Last meal at 5 PM

So somewhere i read that you should have breakfast at 8 am, Lunch at 12 and Dinner at 5pm and then small snacks in between those. So i realized when i was having my last meal at the most 6 pm, i was losing weight consistently, about 2 lbs a week, and when i stopped doing that and started waking up later and eating later and ate before i slept i would stop losing weight. At first my body would get hungry even tho i had all my calories but after like 2 days it got adjusted, so my question is, is it okay if i eat all my calories really early in the day and have my last meal at 5 or 6 pm? I find im more active this way

I just read somewhere that it really doesn't matter when you have your meals as long as the calories ingested are less than expended calories.  I think it was on WebMD.  That being said, if you are experiencing more success by having your last meal before 6, you should continue doing what works best for you.

Original Post by laura42:

I just read somewhere that it really doesn't matter when you have your meals as long as the calories ingested are less than expended calories.  I think it was on WebMD.  That being said, if you are experiencing more success by having your last meal before 6, you should continue doing what works best for you.

 I have heard about this, too. But, in my experience, people burn calories at different rates at different parts of the day. My metabolism (and hunger levels) are HIGH in the morning, and whatever I eat seems half of what I eat in the evening. I also loose much more weight if I don't eat after 5 or 6 pm and go to bed at 10 pm. (Not to mention sleep better, I cannot sleep on a full stomach.)

I think the calories in-calories out theory is a bit flawed in this respect, since it doesn't take into account the ideosyncretic variations in calorie burning (metabolism) at different parts of the day/in different seasons/times of the month. Such variations do occur, and if we get to know our own bodies properly, we can use them to our advantage. 

The way I've interpreted all the info out there, is that if you eat just before you go to sleep there is no time for your body to use any of the calories, and so they immediately get stored as glycogen or fat. So it would follow that eating your last meal earlier helps with the weight loss.

It is interesting that you said your body adjusted after 2 days. I would like to eat earlier but I haven't really tried as I tend to eat late and am worrying that I'll want to snack in the evenings. But I'll try now and see....

Are you sure you were eating the SAME NUMBER of calories during both of those methods? Maybe you used the time after 5pm to take in more calories than you normally would have when cutting yourself off at 5pm. that being said, I've lost 25+ lbs eating whenever I please, even having snacks right before going to sleep. just counting the calories.

I just use the rule of not eating past 7:00pm. I've heard the same thing that lizzieshine87 said about eating right before bed. I know late night eating kills my weight loss. If I eat my last meal at 6 or 6:30 my body has time to digest it before bed. I sometimes go to bed a little hungry, but I just tell myself my body is burning fat, and I wake up feeling lighter, and ready for breakfast! :) 

soif you eat late at night but still not over your maintencne, your saying you can gain fat or weight?

In the past I lost a lot of weight eating at any hour of the day.  I still ate meals at night and still lost weight.  I guess it depends on the person.

My trainer told me not to eat any carbs after 3pm, and I think it's your best bet to not eat much after about 7pm. Of course it depends on the person, but I think it's a good general guideline. Of course not having carbs after 3 pm can be a struggle. That means no bread or pastas for dinner. My solution is veggies and meat. Last night I made a delicious stir fry and teriyaki meatballs and it was great!

Personally I only eat one carb (as in bread carb) a day, usually in the morning, but this is because I am trying to get preggo and my grain intake( even though it is whole grains) contributes to yeast which contributes to infertility.

Original Post by 4theloss:

Are you sure you were eating the SAME NUMBER of calories during both of those methods? Maybe you used the time after 5pm to take in more calories than you normally would have when cutting yourself off at 5pm. that being said, I've lost 25+ lbs eating whenever I please, even having snacks right before going to sleep. just counting the calories.

 Yes i was eating the same amount of calories, i did not eat anymore at night than i did in the day. i believe carbs makes me gain weight if i eat it at night, i think that is the problem. Anyway im trying to eat all my meals before 7 pm and trying that out to see how it goes.

Original Post by evey_:

My trainer told me not to eat any carbs after 3pm, and I think it's your best bet to not eat much after about 7pm. Of course it depends on the person, but I think it's a good general guideline. Of course not having carbs after 3 pm can be a struggle. That means no bread or pastas for dinner. My solution is veggies and meat. Last night I made a delicious stir fry and teriyaki meatballs and it was great!

Personally I only eat one carb (as in bread carb) a day, usually in the morning, but this is because I am trying to get preggo and my grain intake( even though it is whole grains) contributes to yeast which contributes to infertility.

