The Best Time of Day to Eat – Metabolism and Weight Loss Tips
Recent research shows that, if you want to lose weight, you should avoid eating at night. To boost metabolism and increase weight loss, the best time of day to eat is before 6 or 8 pm.
Before this research, many people thought the total number of calories eaten all day is more important than when you consume those calories…but that’s not true.
“How or why a person gains weight is very complicated, but it clearly is not just calories in and calories out,” said Fred Turek, professor of neurobiology and physiology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and director of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology. “We think some factors are under circadian control. Better timing of meals, which would require a change in behavior, could be a critical element in slowing the ever-increasing incidence of obesity.”
For more tips on what to eat (and what not to eat), click Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution by David Zinczenko. And, read on for weight loss tips that revolve around the best time of day to eat…
The Best Time of Day to Eat – Metabolism and Weight Loss Tips
Stop eating at night, when your body is sleepy. Your metabolism slows down at night, when your body wants to sleep. This is not the best time of day to eat if you want to lose weight, because your body won’t process the food. To stop yourself from snacking at night, just picture that food going straight to your bottom and belly and turning into fat….ugh.
Eat at the same time every day. This research from Northwestern University shows that eating at irregular times can lead to weight gain. It’s the first study to prove a cause and effect relationship between meal timing and increased weight gain. To lose weight, stagger your meals and snacks so you don’t get overly hungry – and so you’re not eating at night. For more weight loss advice, read The 8 Best Ways to Lose Weight (I’ve lost 20 pounds since I got married 4 years ago — and I share my weight loss secrets 
).
Tune into your natural body rhythms. An effective way to lose weight is to listen to your body. Your daily cycle of feeding, activity and sleep, with respect to external dark and light cycles, is called your “circadian clock.” This internal clock also regulates energy use – which is why eating at night leads to weight gain.
To lose weight, remember how gross it feels to wake up full. This is one of my favorite weight loss tips because it works for me! When I eat too much at night, I wake up feeling full and sluggish – and I don’t sleep very well. But when I go to bed slightly hungry, I wake up feeling energized, and eager for my morning cup of coffee and breakfast. Remembering how bad I feel when I wake up full reminds me not to eat food at night…usually! Sometimes I slip up.
These weight loss findings from Northwestern University might help us as a nation fight fat and lose weight. Some experts say we’re in an “obesity epidemic” in the United States and the world – more than 300 million adults worldwide are obese, including more than a third of American adults.
Want more diet and healthy eating tips? Read 8 Tips for Achieving Your Diet Goals.
And if you have any questions or thoughts on this info about the best time of day to eat to lose weight, please comment below…
Source: Northwestern University (2009, September 7). That Late-night Snack: Worse Than You Think. ScienceDaily.
Comment by Greg on 16 December 2009:
There is no “best time of the day to eat” for me — I’m one of those lucky skinny guys who can eat at all hours and not gain a pound.
Comment by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen on 17 December 2009:
My husband is exactly the same way, Greg! You are two lucky, lucky men