Eating past 7pm?

I am a busy bee and sometimes I'll eat around 1,000 calories by 5:30pm, but then have to go do something or go to a meeting..and I don't get home until 8 or 9pm.

I'm not very hungry when I get home, and I'm worried about eating at night. I still can eat about  300 - 400 calories, but I don't want to gain wait by eating that late.

Any advice or insight on this problem/fear?

Eating late at night will not cause you to gain weight.  Eating more calories than you burn at any time will.  Budget your calories and you'll be just fine.  A lot of people eat a lot late at night due to boredom, but since you're busy you should be fine.

I've lost weight eating anywhere from 200-700 calories just before bed (and I mean like... put down the fork, hop into bed sort of thing). I also tend to head off for the night at 2AM, so I really don't find time to be a big weight loss factor.

If you're only eating 1000 a day because of not wanting to 'eat late'... maybe try adding more calories into the meals you do eat? Aim for at least 1200, maybe even more depending on your stats/activity level.

You can try eating foods that are higher in calories before 6pm, then have a light snack at night. By doing this, you will get enough calories for the day. :)

I budget my calories during the day to ensure that I have an allowance of 300 calories or so left for after 7:00. I know that I get hungry then. I see no purpose in setting myself up for failure through obsessing over the fact that I can't eat because it's after a particular time on the clock.

Maybe it's not optimal, but I know myself and I know that I'm better off working with myself on this one than not. I eat four or five times a day and spread things out so that I'm never hungry and never feeling deprived. It's worked for the past six months and 42 pounds, so I'm sticking with it at this point.

a doctor i once had a conversation with about weight loss really put the whole night eating into perspective for me.  he told me that if eating at night (binging excluded ofcourse) made you gain weight wouldn't we feed all the starving children in the world at night?  this really helped because i don't eat dinner until i leave the gym around 8 pm.  as long as you keep it healthy and try not to spike your insulin late at night since cortisol has heavy build up in the morning you should be okey dokey. 

I don't even eat dinner until almost 7 p.m. and I still have a snack after that! 

~H~

I usually try not to eat after 7, but that's just a personal preference. Eating at night won't cause you to gain weight any more than any other time would.

Original Post by keepliftin66:

if eating at night (binging excluded ofcourse) made you gain weight wouldn't we feed all the starving children in the world at night? 

Genius!

I agree - that really does put it in a good perspective...

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going out tonight and dinner won't be served until around 9pm so...I guess I'll have to suck up my fear of eating past 7pm anyway!

It's all about calories in and calories out.  The time really isn't a big deal.  Eating late at night, if it is in ADDITION to your usual diet, is what one should be concerned with.  I sometimes work until 7 pm, so I won't eat dinner until 8:30, but it's a part of my planned calorie intake.  Just make healthy, conscious choices (just like we should at every meal :)

I have found if I eat high sodium foods late in the day, that I can feel swelling in my fingers and some bloating the next day.  That will affect my weight, because I weigh myself in the AM, but I know that it's water weight.

The last time I lost a lot of weight I vowed not to eat past 6 PM. It was very hard for me. This time around I am trying to budget my calories during the day so I can eat a meal at night, after my 45 min cardio regimen. I am keeping very close track to my caloric intake and my weight loss. Even with the late night meal...my fourth of the day...I have been quite successful at maintaining a 1000+ calorie deficit per day.

I weigh myself just once every two weeks. I'll come back next Friday after my weigh in and let you know how it went.