When do you stop eating for the day?

So, when DO you stop eating for the day? Do you have a set time? I haven't quite established a set time, but I think that maybe I should?

I hear that people don't eat after 5, 6, 7, 8pm...but then there are those (like me) who enjoy a little late night snack. And what of not stuffing your face 3 hours before bed?

Depending on a few different factors (cals, time, salt content) my weight will fluctuate in the morning when I weigh myself. Even if I stay within my calorie limits, I see an unsightly number on the scale in the morning.

Does it mess with your metabolism if you stop eating early on in the night (6, 7pm) or are the late night snacks what you want to keep your metabolism going? OR is that high metabolism at night gonna keep you up, wreck your sleep, and sabotage you for your daily morning weigh in? And if you do go for that late night snack, what should you reach for? Carbs/Protein/Fat? Does it matter?

Or maybe I should just not weigh myself save for once a week?

[I'm frustrated because my weight is not coming off! I stay within my calorie limits, get A's for nutritional content, exercise plenty, drink plenty of water, get tons of fiber, sleep just about 8 hrs/night, NOW WHATTTTT?]

Jen,

Hi! Two things here - I think that the actual clock-time when you stop eating is less important than stopping eating at least 3 hours (4 is even better) before you go to sleep - so if you are up until 1 am, you can have a snack before 9 pm, and so on. I got to bed between 12-12:30 during the week, and I try at the absolute latest to stop eating by 8:30.

This is simply because your metabolism DOES slow down when you are sleeping - you still burn cals, but just for basic functions. Think of it this way - if you have an apple with some peanut butter around 8 pm, and you are still awake for a few hours afterwards, reading, watching TV, talking on the phone, doing dishes, laundry, or what have you, you are USING some of those cals BEFORE you hit the sack! If you eat say 30 minutes before you nod off, not so much.

The second thing is, and this was definitely my own issue before I started going to a nutritionist, I would eat rather lightly during the day and then consume nearly half of my daily cal intake at night. That's no good. The body cannot use all of it at once! Plus, I slowed my metabolism down during the day, so my body WANTS the extra food.

Then I started seeing a nutritionist and she really helped me out - I now eat 4 meals a day, usually roughly the same size, at 8 am, 12:30 pm, 4:00 pm, and 7:30 pm. If I am super hungry after dinner, or I eat a bit earlier, I have a small high-protein snack, like the above-mentioned apple/PB combo or a small protein shake with soy milk.

It might be harder for you too since you have a small amount to lose...I started at 223lbs (I am 5'6") and am now 170 or so, looking to be 145.

Good luck!

Colleen

Jen,

Hi! Two things here - I think that the actual clock-time when you stop eating is less important than stopping eating at least 3 hours (4 is even better) before you go to sleep - so if you are up until 1 am, you can have a snack before 9 pm, and so on. I got to bed between 12-12:30 during the week, and I try at the absolute latest to stop eating by 8:30.

This is simply because your metabolism DOES slow down when you are sleeping - you still burn cals, but just for basic functions. Think of it this way - if you have an apple with some peanut butter around 8 pm, and you are still awake for a few hours afterwards, reading, watching TV, talking on the phone, doing dishes, laundry, or what have you, you are USING some of those cals BEFORE you hit the sack! If you eat say 30 minutes before you nod off, not so much.

The second thing is, and this was definitely my own issue before I started going to a nutritionist, I would eat rather lightly during the day and then consume nearly half of my daily cal intake at night. That's no good. The body cannot use all of it at once! Plus, I slowed my metabolism down during the day, so my body WANTS the extra food.

Then I started seeing a nutritionist and she really helped me out - I now eat 4 meals a day, usually roughly the same size, at 8 am, 12:30 pm, 4:00 pm, and 7:30 pm. If I am super hungry after dinner, or I eat a bit earlier, I have a small high-protein snack, like the above-mentioned apple/PB combo or a small protein shake with soy milk.

It might be harder for you too since you have a small amount to lose...I started at 223lbs (I am 5'6") and am now 170 or so, looking to be 145.

Good luck!

Colleen

I'm usually done eating (dinner and snacks included) by 6/7 PM.

I do that simply because before I started dieting, I did the majority of my overeating and bingeing in the late evening.  This helps me to say, "It's 7 PM and the kitchen is closed until breakfast tomorrow."

Usually 5-6pm that's when dinner is over

I dont eat snacks at night

HOW do you stop eating for the night?

