If You Don't Eat After 6:00 PM, Will You Lose Weight?

If You Don't Eat After 6:00 PM, Will You Lose Weight?

Overview

Not eating after 6 p.m. will not necessarily make you lose weight, although there are several reasons why eating in the evenings can make you gain it. If you find yourself getting fat from eating in the evenings, several strategies can help you break the habit. Regardless of when you eat, however, you'll never lose weight if you don't burn off more calories than you consume.

Fatty Habit

Evening eating can make you gain weight if the eating happens in front of the TV or computer and is filled with high-calorie snacks. Potato chips, ice cream, cookies and other calorie-laden foods munched down while watching your favorite show is not going to help your diet. If you cut out such evening snacking, you could conceivably lose weight because you are suddenly cutting all those calories out of your daily diet.

Natural Rhythm

Eating in the evenings or, worse yet, in the middle of the night, throws off your body's natural, or circadian, rhythm. Hormonal fluctuations control your circadian rhythm to make sure you eat when you need calories to fuel your body, which is usually during the day when you're active. When you eat in the evenings or at night, a hormonal imbalance can result and stimulate your appetite, making you feel hungry.

Move It

If you find yourself reaching for an evening snack out of boredom or habit, take a walk instead. Eat at the kitchen table only; not allowing yourself to eat while you're sitting on the couch in front of the TV or computer can also help reduce your evening snacking.



Take it one step further and don't eat while you're engaged in any other activity, even reading. Focusing on what you're eating and eating slowly can help cut down calories and make you more aware of what you're consuming.

Junk the Junk Food

If you can't stop evening eating altogether, make it healthier and less caloric by skipping fattening junk foods and snacking on healthier alternatives. Getting junk food out of your reach -- or better yet, out of your house -- helps curb temptation, as does having fresh, cut vegetables and fruits readily available.



Eating several small meals throughout the day instead of three large ones can also reduce your evening desire to binge. Start by always eating breakfast, which can help curb nighttime cravings because you know you'll have something to eat in the a.m. Making breakfast your biggest meal and an early dinner your smallest can also help.

source : livestrong.com