Overview
The idea of having a daily cut-off time for eating to promote weight loss has been around for years, and it often inspires raging debates about whether it's valid or not. Though at least one study points to the notion's validity, it's a more reliable strategy to simply monitor and limit the total number of calories you eat every day, regardless of the time you eat them, if you want to lose weight.
Rodent Results
According to 2009 studies published in the journal "Obesity" and led by researchers at Northwestern University, nocturnal mice who ate during the day, disrupting their normal circadian rhythm, gained almost 50 percent more weight over a six-week period than mice who ate approximately the same amount of food at night, when they are normally active. Both groups of mice got about the same level of physical activity throughout the course of the study. In an article for "The New York Times," the study's senior author, Dr. Fred Turek, notes that the same results would not necessarily apply to humans, but that more research is necessary to find out for sure.
A Calorie Is a Calorie
Regardless of the Northwestern research, the Weight-control Information Network points out that a calorie is a calorie no matter when you eat it and that "it does not matter what time of the day you eat." The network aims to debunk the idea that eating after 8 p.m. causes weight gain. It states that what really determines how much you weigh and how effectively you are able to lose weight is how much you eat throughout the course of the day and how many calories you burn through physical activity.
The Nighttime Binge
Perhaps the reason behind the idea of not eating after a specific time of night arose because of common habits to splurge when the sun goes down. In America, dinner is the biggest meal of the day and tends to contain the most calories. When you follow it with dessert or a midnight snack or both, you may end up doubling the amount of calories you ate previously in the day, destroying your diet in the process. Columbia University's health services department points out that people are more likely to eat high-calorie convenience foods at night after a long day of work or space out in front of the TV with a bevy of snacks.
Considerations
Curbing your nighttime eating will lower your net caloric intake, especially if you know that you have a tendency to eat more at night than you do during the day. It may also help to eat more substantial, nutritious breakfasts and lunches, which can fill you up for hours and make you less hungry later. Finally, before you begin any diet plan or make big changes to the way you eat for purposes of weight loss, speak with your doctor.
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