I often don't feel "satisfied" at the end of my meals. It's not usually hunger, just a feeling (all psychological I think) that something's missing. So I try to fill it with a post-dinner "dessert" snack. I usually have the cals (I try to eat light normally so I can splurge a little when I go out) but I regret it when I feel bloated in the morning.

I don't know what it is about this topic that drives me so crazy nuts!?  It's simple people, If you burn 1600 calories in a 24 hour period and you consume 1200 the deficit is 400 no matter what time you consume them (and this is for average people, not cross-country runners).  It is better for your digestive system to space your meals, but as long as you get the daily intake needed your metabolism will not slow down.  If between the hours of 7 pm and 10 pm you burn 300 calories (just ie) then it doesn't matter when you eat the apple, 7 or 8 or 9 or whatever.  The only benefit to not eating late is most people sleep better w/o undigested food sitting in the tummy.  Not trying to be mean, just sick of the myth and non experts supporting it...

BTW jen, weight is supposed to be most consistent in the morning so I would look into you sodium intake, water, and if you are having regular bm...may want to consider more water and/or fiber in your diet.

I drink at least 12 glasses of water a day, at least 30g of fiber.  I try to be in bed by midnight, so perhaps I'll try to curb the late night eating, since it tends to be salty a/o sweet.  I'm almost positive it's my sodium intake.  And bm's are pretty much a non-issue...they happen just about daily but almost never in the morning before I weigh myself.

Thanks for the input.  

It really dependswhen I have time to make/eat dinner, normally I designate the 6 o'clock hour as my dinner time...but sometimes I have to make 7 o'clock that....But normally I do not eat after 8 pm!!! Otherwise, I cannot sleep at night because my tummy is too full!

i have early dinners/late lunches whatever you decide to call it at 4, and then from there at 7 i have a snack and thats my last meal of the day. i go to sleep early and i wake up early so its all good.

3 hours before bed is the best for the metabolism as was stated before in this post..i usually am done by 7 and go to sleep by 11

i usually stop by 7. and i go to bed at about 10...so i guess it works out :)

I stop eating when I've run out of calories for the day!

Usually, I stop eating about 3 hours before I go to bed, though.

Once my calories for the day are done, I brush and floss -- that helps keep me from nibbling.

=^..^=  MOLLY

I wish I could be done eating by 7, but I don't even usually get home until after that (I stop by the gym after work and I commute by taking the train). By the time I prepare my meal, it's usually closer (if not past) 8.

I tend to also save my calories for dinner because I like the satisfaction of relaxing and eating a hearty dinner when I'm done for the day.

However, my body seems to be adjusting to my new eating habits...and I'm not as hungry at the end of the day anymore. I think I might have to start reversing my lunch and dinner intake. Last night at dinner I had to force myself to match my daily calorie intake!

Some days I stop eating around ten, some days I stop eating around twelve.  Depends on what time I get home from work and if I had a chance to eat on time or not.

Usually when I work at night, if I've got time to eat, I'll eat at eight and won't eat afterwards, but I'm not always so lucky to get a break for dinner.

Between dinner and bed I have a SF Kozyshack usually around 9 pm.  Its 90 calories and a treat for my evening.

Hey...the answer here is simple.  Stop eating 12 hours before you plan on eating the next day.  So if breakfast is usually around 9 am, do not eat after 9 pm.  Also, do not eat large meals prior to going to bed because it will mess up your body's nightly detoxifying process.  Your body needs at least 12 hours of digestive rest!

i stop eating at 7:30 unless i don't have any control of a situation and may have to wait until later. i like having a cut off time. it was hard at first but you just have to make it a habit. it is a great way to instill some self discipline. im usually not hungry after 7:30 anymore, its crazy. i can think about food all day but once that time hits i don't think about food anymore. i know i'm done for the day.

Leiann,

Certainly don't want to get you hot under the collar, but I just want to let you know - my information doesn't come from a "non expert" but rather from my nutritionist, who is bother a certified nutritionist and a nurse.

This isn't only for your benefit, but for the benefit of the original poster, so she knows I wasn't fabricating or giving her mis-information.

Thanks!

Colleen

I think the advice on 12 hour digestive rest sounds like a plan, but says who?!  :-)  It pretty much coincides with the information that Colleen gave--stop eating 3-4 hours before bedtime--and I usually plan for 8 hrs sleep!  I'm generally STARVING upon awakening, so I eat as soon as I can was my face and get downstairs for breakfast! 

Ok, I think I'm settled for this topic.  :-D