Only eating after 4PM?

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RunTheMountain
RunTheMountain Posts: 8
in Food and Nutrition
So a friend of mine told me that he only eats after 4 PM. He said that if he does get hungry before 4, he will snack, but only with yogurt or a handful of nuts or seeds. He says this is healthier than eating 3 meals a day or small meals throughout the day and this sort of lifestyle is growing in popularity.

Have you ever heard of doing this? Is this a good route to take for weight loss?

Replies

  • jwilllose
    jwilllose Posts: 18 Member
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    Personally- this sounds about as ridiculous as a grapefruit or cabbage diet. Eat when your body tells you it's hungry- if you're unsure of what it would take to fill you, measure out a portion, eat it, assess your hunger level.

    I was up this morning at 7- fed my kids- went to the grocery store at 9 and had breakfast about 9:30- that was very late for me but for some reason, I wasn't hungry when I woke up. Dear God I'd have eaten my entire fridge if I waited until 4!
  • overfences
    overfences Posts: 96 Member
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    It's perfectly fine. The idea that we need to eat frequently or before an arbitrary time is not borne out by science.

    Listen to YOUR body and do what's best for you. I (intentionally) never eat before noon, oftentimes not before 2 PM. I usually get all of my calories in two meals. Works for me. :D
  • hhayes06
    hhayes06 Posts: 189 Member
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    I personally only ever wait until after 4pm to eat if I have been sleeping all day due to working a midnight shift. I would probably collapse if I waited until 4pm every day. If this works for your friend then good for him but I personally wouldn't try it without consulting my doctor first.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Ridiculous! You're spending the majority of your day trying to function on no fuel. I'd be a total hangry b*tch - I'm sure at least one co-worker wouldn't survive if I tried that for too long.
  • graelwyn
    graelwyn Posts: 1,340 Member
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    Plenty of people follow a style of eating where they only eat during 5-8 hour period, and fast the rest of the day, and it seems to suit them quite well. It is called intermittant fasting. As long as your friend is eating plenty after 4pm, I don't see an issue with it. There is no one way of eating, everyone is different and has different needs according to their lifestyle and what works best for them.
  • Ocarina
    Ocarina Posts: 1,550 Member
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    Go for it! If you want to die, lol
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Oh for pity's sake....where did he pick up THAT gem of wisdom??
  • saraann4
    saraann4 Posts: 1,312 Member
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    My mom won't eat anything until about 7-8pm. Me...I couldn't do that. The only way I could do that is if I woke up REALLY late.
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    Plenty of people follow a style of eating where they only eat during 5-8 hour period, and fast the rest of the day, and it seems to suit them quite well. It is called intermittant fasting. As long as your friend is eating plenty after 4pm, I don't see an issue with it. There is no one way of eating, everyone is different and has different needs according to their lifestyle and what works best for them.

    THIS

    It's not "bad" or "good", it's just A WAY of eating. Meal TIMING is irrelevant, and it doesn't matter if he eats 1500 for breakfast and nothing else, or 6 small meals a day totaling 1500, or 1500 only after 4PM...it is STILL just 1500 calories a day.

    *1500 is just a random example

    It all comes down to what works for each individual and how they feel most comfortable.
  • ashlinmarie
    ashlinmarie Posts: 1,263 Member
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    I have heard of all sorts of time diets...including one where you eat all your food for the day in 8 hours (any 8 hour period of the day) and fast the other 16 hours. Maybe it works for some people, but couldn't be recommended for most. Just stick with what works for you and let everyone else worry about themselves. Definitely sounds like a way to spend most of the day starving though.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    I only eat between noon and 8pm. It's called Intermittent Fasting and there's nothing wrong with it. Some people it works, others it doesn't. It is the only way I have been able to control my binge eating lately. I'm not hungry during the 16 hour fast period and I enjoy the larger meals during my feed time. There are lots of people who do IF and lose weight. Check out Leangains for more information on it.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    Meal timing is irrelevant is can be dictated by preference.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    Go for it! If you want to die, lol

    Eating after 4pm causes death? Really? Really?
  • gurganuss
    gurganuss Posts: 78 Member
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    I dont eat much during the day, but that is out of the knowing that i like my snacks in the evening. I like to eat fewer calories such as yogurt, fruit, veggies, and salads until dinner and snacks so I can budget room for my ice cream craving.
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    Go for it! If you want to die, lol

    Eating after 4pm causes death? Really? Really?

    Yeah, I was gonna say something too but wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic or is just stupid so I let it go....I would have ended up starting a huge argument...you know how I get...
  • MeMyCatsandI
    MeMyCatsandI Posts: 704 Member
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    Plenty of people follow a style of eating where they only eat during 5-8 hour period, and fast the rest of the day, and it seems to suit them quite well. It is called intermittant fasting. As long as your friend is eating plenty after 4pm, I don't see an issue with it. There is no one way of eating, everyone is different and has different needs according to their lifestyle and what works best for them.

    THIS

    It's not "bad" or "good", it's just A WAY of eating. Meal TIMING is irrelevant, and it doesn't matter if he eats 1500 for breakfast and nothing else, or 6 small meals a day totaling 1500, or 1500 only after 4PM...it is STILL just 1500 calories a day.

    *1500 is just a random example

    It all comes down to what works for each individual and how they feel most comfortable.
    THIS
    and
    THAT
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    Go for it! If you want to die, lol

    Eating after 4pm causes death? Really? Really?

    Yeah, I was gonna say something too but wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic or is just stupid so I let it go....I would have ended up starting a huge argument...you know how I get...

    Same here.
  • ashlinmarie
    ashlinmarie Posts: 1,263 Member
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    I only eat between noon and 8pm. It's called Intermittent Fasting and there's nothing wrong with it. Some people it works, others it doesn't. It is the only way I have been able to control my binge eating lately. I'm not hungry during the 16 hour fast period and I enjoy the larger meals during my feed time. There are lots of people who do IF and lose weight. Check out Leangains for more information on it.

    Yes, this is what I heard of. My husband's recruiter tried to get me to do that, but I like eating most of the day. I just try to stop at least 2 hours before I got to bed.
  • BackTatJIM
    BackTatJIM Posts: 1,140 Member
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    I eat smaller meals through out the day and go out with a bang for dinner, and i lose weight... I do not consider this a specific diet but it works around my schedule this way
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    I only eat between noon and 8pm. It's called Intermittent Fasting and there's nothing wrong with it. Some people it works, others it doesn't. It is the only way I have been able to control my binge eating lately. I'm not hungry during the 16 hour fast period and I enjoy the larger meals during my feed time. There are lots of people who do IF and lose weight. Check out Leangains for more information on it.

    Yes, this is what I heard of. My husband's recruiter tried to get me to do that, but I like eating most of the day. I just try to stop at least 2 hours before I got to bed.

    Why stop two hours before bed? If it's because "anything after X:00 turns to fat/gets stored in your thighs/etc" that's not true. You could eat up until right before falling asleep if you wanted if you were at or under your calorie goal, calories in vs calories out. I stop eating at 8 because that's just when I naturally stop. If I was hungry I would eat. I don't start eating until after I workout because I'm not hungry until then. I ate 6-7 small meals a day for two years and I would binge during the weekend because I enjoy feeling full, which wasn't happening on the small meals. Since changing to IF I don't look forward to a Saturday binge. Not trying to push that style on anyone, everyone is different.

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