 Yes i think that was the problem. i would include carbs at night as well if i was really hungry. Now i try to eat most of my carbs in the morning but then its hard to find enough protein and fat to eat later on to balance it out. I try to reach 50% carbs a day but sometimes go over by 5%

Original Post by lizzieshine87:

The way I've interpreted all the info out there, is that if you eat just before you go to sleep there is no time for your body to use any of the calories, and so they immediately get stored as glycogen or fat. So it would follow that eating your last meal earlier helps with the weight loss.

It is interesting that you said your body adjusted after 2 days. I would like to eat earlier but I haven't really tried as I tend to eat late and am worrying that I'll want to snack in the evenings. But I'll try now and see....

 

 That sounds about right, you bodu uses all the energy to sleep and not to digest the food i think

I eat when I'm hungry.  If I try to stick to rules like this I break them, then become disappointed in myself, and fall completely off the wagon.  The more simple things are for me the easier it is to comply.  So, all I do is stick to my pre-determined intake and try to make healthy choices.  That's it.  Don't make yourself stick to rules like that UNLESS it really works for you (meaning not only does it make you lose weight but it makes you happy too).  It's not going to make a difference in the long run.

I actually just talked to a nutritionist about this exact thing. She mentioned it is best to eat the majority of the calories during the day, as our metabolism is affected by daylight.

They also call the "eat light during the day and feast at night" the Sumo Wrestler diet. That's how they eat to keep all the weight.

I started this on her advice and I have a lot more energy during the day and don't wake up so groggy. Not long enough to say about the weight loss apect yet.

The whole not eating before bed thing is a myth.  Everyone is overthinking this calorie thing.  

If you burn more calories than you eat, then you lose weight.

You burn the same number of calories during the day no matter when you eat.  You injest the same number of calories during the day no matter when you eat so... you have the same deficit no matter when you eat and you lose the same amount of weight.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/know-about -dieting-who-ask?ecd=wnl_din_092908

To answer your question fairydust, you can eat whenever you want as long as you count the calories and it doesn't cause you to binge the rest of the day.

i lost weight by eating a peanut butter sandwhich in bed right before i would fall asleep this prevented me from waking up in the midlle of the night hungry.  i dont recomend eating in bed its a bad habbit cause now i do it every night, but i maybe eat 700 cals from 6am till 6pm and after that around 1200 for the next 3 hrs till i sleep.  its usually mostley fruit and veggies though if that makes a big diffrence because a calorie is a calorie

idiosyncratic...............................n ice vocab disc, way to bring the education level of the forum up a notch today!!!!

Original Post by coatesuwyo:

idiosyncratic...............................n ice vocab disc, way to bring the education level of the forum up a notch today!!!!

 Thanks Sorry about the spelling mistake, thanks for correcting it!

Hehe iits really funny this thread came up...I usually eat whenever I want too, however the past couple nights I've gone to bed hungry because I was too tired to eat - and i actually was woken up by my hunger, like so hungry I was NAUSEOUS and my head was buzzing, even though i ate a full dinner and snack after that. So I grabbed a few almonds I had by my bed and ate them in a daze and went back to sleep. Woke up STILL starving. So I made me a big breakfast and was on my way....but be aware that not eating before bed may also have a negative effect on ur sleep - i kepy waking up hungry like every hour!!

Original Post by tinydancer04:

Hehe iits really funny this thread came up...I usually eat whenever I want too, however the past couple nights I've gone to bed hungry because I was too tired to eat - and i actually was woken up by my hunger, like so hungry I was NAUSEOUS and my head was buzzing, even though i ate a full dinner and snack after that. So I grabbed a few almonds I had by my bed and ate them in a daze and went back to sleep. Woke up STILL starving. So I made me a big breakfast and was on my way....but be aware that not eating before bed may also have a negative effect on ur sleep - i kepy waking up hungry like every hour!!

 yup some days i am sooo hungry at night that i just go to sleep right away and wake up and have a big breakfast. I love having a big breakfast to start my day. I find if i have maybe like 100 cal at night before bed won't do anything to me, usually i keep  nuts near my bed or have a yogurt or something light

Your body burns the same calories/day, regardless of when you eat. So it doesn't matter. That time is just so you don't eat at night, so you won't eat as much.

Your body doesn't take into account what time it is when you eat, there is no reason why eating something later at night would increase its calorie content :p