Does Eating Late Cause Weight Gain?

There is a commonly accepted myth about weight loss that if you eat late at night then you will be much more likely to gain weight. The thing is that everybody has their own schedule, and with that schedule comes individual eating habits as well. While some people will eat their supper at 6pm on the nose every single night, others will eat at 10pm or later. Among all of these different eating habits, there is no group that is slimmer or heavier than the other. This being said, while it is a myth that eating late causes weight gain, there are some small elements of truth that helped this myth to develop.

When eating late at night choose meals that are lighter in calories, such as salads, and eat your bigger meals earlier in the day.

Essentially, it doesn’t matter when you eat, as long as what you’re eating is the proper choice. If you want to eat a very late dinner – which is fine – you will just need to be a bit more careful about your food choices and the amount of food you eat. If your schedule has you eating your last meal late at night, then you want to make it a lighter one. In this situation, people who still eat only three main meals a day (instead of 5-6 small meals) will want to eat their larger meal at breakfast or lunch.

There have been numerous studies conducted about how the timing of meals can affect weight gain and the overall results have shown that there is no difference. The human body is a very efficient machine for metabolizing food. Whether you eat this food at noon or at midnight, research has shown that your metabolism will be just as effective.

Perhaps the only difference between eating your meals earlier in the day versus at night is how the food energy is used. For example, if you eat your dinner at 6pm and then go out for a walk or go to the gym in the evening then you will be burning some of the calories you ate and fewer will be stored as body fat. However, for people who eat late at night it is quite unlikely that they will follow up their meal with physical activity, thus more calories may be turned into fat.

Therefore, the answer is no, eating late does not cause weight gain. If you prefer to eat a later evening meal, just make your morning or midday meals are the biggest ones and keep your late meal lighter in calories.

Other Related Posts and Articles You May Find Interesting: “Low Calorie Dinner Ideas“, “Cooking Tips for Weight Loss“, “Avoid Skipping Meals“, and “Tips for Dining Out on a Diet“.