Can you lose weight by not eating after 8 pm? What the diet industry doesn’t tell you

meafter 8 pm, gain weight. Isn’t this common advice you hear from just about everyone? The list goes on: don’t eat fruit before bed, eat small but frequent meals to boost metabolism, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. These are decades-old guidelines that are often suggested by health experts. Does science support these claims? Hardly. In my experience, most people miss out on eating important food groups just to meet the suggested time.

Let’s find out some myths about food timing that are most common in today’s diet industry.

eating late makes you fat

First on the list and the most common among others is the suggestion that you not eat late at night to avoid gaining weight. Proponents of this theory cite two reasons: late-night eaters can end up eating more calories than usual and these are high-calorie junk foods than healthy alternatives. However, there is no connection between these two possible propositions and overnight weight gain. In simple words, eating at night will not make you fat if your total food intake meets your daily calorie and macronutrient needs.

According to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the circadian rhythm or biological clock of the human body directs to sleep at night and avoid waking up or eating late. However, most of the research that concluded eating late at night leads to weight gain is supported by animal studies. An example is a 2009 report which showed that mice that ate at night gained more weight than those that ate during the day.

Human studies do not support this theory. TO study which involved 1,620 children found no significant differences between dinner timing, energy intake and weight gain. If you feel hungry after dinner, keep light snacks on hand. Some great options might be carrot sticks with hummus, a handful of walnuts, or apple slices with nut butter.

Also read: Stay away from detox “scams.” No single food or drink can be your medical miracle

There is a ‘best’ time to eat fruit

Fruits are generally recommended during the day and prohibited at night. There is no rational explanation behind this recommendation. In fact, the experts suggest avoid fatty, spicy and carbohydrate-laden foods before bed and include fruits such as bananas, kiwi, pineapple and orange to increase the production of melatonin, a hormone that promotes quality sleep. an intervention study fed two kiwis one hour before bedtime to 24 participants for four weeks and found that total sleep time increased by 13.4% and sleep efficiency improved by 5.41%.

Fruits can be eaten at any time. However, the types and frequency of eating fruits are specific to each individual.

Mandatory breakfast to lose weight

This is probably the most common myth about mealtime. Breakfast starts the day, but can be skipped if you’re intermittent fasting or want to eat your first meal at lunch. A 2019 British Medical Journal study, Reviewing the existing literature, he concluded that mandatory breakfast may not be a great strategy to ensure healthy weight loss. Andrew Brown, an obesity researcher at the University of Alabama, concluded his study mentioning that the proposed effect of breakfast on obesity is just a theory without solid scientific support.

Small, frequent meals speed up your metabolism

This myth is based on the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) defined as the energy required to digest, absorb and process nutrients. In general, the TEF accounts for 10 percent of your total calorie intake. Proponents of this theory believe that eating small, frequent meals leads to increased calorie expenditure by the TEF. However, the TEF does not depend on how many meals you eat per day, but on how many calories you eat in the same period. For example, you can eat 2,000 calories over four meals eating 500 calories at each meal, or you can spread it over two meals eating 1,000 calories per meal. In both cases, the TEF would be 200 calories.

That said, eating small, frequent meals surely helps keep you full longer, but with no evidence of an overall improvement in metabolism.

Also read: Do you want to boost your child’s growth? Replace rice with millet, says India-led nutrition study

Carbohydrates eaten at night are stored as fat

This popular myth suggests that carbohydrates eaten at night turn into fat. This is easy to believe and people have relied on it for a long time. However, the nutritional value does not ‘change’ after sunset. The origin of this statement is unknown. A likely reason behind this myth could be that after 6 pm, your metabolism slows down and the carbohydrate-rich foods you eat are stored as fat. But nevertheless, evidence suggests that while you sleep, your metabolism does not slow down, but speeds up, especially if you engage in regular physical activity.

The body repairs itself while you sleep and needs fuel and macronutrients to support the process. The combination of protein and carbohydrates could be the best nutrition your muscle can get to repair itself after rigorous physical activity. A study showed that people who ate 80 percent of their carbohydrates at night reported greater weight loss, better body fat percentage, and reduced waist circumference. In addition, carbohydrates help you fall asleep. faster.

key takeaways

Nutrition is personalized. Most concepts related to meal times are not supported by scientific evidence. However, individual modifications are possible to optimize the daily diet. Don’t pay too much attention to when you eat, but instead focus on eating versatile foods regularly to reap maximum benefits, prevent nutritional deficiencies, and keep diet-related diseases at bay.

Dr. Subhasree Ray is a doctoral fellow (ketogenic diet), certified diabetes educator, and clinical and public health nutritionist. She tweets @DrSubhasree. Views are personal.

(Edited by Humra Laeeq)