How many times have you asked this question? How many times
have I been asked this question? Too many times to count.
So let's straighten this out for you once and for all.
You will NOT gain weight if you eat after 8 pm unless you
have eaten more calories than you body has used (or unless
you have a thyroid and/or other metabolic condition that
can only be diagnosed by a health care provider).
Let me explain the concept of energy balance-energy, in
this case, meaning calories. Weight is a balance of intake
and expenditure. Intake means the number of calories you
consume; expenditure is the number of calories your body
uses. When intake is greater than expenditure, you gain
weight. When intake is less than expenditure, you lose
weight. When intake equals expenditure, your weight should
stay the same.
Of course there are a number of factors that can affect
this somewhat simple view of weight control, but for the
average person, the math is simple. Calories in versus
calories out.
But let's look at what ELSE happens when you eat after 8pm
(or 7pm, or 6 pm-depending on which diet book you have
recently read). If you are eating later in the evening,
chances are you won't be hungry when you get up the next
morning. What happens then? You probably skip breakfast.
Several things go on, physically and mentally, when you
skip breakfast. Physically-you metabolism, the rate at
which your body burns calories, slows down. As I have said
before, when you skip a meal, you body doesn't know if this
"fast" is voluntary or involuntary. It will act to
conserve every calorie it gets by slowing down the rate at
which you burn calories. So in effect, your attempt to
skip the meal to "make up" for the extra calories you may
have eaten last night only serves to sabotage you.
Psychologically-you set yourself up to overeat later. If
you skip breakfast-you will eventually get hungry. Chances
are that you will, on a subconscious level, say "well, I
didn't eat breakfast, so it's all right to eat this candy
bar." In the end, you wind up consuming more calories than
if you would have simply had a small breakfast of, say, a
piece of toast and peanut butter, or a small bowl of cereal.
There are a few risks associated with eating later at
night, especially if you go to bed shortly after eating.
One of those risks is developing reflux, more commonly
known as heartburn. See, digestion works better WITH
gravity, and if you eat a big meal and then lay down,
you're still digesting food, but now your body is level,
making if more difficult for food to move down the
digestive tract. Oh, it will get where it needs to go, but
in the mean time, it may wear down some of the tissue of
your upper digestive tract and cause you to develop
heartburn.
When I was growing up, we always had dinner at 6pm (don't
ask my family about regular eating time, OK?). Right after
dinner, dad would then lie down on the couch, watch the
news and take a short nap. Years later, he developed a
strong case of reflux, and it wasn't because he ate late
and went to bed early; it was because he would lie down
right after a meal. The recommendation is to wait at LEAST
two hours after a meal before lying down to reduce your
risk of developing reflux.
So, will you gain weight from eating after 8pm? While I
can't make you any promises, (and barring any unusual
medical conditions) I can tell you that as long as you eat
the same or fewer calories than your body uses, you won't
gain weight. Just remember, if you do eat later in the
day, don't lie down for a few hours,
Hey, maybe this would be a good time for a short walk?
----------------------------------------------------
If you would like more information on becoming At Peace
With Food™, as well as access to interesting articles and
links to nutritional resource websites, visit=>
http://www.AtPeaceWithFood.com/freetips.html
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