Will snacking late at night stop me from getting lean?
With practical tips...
With so much conflicting health and fitness information, it's no wonder why everyone's confused. The issue of late-night eating seems to be one of the most recent topics of debate. But what do the facts tell us, and will eating late at night make use gain weight?
A calorie at 7.59pm is the same as a calorie at 8.01pm, and contrary to what some believe there's no magical time where every calorie suddenly gets stored as fat. Saying that "a calorie at 8.01pm will make you gain fat", is kind of like saying "eating fat will make you gain fat", or more recently "carbs will make you fat". Blanket statements like this just aren't true.
Eating of fats, carbohydrates, and even protein will cause you gain weight if you overeat them. If you take in more energy than what your body needs it will store it for later use. This might be of benefit of you're a hunter gatherer and don't know where your next meal's coming from; but you do!
Now, eating at say 8.01pm is the same. It will make you gain weight if you're eating more than your body needs. It will also cleverly store the excess energy for later use, in the meantime giving your six-pack the look of a beer keg. But whether you're eating at 7.59pm, 8.01pm, or in the middle of the night it really doesn't matter. Consider each of the 24 hours in a day to be important as each other.
In some parts of the Mediterranean it's not uncommon for people to be eating their main meal at 10pm at night. Of note they also eat a lot of starchy carbohydrates, and different sources of fats. Many of these countries don't have an obesity problem.
The Hadza of Tanzaniaare the worlds last full-time hunter gatherers. Unchanged for over 10,000 years they live off what they find; wild game, honey and plants, and they don't care what time they eat it.
You might also want to consider closer to home that our grandparents and great grandparents weren't worrying about what time they were eating their main meal either, and did they have a weight problem? Think not.
In a 2016 study that looked at 1620 4-18 year-olds in the UK, it was found there was no evidence eating after 8pm was associated with excess weight gain. There was also no evidence that later eaters consumed more calories either. Calorie and nutrient intake were shown to be similar, therefore the results were similar.
A 2016 review of research concluded that regular eating habits are the key to regulating body weight, while unplanned snacking, particularly in the evenings seem to be associated with higher body weight. While it's very easy to look at this and think that it shows late night eating to be bad, what it really demonstrates is what you already know. By you eating EXTRA unplanned calories in the evening, you're more likely to gain weight. Your irregular eating habits are also more likely to result in you eating extra calories, particularly in the evening, and hence are more likely to be stored as body fat.
A 2011 study in the Journal of Obesity showed something quite interesting. The sleeping and eating patterns of 52 people were followed over 7 days. It was found that those who went to bed later in the evening generally consumed more calories in the evening than those that went to bed early. Okay, that's kind of obvious since if we're awake longer we're probably going to eat more. But what's also interesting is they found that eating after 8pm, whether you're a late sleeper or not, was associated with a higher body mass index. This suggests that late night snacking could be harmful to your waistline and your abs!
So it shouldn't come as a big surprise when we say that giant man-bowl of cereal at 9pm at night isn't doing you and favours.
In a study, Baron et al. found that total protein, fat and carbohydrate eaten after 8pm was associated with a higher body fat. That's to say, rather than carbohydrate alone, excessive consumption of all nutrients was associated with fat gain. Evening and late-night snacking was associated with weight gain not because of the type of food, but because of the total amount of food and calories consumed after 8pm.
Here's a question: Is that late-night protein snack that's "drip feeding" your muscles doing your waistline more harm than good?
Other researchers have found that those who tend to eat late are less likely to be successful when trying to lose weight. They recommend that when trying to lose body fat we should pay special attention to both total calories throughout the day,and our eating patterns.
Eating at consistent meal times is of importance to those of us looking to achieve our body and strength goals. Inconsistent eating has been shown to disrupt normal body enzyme function and hormonal balance, potentially leading to excessive fat gain.
Because we've heard so many times that late-night eating is a problem, including some of the mentioned studies, most of us believe it. But it's the habit of eating energy your body doesn't need, often because of evening boredom that's the real problem. The excess calories are the problem, no matter what type or time they've been eaten.
Yes, late night snacking can be problematic, and can cause weight gain. But it's only causing weight gain because you've already met your calorie needs for the day and now started overeating. It's the most dangerous time of the day because your gas tank is already full, you're not burning much of it, and now it's over spilling.
Your body is very clever, and it likes to get in to a normal eating routine, so it can anticipate food and get ready for it. It's so clever that even the sight or smell of food can evoke an insulin response, ready to shuttle some energy in to cells around the body. Fat cells or muscle cells that's up to you.
If it doesn't get enough of it, it will eat in to its own stored energy (leading to weight loss), and if it gets too much it will start storing excess energy (leading to weight gain). A calorie is just a calorie at the end of the day, no matter what time it's eaten. 7.59pm or 8.01pm that's your choice.
Useful tips
A calorie is just a calorie at the end of the day, a measurement of energy. Some calories are better than others, but you need to manage your energy intake no matter what time of day it is.
If you know you're likely to raid the fridge in the late evening, then think about saving some calories earlier in the day. Make sure it fits in to your daily energy needs.
For those that suggest restricting carbohydrates in the evening to be a good fat loss hack, it's not. It's merely a way to restrict total carbohydrates and calories throughout the day. If this works for you however, then go for it. Carbohydrate has a positive effect on melatonin production and hence sleep quality, so it may be argued that carbohydrates in your evening meal could be beneficial.
As a rule, if you are late-night snacking then try to cap your calories at no more than say 200-300. Setting yourself a limit will give you permission to use them without the guilt, while minimising the chances of over spilling on calories.
Most importantly be consistent with your eating habits, your body likes to be in the know!
I hope you have a good weekend, and maybe think twice before some midnight ice cream.
Your Coach, Gareth Sapstead MSc cscs The Fitness Maverick
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