Stop Eating at 7pm?

If I eat my calorie intake for the day at 5pm (or 7pm) will it hurt my weight loss if I don't eat anything until the next morning? I have class from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. I don't want to eat after class. Is this a good thing or bad thing?

The only thing that hurts weight-loss is 'eating too much'.  Doesn't really matter whether you stop eating at 5pm or 10pm.  If you're getting the right number of calories in total you should, theoretically, be able to control your weight.

If you don't mind going to bed hungry, it's not a bad thing... so long as you're under your calorie's for the day.

However, if you find yourself a tad hungry, you can safely go up to your maintenance levels without fear of gaining, it just might take an extra day to get to your weight goal.

Original Post by bshunt29:

If I eat my calorie intake for the day at 5pm (or 7pm) will it hurt my weight loss if I don't eat anything until the next morning? I have class from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. I don't want to eat after class. Is this a good thing or bad thing?

 

 

 

short answer NO it wont hurt your weight loss effort.

Fear of going over the calories

The problem with dieting is we have a tendency to get so stuck on certain ways to do things. You have a calorie limit and fear going over it.

Your body will adjust to whatever program you have introduced, however it is a good idea not go to bed hungry.  A small bowl of cereal grain like rolled oats (high in fbre, nutrients and low in calories) is all you need, it is easily digested and will carry u through the night.  

In my opinion, hunger is not  part of a well balanced diet.

There is nothing wrong with it as long as you don't wake up starving and make unwise breakfast choices.  When I have those long night classes, I always eat dinner early like you are doing, but put a piece of fruit or a fiber bar in my purse to eat halfway through the class.  I'd be starving when I got home if I stopped eating at 5 and then returned at 9, and would be tempted to snack before bed. But, if it works for you, great! 

It should not effect your overall weight loss, but I love the 7 PM rule.  And try extremely hard to stick to it.  I have found that over time the later I eat, the worse the quality and quantitiy of foods become.  I did like the post to eat a small bowl of quality cereal or even some grapes to get you through the night.  Usually with the night classes you get a break in the middle, maybe a protein bar or some fruit would work.

Good Luck.

I don't eat after 7pm as a rule.  I get home from class at 6:30.  My boyfriend gets home from work usually around that time and he eats really unhealthy food.  By only giving myself that half-hour, I can eat my healthy food and then ignore his bad foods once he gets home.  I found by making it a rule for me to stop eating at 7, I stay away from eating the unhealthy stuff he brings home with him. 

So far it has worked really well for me.  I've started losing weight again, where before, when I was eating after 7 I found myself eating without a conscience.  Sometimes I would go to the refrigerator at 9 o'clock and eat crap.  No more of that!

Good grief!  What ever you eat in a 24 hour period is what you eat.  If you stop eating at 5:00 or 7:00 doesn't matter.  What if your shift/schedule required you to go to bed at 6:00 p.m.? My only "rule of thumb" is I stop eating when I'm out of calories.  Crappola, I've had an apple at 11:00 p.m. because I had the calories to spend.  I've had breakfast at 4:00 a.m. because it's a new start to another day for me.

Long story short:  It's a 24 hour period that determines what and when you eat.  No one is on the same schecule as me.  No one gets hungry at the same time as me.  No one can know what works best for me, as me.  You are an individidual; and eating what is necessary for "you" is up to you.  You CAN NOT schedule your eating habits/patterns based on some theory or "guidelines" set out by others.

Yes, I'm in a mood today; so sorry if it reflects in this response.  I am sincere in my post to you though.  Offering only advise from a sage (opps! meant to say "sage advise" :o/ ) 

So, my answer to you is NO it will not hurt you, and NO it will not be a benefit.  Take your choice.  Both answers are correct, depending on how you handle them.  

Insulin/sminsulin (meh):  Unless your diabetic, who cares?  I don't understand #2 post saying that as long as you are under your calories.........Please explain that one #2. 

Original Post by sulfyr:

If you don't mind going to bed hungry, it's not a bad thing... so long as you're under your calorie's for the day.

However, if you find yourself a tad hungry, you can safely go up to your maintenance levels without fear of gaining, it just might take an extra day to get to your weight goal.

 

Personally I have NEVER abided by the "stop eating @ 7" rule.  Growing up I always had a breakfast (cereal and milk, maybe a fruit), a lunch (sandwich), a dinner (a meat, starch and veggie) and a dessert (something sweet).  On my own now in college it's the same thing.  I am finished with breakfast, lunch and dinner by 7....sometimes I am at my calorie allotment, sometimes just under, sometimes way under.  No matter what I have something sweet at 10 pm (I go to bed between 11 and midnight).  How close I am to going over my caloric allotment influences the sweet thing I eat.  Eating after seven won't hurt your weight loss plan as long as you have a deficit between burned calories and ingested calories.  If being done with eating at 7pm floats your boat and you aren't starving after your class (feeling starved leads to bad choices) then go float on. :)