At what time do you eat your last meal?

LWatson43 · January 2012

I am the same I am a late eater therefore, when I reach my calories for the day I stop eating.

MrsDundas87 · January 2012

Dinner is anytime between 7 and 8.30pm. I start making dinner when my youngest is in bed. If I eat at 5 with the kids, by 9pm I'm starving. Tonight we ate at 5.30 and I'm hungry already. If I'm hungry before bed then I'll eat toast or fruit or make an options hot choc as they fill me up and are only 38 cals.

Leiki · January 2012

Does snacking count as a meal? I usually eat dinner, and then hit the gym. I'm hungry afterwards, so I end up eating a snack with my extra exercise calories (sometimes it ends up being quite hefty, like a sandwich or leftovers from dinner) at 1am when my bf comes home.

emmyvera · January 2012

It depends on my evening workouts and schedule. It's never the same.
I eat dinner anywhere between 5:00 and 7:30. If I have lots of calories and had a good workout, then I have a healthy smoothie, even if it is at 9:00 p.m. If I want it and need the fuel, I take it. I'd say nothing past 10:00 pm. By then, I've already eaten 5 or 6 times that day and I'm not hungry. BUT if I was, I'd have a little snack or tea.

bratius · January 2012

no set time

baileylm · January 2012

I agree with those supporting the idea that it doesn't matter how late you eat as long as you stay within your calorie count. I think the reason eating later is discouraged is because oftentimes the calories consumed later in the evening are empty calories -- like chips or ice cream -- in front of the TV. THAT kind of eating should be avoided at all costs. But I always eat after working out which is usually around 8:00 pm and really enjoy it that way. I have heard and read that even for an hour or so after exercising, the metabolism continues to burn at an accelerated rate. I like the idea that I'm burning up those dinner calories as I eat them.

ninerbuff · February 2012

While I respect your opinion on this I'm only stating the FACTS as they were presented on NPR. On average in the UK (for example) they eat the same calories per day as the average AMERICAN. However, we are twice as obese. They may walk more and all but this was talking about the fact that they ON AVERAGE cook more meals at home and we eat processed crap. My statement is backed by FACT and research.

I'd like to see the fact and research then to verify it. Not and article or column, but a study by a reputed association. Calories are calories when it comes to energy value. If a man in the UK ate 6000 calories a day, and the same man in the US ate 6000 calories a day, but both only burned 3000, they would both have a 3000 calorie a day surplus. Which would ENSURE weight gain.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Acg67 · February 2012

"Whether fat oxidation is greater during waking or sleeping hours doesn't matter. What matters is 24-hour fat balance, which is fat synthesis minus fat oxidation. See, those are the 2 sides to the equation. If you eat less during the day & more at night, fat oxidation will occur at a greater rate during the day. If you do the opposite, fat oxidation will occur at a greater rate through the night - & you end up at the same spot. After 24 hours, the body doesn't know nor give a flying fuk which half of the day contributed to either a net loss, gain, or maintenance of fat balance. Unless you have a specific need for increased energy intake (ie, prolonged competition in a particular sport ocurring in the earlier part of the day), there's no reason to assume that eating more during the day & less in the evening is INHERENTLY beneficial for body composition goals. That type of thinking will at the very minimum get you a Broscar nomination."

-Alan Aragon

tigersword · February 2012

It DOES matter what time you stop eating...if you stay within your calories but you're eating too many too close to bedtime, you won't lose weight as efficiently. I try to stop eating after 6:00. sometimes I'll eat one small tablespoon of peanut butter around 8 if I get hungry. Protein begins metabolizing quicker than carbs, so its past the point of turning to fat by the time I go to bed.

Fascinating.... Not just because when you eat has absolutely nothing to do with weight loss efficiency, but that you choose peanut butter as a snack, and then go on about how protein metabolizes faster than carbs, when peanuts have just as many grams of carbs as they do protein. They're mostly fat. So is peanut butter. Generally about 3.5 grams of carbs, 3.5 grams of protein, and 8 grams of fat per tablespoon. Plus carbs are the fastest metabolizing macro, protein and fat both take longer. The post seems like a giant contradiction.

Pebble321 · February 2012

When I've finished dinner OR when I'm all out of calories (actually I don't always stop then....) OR when I'm ready for bed - which ever one comes first!

Edited to add: In my opinion the only reason to stop eating at a particular time is if you don't sleep well with a full belly, or if you are trying to change a particular habit (like eating an entire block of chocolate while watching the telly after dinner). I suspect that for many people who find that "no eating after Xpm" works for them, it's because they are changing their habits and thus their calorie intake.

Richdogg38 · February 2012

I find that I am actually MORE hungary in the morning after eating late or right before bed than I am if I eat a couple hours before bed.

This has always been the case with me whether eating correctly or not. Whenever I ate late I woke up hungry (or stomach growling) even if I ate a lot of food.

At what time do you eat your last meal?

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