Eating Late?

crodrigu73
crodrigu73 Posts: 134 Member
edited October 4 in Health and Weight Loss
I have a question for everyone. I have noticed lately that if I eat a small evening meal (around 300 calories) and consume the majority of my calories in the morning and afternoon, I lose a lot of weight--sometimes as much as a pound a day. I am eating the same amount of calories, maybe a little less protien but other than it is just timing.

Anyone else notice a change in weight loss based on the time you consume your calories?

Replies

  • asyouseefit
    asyouseefit Posts: 1,265 Member
    Meal timing doesn't have an influence on actual weight loss. However, if you eat less at the end of the day, it's likely you have less undigested food in your body and thus, weight less on the scales.
  • blisterpeanuts
    blisterpeanuts Posts: 67 Member
    I also have found that I seem to lose more weight when I eat a light supper. A high protein, high fat supper results in greater weight in the A.M.

    It's hard these days because I feed my 6-year-old every night (while my wife works her evening job) and we end up eating a substantial dinner, plus dessert if she promises to practice the violin :)

    She's skinny as a toothpick and I definitely want her to eat a full, hearty meal, especially when she skips drinking her milk at lunch and (I suspect) trades her apple for a cookie.
  • chuzma
    chuzma Posts: 1 Member
    I don't know about that, but I have heard that if you eat less after 6pm you will lose weight because we don't move much/sleep after those meals and the body is not as active at night, so you won't be able to lose all those calories you ate. Not sure how accurate that is, but....who knows. Makes sense though.
  • tolygal
    tolygal Posts: 602 Member
    Lots of people will argue with you on this one and say that it doesn't matter when you eat. Based on my personal experience, I FEEL better and lose weight better/faster when I eat most of my calories before dinnertime, then eat a light dinner. If I eat nothing 2-4 hours before bed, I consistently lose better. Not only that but I sleep better and wake feeling alert and ready to go. When I have a heavy dinner or eat a late snack, I wake feeling groggy and full and blah.

    I don't buy the undigested food thing - maybe for a day or two it would show a drop, but that does not explain losing weight faster on an on-going basis. If you wake every day without undigested food in your body - all you are doing is being consistent from day to day. Kind of like weighing yourself at the same time every day. The first day or two may affect the scale, but it's not going to drop every day like that. Not sure I'm explaining that right, but you prob know what I mean.
  • crodrigu73
    crodrigu73 Posts: 134 Member
    I previously would have been one of the people saying it didn't make a difference. I always thought calories are calories regardless of when they are eaten. My opinion changed when I was forced to do training in the evening so I only had time to eat a granola bar and fruit for my evening meal. That week I average a 1 pound loss everyday even though I was consuming the same calories as before just at a different time.
  • Arynamber
    Arynamber Posts: 162 Member
    I dont eat after 7 if at all possible. I believe this helps me to loose faster.. but many disagree.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    it makes no difference when you eat, what matters is net calorie balance
  • Jeff92se
    Jeff92se Posts: 3,369 Member
    It's probably more about what's in your stomach when you weigh in. ie.. you probably weigh in in the morning. If you eat something salty late, you might retain water and up the weight in the morning.
  • cbelt82
    cbelt82 Posts: 62
    I have always been told that eating at night is not based on the time of night but how long before you go to bed. For example, My husband and I have odd schedules and we dont go to bed until about 2-4 am. So eating after 6pm is pretty normal for us (since we don't eat dinner until about 9 or 10 pm). I could be wrong...but I always thought it was based on your sleep schedule since you dont digest while laying sedentary
  • cal1973
    cal1973 Posts: 306 Member
    I probably eat around 75% of my daily calories after 7.30pm.
  • alewisdvm
    alewisdvm Posts: 4
    I think it is much more likely the "total" of what you are eating and whatever exercise you may be doing to get weight loss. The science is 3500 calories for a pound of weight. Of course, that is not exact. But, unless you are really creating a calorie deficit (calories burned vs. your intake), you can't lose weight. Some exceptions would be if you are building muscle, then muscle will burn a bit more.

