Eating after 7pm make a difference?

jcm

jcm

Cathlete
I was just wondering people's experiences out there on this. I've heard you shouldn't eat after 7pm, but then I've also heard it's not the time but WHAT you eat after 7. I'm trying to loose a little weight and not sure if it's my age (creeping on 40) or the habit I've gotten into of eating after the kids are in bed - at like 9. Any opinions would be great!

Jen
 
It really depends upon the person. When I eat after 7 it´s not because I´m hungry, but I just want to eat and it´s usually bad stuff...and a lot of it :eek:. A lot of people don´t eat after the magic number of 7 due to GERD (another reason I shouldn´t!!). But if you are eating well, there´s nothing wrong with eating at 9 or 10 etc.There are a lot of cultures where the evening meal is eaten at 9 or 10, and not a problem...
 
Actually...from what I read...

eating at night is not bad for you this is a myth. There is no magic time after which the body stores fat. For instance,if you eat the same exact meal at 6 pm or at 8 pm, is one more caloric than the other? No, each meal has the same number of calories. What really matters is the total amount of food and drink you have over the course of a week, or a month or longer, and how much energy you expend during that time frame. Excess calories will be stored as fat over time,regardless of whether they are taken in during the day or night. Take Care!!!
 
I just joined Precision Nutrition and Dr. Berardi thinks it's bull. He does insist that all carbs that are not vegetables only be consumed after one's workout (at whichever point in the day that is), though.
 
ITA--it's calories in versus calories out. If you're really worried about it, eat protein at night rather than carbs. However, if you're having a hard time falling asleep, then eat the carbs.

dawnmh22 said:
eating at night is not bad for you this is a myth. There is no magic time after which the body stores fat. For instance,if you eat the same exact meal at 6 pm or at 8 pm, is one more caloric than the other? No, each meal has the same number of calories. What really matters is the total amount of food and drink you have over the course of a week, or a month or longer, and how much energy you expend during that time frame. Excess calories will be stored as fat over time,regardless of whether they are taken in during the day or night. Take Care!!!
Click to expand...
 
I work the night shift (7pm to 0730am) and so my eating schedule changes A LOT during the week. When I'm working I eat every 3 hours or so all during the night, with a good balance of protein/carbs/fat (a modified Zone). When I switch back to being a "day" person, I sometimes eat at 11pm and then go to bed at 1am or so. I have lost over 80 lbs doing this. I eat good, healthy smaller meals more frequently. It's what you eat and cals in/cals out. IMO there's nothing magical about 7pm.

Sandra
 
Another one who agrees that there is nothing magical about 7pm or 8pm or whenever. It's the total of what you eat, not when you eat it.

I eat all day, and sometimes at night too. If I can't sleep, I'll get up and have a bowl of cereal in the middle of the night. It's never affected my weight in any way.
 
The problem with night eating is I never want a chicken breast...:rolleyes:its the startchy, crunchy carbs that get ya everytime later in the evening...but I agree that its your overall caloric intake over the course of a day that matters.
 
I almost always eat before bed because I work out at night and need to put some fuel back in the tank or I feel like crap the next day. As long as you aren't eating too many calories, it doesn't matter when you eat.

BUT - I heard Jillian Michaels say on her podcast that you should focus on protein before bed if you are going to eat because carbs can disrupt some of the hormones that are produced when you sleep that help with fat loss.
 
I think the whole "don't eat after 7 pm" (or Oprah's obsessive "nothing to eat after 8 pm...NOT EVEN A GRAPE") is just another way of limiting calories. Because of this, it may work for some people, but it's not because the practice has some magical properties, it's just because of calorie limitation.
 
ITA with everyone else. I don't eat until after 7pm and have had no weight issues. I started eating after 7pm when I decided to lose weight and it did not hinder my weight loss.
 
If you are a compulsive eater (I definitely have issues in this area at times), then the "don't eat after 7 pm" is a good trick for keeping your calories down. It's very easy to remember because it's just one rule and it's pretty black and white.

