With so much information on the internet, it’s hard to know what to believe when it comes health and fitness.
Fat is bad, sugar is good. No! No! No! Sugar’s bad, fat is good.
Cardio burns more fat. No! Weight training is better.
What’s a gal to do?
In this blog, we will take look at one of the long-rumored beliefs of all time. The Legend of Late Night Eating: Fact or Fiction?
Eating Before Bed Will Make You Gain Weight: Fact or Fiction?
Some say that the time of day you eat is as important as what you’re eating. While others feel that it’s an old myth. In 2015, personal trainer, Jillian Michaels said, “If you consume the same amount of calories whether you eat them earlier or later, your body will digest those calories the exact same way.” She also went on to add, “You should, however, avoid eating sugar or starch right before you go to sleep. As long as you don’t overeat, you won’t gain weight no matter when you consume your calories.”
It makes sense that as long as you eat within your needs during the daytime, you shouldn’t need to worry about what time you have to eat your last meal because your body never stops utilizing calories. If you are eating are huge portions and unhealthy choices at night, then there is a good chance that you will gain weight because your metabolic rate slows down and there isn’t a substantial need for extra energy.
It is crucial to keep a record of what you eat and to look at the total amount of calories consumed, because that will be the determining factor in gaining fat.
According to a study by PubMed.gov, ten women were placed on a 6 week calorie restricted diet. The study compared the effects of eating 70% of daily calories in the morning versus the evening on body composition. The group that ate the majority of their calories in the evening lost more fat and less muscle than the morning group.
Studies from the European Eating Disorders Review found out that in a twelve week assessment of college students’ eating habits, their total energy consumption did not influence weight gain as much as their late-night energy intake.
However, author and nutritionist, Kimberly Snyder, feels that timing is everything, especially when it comes to food. “We cannot evaluate the health of a food based solely on its grams of carbohydrates, fats or calories. We also have to evaluate how easily or not it breaks down and digests in the body, and what time of day we are eating will affect health and digestion.”
Scientists believe the timing of food consumption affects one’s circadian rhythms and may be the route by which dietary habits impact lifespan. A study tested the day and night cycles of mice under different feeding schedules. According to a study at UT Southwestern Medical Center, mice on a reduced calorie plan that ate only during their normal feeding/active cycle were the only ones among five groups to lose weight, despite consuming the same amount as another group fed during their rest time in daylight. “Translated into human behavior, these studies suggest that dieting will only be effective if calories are consumed during the daytime when we are awake and active,” said Dr. Joseph S. Takahashi, Chairman of Neuroscience at UT Southwestern’s Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute and Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
All this data is enough to make your head spin (and eat a gallon of Ben & Jerry’s)! I think to know if late night eating affects your body personally, trial and error is your best bet. Try keeping your last meal/snack before 8p and see if you shed more pounds after a month or two. Make sure you eat a satisfying breakfast and dinner so you’re not starving come nighttime, and if you are tempted to snack, veggies are the best late time choice because they are easy to digest and packed with healthy things your body needs.
