Do You Really Lose Weight by Not Eating After 8 pm? Here’s What we Know

A nutritionist debunks some food timing myths that are most common in today’s diet industry.

The diet industry often hands out a list of dos and don’ts which mostly comprises of – don’t eat your dinner after 8 pm, do not eat fruits before going to bed, eat small meals to increase metabolism and the list goes on. But does science support any of this myth? As per nutritionist Dr Subhasree Ray, science hardly supports these claims. People who are on a weight loss journey often miss out on important food groups in order to eat before 8 pm.

Dr Ray debunks some food timing myths that are most common in today’s diet industry.

• Eating late can make you gain weight: Dr Ray wrote in The Print that eating at night won’t make you fat if your overall food intake complies with the daily calorie and macronutrient needs. If you feel hungry after dinner, then keep light snacks handy. You can include carrot sticks with hummus, a handful of nuts or apple slices with nut butter.
• Best time to eat fruits: Most health experts say that one should eat fruits during the daytime and avoid consuming them at night. Dr Ray says that fruits can be eaten anytime, however, the types and frequency of eating fruits are individual-specific.
• Don’t skip your breakfast: This is one of the most common myths according to Dr Ray. She says that breakfast kick starts your day but can be skipped if you’re following intermittent fasting or want to eat your first meal at lunch.
• Small and frequent meals to boost your metabolism: Eating small, frequent meals surely helps you to stay full for longer but with no evidence of improved overall metabolism.
• Don’t eat carbs at night: Nutritionists often suggest that one should not include carbs at night as it can get converted into fats. But how true is that? Dr Ray says that the nutritive value doesn’t ‘change’ after sunset. The origin of this claim is unknown. One probable reason behind this myth could be that after 6 pm, your metabolism gets slower and carb-rich foods that you eat get stored as fat. However, evidence suggests that while you sleep, your metabolism doesn’t slow down, but speeds up, especially if you’re regularly engaged in physical activity.

Conclusion: Don’t pay much attention to when to eat, rather focus on eating versatile foods regularly to get maximum benefits, prevent nutritional deficiencies, and keep diet-related diseases at bay.