Eating and time of day

Scout7 - 2006-07-13 8:51 AM Generally, they say you should try to avoid eating too much after about 6 pm. But, I generally don't even start cooking dinner until after 7, so I'm with you on the late meal. That being said, I have found that the real key is to eat breakfast (something I NEVER did before), and eat a little bit throughout the day. I also run at lunch, so I generally eat within an hour or so of finishing. That, and drink alot of water all day. Basically, I would focus on smaller snacks, and having a larger (relatively speaking) breakfast. Other than that, just monitor how much you're eating in a day, and what you're eating. Sounds like you're not doing too bad, as it is. If you aren't real hungry at night, then yeah, I would consider cutting back the portions.

DerekL - 2006-07-13 1:08 PM

Not eating after a certain time is bunk. You don't have to be awake to digest food.

Scout7 - 2006-07-13 1:07 PM I wasn't necessarily agreeing or disagreeing with the idea, merely stating that I've seen that listed as being the conventional wisdom. I don't think it has as much to do with the digestion, more with how you feel going to sleep.

jkw001 - 2006-07-13 6:28 PM

Thanks for the responses! While I tend to agree it shouldn't matter too much what time you eat, I did read somewhere that people given identical diets gained more weight when they consumed the bulk of their calories in the evening than earlier in the day. Maybe they were too tired and hungry all day to move much!

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This seems to be a common belief amongst body builder especially and it comes from a few studies indicating that insulin (which is released after eating) may have an effect on the secretion of other hormones, which in turn inhibit fat metabolism. However, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that this is the case and there are many more articles/studies etc. that say it does not matter when you consume your food - the old calories in vs calories burned is all that matters.