I had a friend who lost over 40 lbs by following more extreme version of the rule - hers was don't eat after 3 pm.

Stebby
 
I would not eat after 7 pm

if weight loss is the goal. For one thats when a lot of people get into trouble (me included, I had a moment this week and voila put on 5 pounds overnight.)
 
I'm a believer in: it's not when you eat, it's what you eat and how much. I've always stood by the basics: a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. 3,500 calories make a pound. Exercise more, eat less. A very easy exercise: push aways that is, you just push away from the table.
~michelle
 
MDolfiniReed said:
I'm a believer in: it's not when you eat, it's what you eat and how much. I've always stood by the basics: a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. 3,500 calories make a pound. Exercise more, eat less. A very easy exercise: push aways that is, you just push away from the table.
~michelle
Click to expand...

ITA! :D The other things I've realized for me are 1) breakfast isn't necessarily the most important meal of the day. If I'm not hungry, I'll wait until I am, and

2) 6 mini-meals a day does not work for me, despite what the experts say. I have always been at my slimmest when I eat 3 meals a day with little to no snacking in-between. I like the feeling of getting hungry and looking forward to a full meal, not a little ol' snack. I am going back to this, it just feels more right to me.

As far as eating late causing weight gain, I think that's bogus too. I lived in Spain while I was in the Navy, I hardly ever saw an overweight person there, and they don't even think about eating dinner until 9pm. Restaurants were at their busiest at 10-11pm.

This is a timely thread, I just read a great articles today: "Calorie Counters Have It Right, Diet Study Says"
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123559955210376029.html
 
When I eat that late, I don't rest well unless I'm extremely tired. I snore and wake up in a haze. I try to eat before 5:45 and bedtime is around 9pm. So, for me - it's about sleep value not weight loss.
 
I believe there is no magic number with 7 or 8 either. But I do believe that is not healthy to eat a meal and then go straight to bed with a full stomach. I think there should be a couple of hours in between.
 
Hey guys! Thanks for all of your responses - really confirming what I already knew! I've just been frustrated by this small amount of weight (8 pounds) I need to loose and my friends all seem to think not eating after 7 is the answer. But it's sort of how I feel about Thanksgiving ... Christmas day - pick a holiday. It isn't about what you eat ON THAT DAY but what you're eating the rest of the year. Unless of course you use all of November and December for holiday eating! :)
 
Yeah I agree its mostly a myth-- but like most myths, its based very loosly on something that, at some point in the past, made sense to some people for a situation they had.. err.. make sense? Well that's about how seriously we can take myth lol!

To 'not eat past 7' is mostly for people that go to bed around 9 (I always associated it with very old people that have to drink prune juice?)

Agreed its probably not best to have DINNER less than two hours before hitting the sack.. simply bacause it would disrupt sleeping to be digesting all kinds of food when your body is trying to relax... and also agreed that carbs should probably be kept to a minimun in this time frame (but if you don't hit the sack til around midnight as I do, then you could certainly be eating much later than 7.)

If you train regularily then eating right up until bed is not bad at all. I train very hard and usually the last thing i have before bed is either a shake (I keep it pretty simple at night, no smoothie-style for me) or a serving of cottage cheese. They are perfect for a protein source for overnight, especially if you sleep a lot and have long hours before you 'break your fast'.

Remember, you burn lots of calories while sleeping! Personally , I don';t think eating is bad before bed, but since you're not activly using energy stores I would stay away from excessive CARBS before bed (unless you train late, where they will be batter partitioned).
 
I don't personally think that it helps with weight loss, however I do believe it is good for your overall health. I have read that when you give your body a long enough time between meals to finish digestion your body's energy can instead be devoted to detoxifying and healing. I have read that if when you eat frequent meals that your body's energy is always being devoted to digesting, resulting in less detox and healing time.

I am not a doctor, but when I read this I felt it could make sense.

Monica
 
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