not eating after 7:30 P.M. (Bob Greene on Oprah)

I hope that this is not a repeat of another post:

Did anyone see Bob Greene on Oprah today?  He and Oprah agreed that the single most important thing that a person can do to promote weight loss is to choose a time at night beyond which a person will not eat.  I know that Bob Greene promotes this in his book The Best Life Diet, but for both Bob and Oprah to call it the single most important thing is telling.  I am trying it tonight and I am about to starve, but Oprah convinced me :)

I think the point of not eating late is that night time is when most of us get the strongest junk food cravings and are tempted to binge.

As long as you are counting calories and sticking to a plan, though, I dont see why letting yourself snack at night is so bad...as long as you know you can resist going overboard and keep to a daily calorie limit.

Im surprised they called it the 'most important thing'....but hey, tell us if it works!

Bob and Oprah said that the reason that it is most important is that it clears the digestive system to begin to burn existing fat.  That is not exactly the word they used, but that is the essence.

A young man that I know ate whatever he wanted all day, but he stopped by 6 and he lost tons of weight.  He was, however, a young man, as I said, and his age could have really made the difference.

It's also good to finish digesting food before you sleep.  And that helps with growth hormone production.  But, yeah, not the most important thing.  

I always eat before going to bed, and sometimes even in bed. I never go over my allotted daily calories and so far I have lost 55 pounds. I don't think it is that big of a deal.

It is good to give your body and digestive system a break at night.  I read somewhere in one of my nursing texts that it promotes better and more restful sleep.  I would definitely have to agree that I sleep way better at night if I don't eat late.  If I have a meal within a couple hours before bed, or any sugar, I am pretty much guaranteed to toss and turn and also to probably have nightmares.  I'm a weird sleeper as it is though.  As for weightloss I'm not sure if it works since I can't stick with it long enough to notice!

nods

united2gether:  I've read that in numerous places as well and it makes sense.  However, when they both agreed that it was the "single most important" component, I was startled enough to give it a try.  It was a rough evening!  I ate supper around 5:30 because I had to bring my daughter to cheer practice from 6 to 8 and since I am the cheer sponsor (another reason to stary in shape!), I had to stay, of course.  I brought a snack and had it about 7:30 (lots of goldfish crackers), but I guess since I am used to having supper later, I was ravenous by bed time.  In my very serious weight loss phase, I always saved a 100 or so calories for the right-before-bed-time, and I still lost considerable weight, so I know that eating late does not seriously hinder weight loss.  But I am going to give it a try to see if Bob and Oprah are right :)

I do not believe the whole thing about its "clearing" your system so it can "begin burning fat" theory. It doesn't make sense to me and I've read on numerous nutrition sites that it's actually a myth.
I think what matters is the amount of calories you take in over a 24 hour period and how many of those calories you burn in activity.

That said however...I think it might work for some people who tend to eat a lot in the evening. I am one such person; I just like snacking at the end of the day and I used to consume the bulk of my calories between 6 and 9 PM- something it was the only meal I'd eat and I'd always eat too much. I've switched to snacking on celery, diet soda, tea, and plain popcorn, and I count every calorie.

But evening snacking? No problem as long as you work it into your daily allowance.

I still find it easier to set a calorie limit than a time limit.  In the end, I think I stop eating by 7:30 anyway since I've hit my daily limit by then.

However, I think if I threw caution to the wind (i.e. stopped counting calories), I'd gain weight even if I did stop by 7:30 (i.e. I'd eat far more than my allotted 1700 if I didn't keep the calories in mind).  Therefore, I think counting calories is a better bet than just keeping my mouth shut after 7:30.

the only problems with eating at night, in my book:

a) boredom eating/snacking/relaxing.....chances are it's not egg white omelettes and spinach you are munching on!

b) people who eat more at night, are less inclined to eat a large breakfast in the morning. and breakfast is important!

As long as you have the calories, I don't think it makes a difference as far as weight loss goes. 

For me, I used to binge at night, the evening was all about constant snacking, and so I choose to "close the kitchen" at 7 PM.  At that time I usually sit down and plan my breakfast/snacks/lunch for the following day.  In my head the day is done food-wise.

Breaking the evening munchie habit has done a lot of good for me mentally, but there's no difference in my weight loss because of it.

Strangely enough, borgesgreen, I find myself not as hungry in the morning if I cut my eating off early the previous evening.  I guess my metabolism shuts down.  I actually have a harder time eating breakfast when I don't eat late at night.  If I eat late at night, I wake up hungry.  Guess I'm just weird :)

I am hypoglycemic and I know that for people with blood sugar problems, not eating for that long is one of the worst things you can do...so be wary.

Eating a low-fat, low calorie snack before bed (usually yogurt or fruit with cottage cheese) has made a huge difference for me. I am still losing weight, and I feel better in the morning. Eating before bed keeps sugar in your system through the night and your blood sugar wont drop in the wee hours of the morning and disrupt your sleep.

Oprah is fantastic. Yes, I totally heard that.

It was also mentioned by Dr.Oz, which was another guest on her show. But, he furthered the topic. 

Saying something along the lines that everyone's body is different. Each time our body digest our food, it has to relearn the process. Each food is different so it has to be digested differently. Which can slow down a persons metabolism significantly. He suggested only eating at the same times everyday, an arrangement of the same foods.  That way your body doesn't have to ' relearn ' how to digest something new each day. For the reason that it gets your metabolism on a routine schedule.

Sounds too bland for some people to follow. But, it worked wonderful for me.( 5'2 small frame btw ) I went from 113lbs prebaby to 186lbs in the last couple months of carrying my bundle of joy. ( The doctor said due to water weight. Which, he said the couldn't give me anything for... Because it could cause premature labor or miscarriage. ) Following the diet of Dr.Oz. I'm currently maintaining 105lbs. The healthiest I've ever been one year later.

realage.com

I hope some of that was helpful, just suggestions. Good luck.

For me, I don't eat after 6:30pm. I have found for me its the best thing I could have done. If I am hungry I have tea or water which also flushes my system and has me drinking the right amount all day. Again for me its worked out perfectly and I have lost a total of 59 pounds give or take a few...

Wow!  Great job on your weight loss, steuerl!  You must have strong discipline to not eat after 6:30! 

I know I have heard this time and time again (not eating late at night)...but I am really starting to think that it does have an influence on weight loss.  For me, if I eat late at night I don't sleep well and I think I may try to compensate during the day and have "weak moments". It is hard though when you socialize or don't go to bed till later....but its something to think about.  Has anyone else had success out there not eating after 7:30?

I always believed that eating late would make you gain or make it harder to lose.  I don't eat dinner until about 8pm and I am usually asleep by 930 or 10pm and I have been sucessfully losing weight for 8 weeks - the healthy way, slowly!  I count the calories and I do eat healthy, small meals but it certainly isn't stopping me from losing weight.

I have schedule my dinner at 7.00 pm I believe it works

I think Bob Greene and Oprah are both wrong on this subject.  The easiest and most consistent way to lose weight is to maintain a low-calorie diet and eat frequent small meals to keep your metabolism up and in an anabolic state. How does fasting for 8-10 hours every night fit into this logic?  In reality I have experienced the most success in losing weight with a light snack before bed and even the little "midnight snack" in the middle of the night to keep your body from slipping into a catabolic state.