    I think most agree it is not as healthy to eat late at night. It's bad for digestion and those unused carbs need to turn into something...
  • alewisdvm
    alewisdvm Posts: 4
    I think it is much more likely the "total" of what you are eating and whatever exercise you may be doing to get weight loss. The science is 3500 calories for a pound of weight. Of course, that is not exact. But, unless you are really creating a calorie deficit (calories burned vs. your intake), you can't lose weight. Some exceptions would be if you are building muscle, then muscle will burn a bit more.

    I think most agree it is not as healthy to eat late at night. It's bad for digestion and those unused carbs need to turn into something...
  • ABetterBalance
    ABetterBalance Posts: 298
    Meal timing doesn't technically factor in to weight loss at all. It all boils down to calories in vs calories out, whether that's 5-6 small meals scheduled every 3-4 hours or just one large meal eaten late in the evening.

    That said- I have noticed that, for me, if I eat a bigger breakfast or lunch, I am less likely to overindulge on mindless snacking in the afternoons and evenings, which then leads to losing more weight. It's the snacking (or lack thereof) that contribute to the weight loss(gain) though- and not the time that I am eating.
  • TaintedMemory
    TaintedMemory Posts: 1
    My dad once told me that you should eat your meals the way you want to look. He said eat a big breakfast, good lunch, and a small dinner. He said eating this way you will be big up top and taper down to your waist. Skipping breakfast, grabbing something quick for lunch, then pigging out late at night will put all your weight to your bottom.
  • Uerzer
    Uerzer Posts: 273
    Time matters... if you eat late, it gets stored...and you have to get it back again. you will just lose more weight faster if you dont let it store
  • h0taru
    h0taru Posts: 43
    Food get stored only if you eat more that you need.

    If somebody eat a lot before going to bed, and nothing for breakfast, is will just be consumed in the morning.

    BUT of course if you want to be more efficient and motivated at you job or school, it is better to eat enough in the morning and not so useful to eat a lot before going to bed.... Specially it does not help to sleep well.
  • Gigi_licious
    Gigi_licious Posts: 1,185 Member
    I don't know about that, but I have heard that if you eat less after 6pm you will lose weight because we don't move much/sleep after those meals and the body is not as active at night, so you won't be able to lose all those calories you ate. Not sure how accurate that is, but....who knows. Makes sense though.

    Hey! You're not Joe! Give that picture back! ;-)
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    Time matters... if you eat late, it gets stored...and you have to get it back again. you will just lose more weight faster if you dont let it store

    Your body does not turn off at night.
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
    Time matters... if you eat late, it gets stored...and you have to get it back again. you will just lose more weight faster if you dont let it store
    Totally and completely WRONG. Meal timing does not matter...not even a LITTLE bit. Guess what...when you go to sleep, your body doesn't turn off and stop consuming calories....shocking, I know. If you maintain a calorie deficit it doesn't matter in the slightest. The main thing is eating in a way that makes you feel the most comfortable through out the day, even if that means eating something right before bed.
  • Uerzer
    Uerzer Posts: 273
    Food get stored only if you eat more that you need.

    big dinner + no activity while you lay in bed in a comatose state for 8h = you just ate more than you needed
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
    Food get stored only if you eat more that you need.

    big dinner + no activity while you lay in bed in a comatose state for 8h = you just ate more than you needed
    Incorrect. Sleep is not equal to being in a coma. Perhaps you can explain to me how I've managed to get down to 17-18% body fat and lost almost 25lbs when I have a habit of eating fairly close to bed?
  • Uerzer
    Uerzer Posts: 273
    Incorrect. Sleep is not equal to being in a coma.

    Sleep = unconsciousness
    Coma = unconsciousness
    In both states, your energy requisites approach your Basal Metabolic Rate
    Perhaps you can explain to me how I've managed to get down to 17-18% body fat and lost almost 25lbs when I have a habit of eating fairly close to bed?

