Here’s What Time To Eat Dinner
Late night eating causes the body to store more fat. But it’s also important to refuel after a workout, so if you are working out late you need to refuel with at least a snack about 30-60 minutes post workout.
Eating too few calories at the wrong time of day also inhibits weight loss. Diet-induced weight loss results in compensatory increase of hunger, craving and more of the ‘feed me’ hormone ghrelin to be released. All of these factors encourage weight regain. Eating too late at night will reduce your levels of the gut hormone leptin which circulates to your pain to signal that you are full.
Part of why eating dinner too late at night is bad, is that your natural levels of melatonin begin to rise about 3 hours before your normal bedtime. This rise tells the pancreas to quit making insulin, so that food eating too late has less chance to digest. So one’s best dinner time usually has something to do with your regular schedule and your innate biologic clock.
Type 2 diabetics who eat dinner after 8 in the evening will have worst blood sugar control.
There are several reasons why eating late at night may lead to weight gain. One reason is that the body’s metabolism slows down at night, which means that the body burns fewer calories than it does during the day. Additionally, eating late at night can lead to acid reflux, indigestion and in turn sleeping problems, which can negatively impact the body’s ability to burn calories. Furthermore, people who eat late at night may be more likely to consume unhealthy foods, such as high-calorie snacks, which can contribute to weight gain .
It’s important to note that the calorie in/calorie out theory of weight control still holds true, regardless of when you eat. This means that what causes weight gain is simply eating more calories than you burn, regardless of when you consume those calories 1.
If you’re trying to lose weight, and have a relatively normal schedule going to bed between about 9-11 pm, it’s recommended to eat regular meals and consume 90% of your calories before 8 p.m. Eating meals every three to four hours helps regulate blood sugar levels and control hunger and cravings . It’s also important to balance calories with the right kind of breakfast and enough protein to fight day time hunger.
