A lot of people, especially in the UK where we’re conditioned to eating early, think that eating late is bad for them. Especially after 8 or 9 pm. But that’s not necessarily true. It depends on the type of person you are; how your metabolism works and what your habits are. Let’s take a closer look.
Does Eating Late Contribute to Weight Gain?
The fact that eating late contributes to weight gain is a myth. Your body burns calories around the clock, day and night.
What does happen, however, is that if you eat late and then go straight to sleep, your body won’t burn calories at the same speed as it does during the day, simply because you’re inactive.
Yes, you will burn off less energy while sleeping than when being awake, but you also need to get enough sleep. Sleeping helps your body maintain an optimal weight. So eating early and sleeping late is not a great idea.
Not So Much When You Eat as What You Eat
As we’re always saying at the DVCC, we don’t like to think of any of our clients going hungry. And that’s because, if you’re eating the right food, you should never have to feel hungry.
It’s far better to eat the right food at the wrong time than the wrong food at the right time.
So if you have it lodged in your mind that your spaghetti bolognaise at 6.30 or 7 pm is much healthier than grilled chicken or beef and veggies at 10 pm, you’ve probably got your facts wrong.
Also, think about your eating habits during the day. You could keep to a strict dinner timetable, but if you’ve packed in snacks like doughnuts, cakes and biscuits throughout the day, no amount of early eating will erase those calories.
Any excess calories consumed at any time of day could be stored as body fat. So the right food is more important than timing.
Your Personal Habits
Your own metabolism will have a lot to do with how you feel after eating late, as will your personal habits. I myself have a fast metabolism and can train half an hour after eating. I can eat at 10pm and feel great the next day. This isn’t true for everybody.
Also, think about your lifestyle. If you wake up at 6 am, go to work and then go to the gym, you’ll probably be pretty hungry by the time you have dinner at 7 O’clock. If you go to bed by 10, that will probably work well for you.
If you’re a university student staying up late studying (or partying) long into the night, and you have dinner early; the chances are you’ll need to refuel again before going to bed at 2am.
The Takeaway
There’s often some truths in the words of wisdom we tend to hear bandied about. But there’s also nothing set in stone. Eat right, and eat when suits your schedule and your metabolism. If that’s at 10pm, then so be it.
