Not eating after 6pm or 7pm?

I've heard that not eating after 6pm or 7pm helps you lose weight because your food is fully digested when you are about to sleep.
Is this true?

But what if you get hungry like around 9pm? Is it unhealthy to eat at that time? What if you sleep late or have a late shift at work and have no choice but eat after you get home.

Thanks for your help! I appreciate it.

Everything Sidesteal said.

Also, it takes 3 days to fully digest food. The body burns fat 24/7, when you choose to eat doesn't make a difference.

just don't eat too close to bed time.

You can actually eat right up until bed time if it doesn't disturb your sleep.

You can eat close to bed time but that doesn't mean you need to pillage a whole food court if it was open at night lol.

You can eat close to bed time but that doesn't mean you need to pillage a whole food court if it was open at night lol.

There are food courts open at night? Must locate and pillage! Who's with me?

Joking aside, I live with the rule of "I eat when I'm hungry". If this means I ate my last meal at 4pm (like today) but don't go to bed until midnight, that's the way it goes. Sometimes, my last meal is eaten right before I go to bed...like when I hit up Denny's after a night out at the club and then go home and crash from exhaustion. Seems to be working for me thus far. :drinker:

It's complete myth given a comparison with equal energy balance. If not eating late at night causes you to EAT FEWER CALORIES for the day, then of course it would work, but that has nothing to do with timing and everything to do with calorie intake.

Short answer: Control your TOTAL FOOD INTAKE. Do this, and you can eat whenever the hell you want, even if it means eating IN bed.

This.

i eat a big bowl of popcorn around 11 or so all the time...it hasnt hurt me yet

I don't believe it. If that was the case I wouldn't be able to eat from 6 or 7pm to midnight. Thats about 6-7 hours before I slept. Doesn't sound accurate at all.

Don't blame your weight on it. I eat ice cream in my bed almost daily.... late.

I almost always eat dinner around 9 pm and consume a large percentage of my daily calories in the evening/at night. I lost weight this way and have been maintaining for a couple months now. The key to it is that I stay within my calorie limits. Eat on whatever schedule works best for you, and if that involves eating late at night, just make sure you save the calories for it.

bumping to read later

I don't think it matter the exact time you stop eating but I try not to eat at least 2 to 3 hours before I plan to go to sleep.

What about countries that eat their last meal after the magic metabolism shutting down hour?

Clearly they are all fatty McFatty fat.

I almost always eat a late dinner around 9 or even later. And I am 5'9 around 140.

I have lost 310 lbs. taking a 500-600 calorie snack to bed every night so chalk me up in the "This is totally a myth column" Your body doesn't care when you fuel it, just as long as you are getting your macros and caloric intake in is required...... Best of Luck!!!

I wouldn't say at 6-7pm exactly, but a few hours before bed it's sensible not to eat. Essentially food = Engery, why eat a huge meal when your gonna be laying in bed all night?

Because the difference between fat oxidation and fat storage is the only variable that matters when determining how much fat you gain or lose. If you eat more at night you will burn more during the day and this will be governed by energy balance, not nutrient timing.

You can literally eat all of your food in bed and put a sandwich right next to your pillow and wake up at 2am to eat the sandwich. If your total food intake is proper, you will lose just the same.