Is late night eating preventing your progress?
The short answer is it depends.
You’ve probably heard that eating after a certain time causes your body to store more fat. The truth is it’s the amount of food you eat not the time that determines if you’ll gain fat.
Ask yourself, if you clicked on Netflix and ate a half gallon of your favorite ice cream at 10:00 am, would that be fewer calories than if you did the same thing at 10:00 pm?
Of course not.
The amount of calories in food doesn’t change based on the time of day. You already know that. A slice of pizza has the same calories no matter what time you eat it.
Gaining or losing fat depends on one thing: energy balance. Are you eating more calories than you’re burning?
When you eat more than you burn, you will gain fat. If the amount you eat is equal to the amount you burn, then your weight remains the same. And if you burn more calories than you consume then you will lose fat.
So, it’s okay to eat late at night?
Of course it is. One of the traps of eating late is making good decisions. At the end of a long day you’re tired and it’s really easy to give in to temptation. After dealing with all the day’s stresses a slice of pie seems more appealing than say, having some yogurt.
This is where the “don’t eat late at night” idea has a kernel of truth.
But it’s not the time, it’s the fatigue. It’s harder to make wise choices when you’re tired. It’s easier to make an emotional choice rather than a logical one.
You know the yogurt is a healthier option but the slice is calling out to you. Sound familiar?
Does this make you bad, or weak, or wrong? Of course not.
If you’ve been so busy putting out fires for work and chasing kids around that you didn’t get a chance to eat lunch, you’re not just tired. You’re tired. You’re stressed. You’re hungry.
That’s a recipe for making suboptimal eating choices.
You’re more likely to opt for the high calorie foods. You’re more likely to wolf them down and eat more than you intended.
So the solution is just make sure not to eat past 8:00 pm, right?
Not necessarily.
Set yourself up for success. If you know you’re going to have to put off dinner until later, make sure you have healthy options and appropriate portions in advance.
Having a prepared meal waiting for you is a great way to stay on track. Lean protein and veggies are always a solid combination. A chicken salad is nutritious and filling, for example.
Making the choice ahead of time lowers your risk of giving in to temptation.
Have you ever gone grocery shopping when you were hungry?
Did you end up with a ton of stuff in the cart that you never would have bought if you weren’t hungry?
When you’re tired or hungry, your ability to make the best decisions is reduced. Shopping while hungry is very similar to trying to pick out something to eat when you’re hungry late at night.
The best strategy is to make your choices when you’re not hungry. You can prepare a meal that will taste great and satisfy you. And you’ve eliminated the stress of having to figure out what to eat.
Eating late is not inherently fattening. It’s that when you’ve been up for a long time you’re tired and hungry. When you’re tired and hungry, you’re not in the best frame of mind to make the best food choices. When you make poor food choices, in time your waistline will reflect it.
Help yourself out ahead of time. Prepare healthy meals in appropriate portions in advance.
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