difference?

If so then it means we'll only be able to eat together on weekends, which kinda sucks :(
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  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    Nope. It's not true. Eat when you want. Just stay within a calorie deficit, and you'll be fine. I eat right up until bed every night. Dinner usually doesn't happen until 8:30 or so.

    I worked night shift for years. Not sure what I would have done if I couldn't eat after 7:00, since I worked 6:00 p.m. to 6 a.m.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    For weight loss, it doesn't matter. But you mention feeling bloated. I know if I eat too late I have heartburn issues, so I don't. But it has no impact on my weight loss.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    Nope. A deficit of calorie intake over an extended period of time is what helps.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Eating late doesn't matter. People stop eating at a certain time to help limit overall calories. If you are in a caloric deficit, it doesn't matter what time you stop eating for the day
  • rose_lemonade
    rose_lemonade Posts: 8 Member
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    Thanks guys. I will probably try and eat lighter dinners if I'm eating late anyway to stop the bloat in the morning, but glad to know my bf and I can still have dinner together!
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    I think one of the reasons this became a thing is because of the mindless eating people tend to do in the evening hours when they're relaxing in front of the TV or on the computer. It's often not eating out of hunger at that point, but habit or maybe boredom. So, if your boyfriend is one of those folks, being aware of why he's eating can be helpful.

    You're right, there is no real research to back it up.

    I get home late, too, several nights a week because I workout right after work. I eat when I get home. No impact on weight loss or bloating. If you're feeling bloated after eating later, maybe different foods? If you're ordering food, take outs/aways often have lots of sodium and that could be your bloating culprit. Eating right before bed can cause heartburn as well.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    If whatever you eat after 7 consistently takes you out of a calorie deficit, sure it will help. You can also account for whatever you would like to eat late into the night, maintaining a deficit, and you will continue to lose. I eat up until 30 minute before sleep, every single night.
  • rose_lemonade
    rose_lemonade Posts: 8 Member
    edited July 2017
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    EddieHaskell97 wrote: »
    After 7pm doesn't matter. After midnight absolutely does!

    Best answer :wink:
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    rose_lemonade wrote: »
    I've heard some people swear by this rule but I don't know if there's any science to back it up. My boyfriend also wants to lose weight but he doesn't usually get in from work till 9pm or later and then I either cook or we order in. I wake up feeling bloated and I'm sure this is the cause, but in terms of actual weight loss/gain, does eating late make a difference?

    If so then it means we'll only be able to eat together on weekends, which kinda sucks :(

    There is no science behind it because it doesn't matter. What you have to realize is that a lot of "rules" like this...don't eat after x o'clock...no carbs at dinner, etc are simply ways of controlling calories. You have to remember that the vast majority of people aren't counting calories and when you're not counting calories you have to employ other methods of controlling calories.

    I just finished cutting my winter weight and I'm considering a further cut...when cutting weight, I typically don't eat grains/starches with my evening meal...there's nothing magical about it, it's just an easy way for my to control calories. My wife and I eat dinner around 8:30 most evenings.
  • WyldHaggis
    WyldHaggis Posts: 17 Member
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    I never saw any actual justification for it. IMHO what matters is how you as an individual reacts to it. If you go to bed at 1 am, eating at 6-7 pm sounds like a sure way to midnight snacking, since 5 hours later it's normal to be hungry.

    If you feel bloated, perhaps eat a lighter dinner? I'd say it's a matter of trial and error. I do tend to eat early because otherwise I can't sleep early (I'm not wired to sleep before midnight, and eating late postpones my bedtime even more); but that's the way I am, and it's bound to be different for other people. :)
  • watts6151
    watts6151 Posts: 903 Member
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    I eat at 11pm right before bed and snack on Bread and peanut butter around 3am,
    Don't think I could cope without my early morning snack
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,986 Member
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    Not eating past 7 PM would be counterproductive for me because I would wake up hungry in the middle of the night and not be able to get back to sleep until I ate. This would mess up the next day.
  • Rebecca0224
    Rebecca0224 Posts: 810 Member
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    Debbie_Ferr wrote: »
    It takes up to 3 DAYS to digest food. So it hardly matters if you consume some of them after 7pm.

    It's all about calories in, calories out.
    So once you meet your calorie intake goal, STOP EATING.
    Mindful eating, peeps.

    I think where people get into trouble, is the graze in the evening, and go over their DAILY calorie targets.

    "Digestion can take anywhere from 24 to 72 hours, during which time the food you've eaten travels down your esophagus to your stomach, then to your small intestine, your large intestine, and out through the *kitten*."

    The bolded is in my opinion is why so many people believe that eating late causes weight gain/stops weight lose. The problem is when people sit and mindlessly eat at night. I eat most of my calories after 6pm and as long as I log it and stay within my calorie goal it haa no effect on my weight.

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