    1 example doesn't really make a point. Explain to me how I lost over 45 lbs in 3 months with a 9% body fat when I have a habit of not eating 2-3h before going to bed. :laugh:

    I could not find any scientific trustful evidence pro/against our point for losing weight. Found a nice trustworthy trial that agrees with me... But only for mice (taking into account the same kcal diet), due to circadian hormones. I must assume that even though those circadian rhythm fluctuations do matter in a physiological level, I have not managed to find proof that those changes have repercussions on general weight losing with a strict intake control, which is what matters to us. :embarassed:

    Here, I stand corrected! :grumble: :embarassed:

    I found another nice trial: It IS proven that people who usually eat before going to bed lose less weight than people who don't BUT they also found that people who ate before going to bed also ate more than the other group!!! :ohwell: (which is not our point now)

    Source: www.pubmed.org (trust no one else)

    Sorry for wasting your time, killagb. :embarassed:


    duty_calls.png
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
    1 example doesn't really make a point. Explain to me how I lost over 45 lbs in 3 months with a 9% body fat when I have a habit of not eating 2-3h before going to bed. :laugh:
    Right...but that does not counter my point, it only cements it. It demonstrates that either eating pattern ends in the same loss. The only thing that matters is that a calorie deficit is maintained. My point is that it's unnecessary to hold yourself to these 'rules' unless you have a better reason, such as indigestion. I'll be here if you find a study that proves this wrong :bigsmile:
  • ddecarr
    ddecarr Posts: 103 Member
    NO NO ...no...THE EARTH IS FLAT.
  • h0taru
    h0taru Posts: 43
    Food get stored only if you eat more that you need.

    big dinner + no activity while you lay in bed in a comatose state for 8h = you just ate more than you needed

    Yes but if the person is on diet, if he has a big dinner, we can assume that he will have a little breakfast and/or lunch. So the body will use the fat during daytime. The most important is the total calories count, over a day, and some people will say, over the week.

    It is probably more efficient to eat more at breakfast to improve performances at work, but it does not change anything for the diet. Like you can loose weight only by eating chips or snickers, as long as you do not eat as much calories that you spend. It will not be healthy, but you will still loose weight.
  • theys1
    theys1 Posts: 8 Member
    Depending on how much and what you do for excercise as well, say lift weights for example. Your body does all of it's repairing of muscles at night when you sleep. Believe it or not while you are sleeping your body is actually doing alot of work while you sleep. I would recommend drinking a protein shake before you go to bed because your body uses protein to repair and build muscle. It's best not to eat carbs late at night or if your going to than eat a piece of whole wheat bread with peanut butter on it. Hope that helps!
  • tolygal
    tolygal Posts: 602 Member
    This has nothing to do with science - it's just what makes sense to me. It seems to me that your body should have energy (hence food) when it needs it. You can't fill your car up after your trip - you need to fill it up before your trip. Seems to me that it works the same way as your body. If you give it fuel when it needs it most, it will be a more efficient fat burning machine!! It doesn't need as much when you sleep, so why fill it up and let it sit there all night. And if it's true that your body will dip into it's fat stores when you don't feed it then why not let it do that at night so it has better fuel when it's actually more active and metabolism is burning higher - why let it be stored as fat in the first place?? I also read someplace (can't remember where, so don't ask me to quote it) that lots of food in your belly at night interferes with the work your body is doing to repair itself. I wish I could remember where I heard it from because the way it was explained made sense to me. Whatever - all that matters to me are the results that I see...for me. I see better results and I feel better when I consistently spread out the calories throughout the day and keep my evening eating lighter when my metabolism is slowing naturally as well.

    I know this is a huge debate, and in my opinion, if people like to eat at night, they will - and if it works for them who cares. And vice versa. This is just how I see things and what seems to work best for me, so it's what I believe :-)

    PS - I've also heard that if you must eat late (by late, I mean close to bedtime), make it a lean healthy protein and avoid carbs - especially sugar.
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