One of the primary defining factors for healthy weight loss is what you’re eating, but an unexpected element that may also dictate the success of your goals is when you’re eating as well. A prime example of this is intermittent fasting, where you might fast for 16 hours and then only eat during an 8 hour window throughout the day. This pattern of eating has been shown to enhance weight loss and manage how many calories you consume to create a natural deficit.
However, just as eating in a certain window can improve your health, there are certain times of the day in which eating may actually make you less likely to lose weight. We asked a nutritionist to weigh in on the worst time to eat dinner if you’re working towards healthy weight loss, and this is what she had to say.
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Although on some evenings you may be more inclined to eat dinner closer to bedtime to honor your hunger cues, nutritionist Lisa Richards warns that this may be working against your weight loss goals. “When it comes to dinner time there reaches a point where a late night meal can cause more harm than good, regardless of your true hunger. Eating past eight o'clock in the evening can lead to an increase in weight and inches around your abdomen,” Richards explains.
If you’re waiting until you grow hungry to eat dinner and end up indulging after 8 pm, you risk storing your calories as fat as you’re naturally approaching a more sedentary part of the day. “Your activity level is significantly reduced after this time and you are less likely to burn off the calories you consumed,” Richards says. Eating dinner earlier in the evening will allow you to burn off your meal as energy throughout the rest of your day, improving your chances of weight loss. It will also make you less inclined to overindulge than you would be if you dine later and are overly hungry.
Sleeping is another key player in healthy weight loss, and eating dinner too late may make it more difficult to get the good night you deserve. “Timing is also important in regard to quality of sleep. Consuming foods that upset your gastrointestinal system or eating a large meal can make it difficult to fall or stay asleep,” Richards warns. Eating earlier will not only allow you to maximize your energy levels, but will also improve your chances of a good night sleep which is vital for your overall health.
In order to achieve your most effective weight loss, it’s important to make sure that all of your habits align to help work towards your goals. Healthy meals are not the only factors that determine the success of your weight loss, and eating dinner earlier in the evening will ultimately allow your body to maximize its ability to metabolize food, as well as shut down in time for a good night sleep. If you’ve been struggling to lose weight although you feel like you’re doing everything else right, consider moving up your dinnertime for better results.
