“Don’t Eat Late At Night!”
“Eating At Night Will Make You Fat!”
“No Carbs After 6PM!”
Does any of this sound familiar to you?
Although some of it may sound familiar, all of it is complete and utter bullshit……
Are You Afraid Of The Dark?
I’m not exactly certain as to when or who came up with the theory that consuming food late into the evening would cause weight gain, however I do understand the premises behind this conclusion. According to Bro Science, our metabolism begins to slow down prior to sleep. Apparently our bodies also burn less calories while we are sleeping, as opposed to when we are working during the day (which for most people that I work with, means sitting at a desk). Therefore because our metabolisms have slowed down, and our bodies are burning less calories throughout the evening, it would be detrimental to our waistlines to be consuming any additional calories during this time period whatsoever.
Ugh. Enter LONG Eye Roll Here……..
Calories In vs Calories Out
First, I want to start by saying that the idea that a person burns more calories while sitting rather then sleeping is absolutely preposterous. In fact, if you were to take one of those fancy FitBits and compare the calories that your body burns while sitting in comparison to sleeping, you would probably not even notice much of a difference. And although I’m not, and never will be a believer that “a Calorie is Just a Calorie”, I do believe that if your goal is to lose weight, and you’re able to remain in a caloric deficit for the entire day (as in 24 hours), it makes no difference as to when you decide to consume those calories.
So What Does This Mean?
Simple. If your goal is to lose body fat while preserving and even building muscle, then you need to be smart with your diet. Unfortunately most people fall victim to the bumpier and more rocky route to weight loss. These are the people that tend to overcomplicate the process by listening to the marketing and moronic meatheads within the fitness industry. These are also usually the same people who jump from one diet to the next, or are always following the latest dietary fad.
I’ve been helping people lose body fat and build muscle now for almost twenty years. And during this time, I’ve tried all different types of dieting approaches on both myself and my clients. And what I’ve found during this time, is that if a diet is not sustainable, then it won’t work in the long term. What I also found out, was that like most things in life, there are exceptions to the rules. And in no place could this be even more true, then when it comes to diet, training and supplementation.
Sleeping With The Enemy
We have clients that train first thing in the morning and we have clients that train late into the evening. We work with individuals that go to bed at 10pm and we work with individuals that go to bed at 1am. We train people who don’t like to eat their first meal until mid morning, and we train other people who feel they need to eat as soon as they wake up. The common trend here is that nothing is common at all when it comes to working with the general population. Different people live different lifestyles. And although it may look good on paper, it’s not practical for everyone to consume 6 meals a day, and eat every 2-3 hours like the Personal Training Manuel suggests. Life is hectic, schedules can change, and occasionally, shit just gets in the way.
Therefore, to make things as simple as possible for my clients, I lay out a very simplistic approach to dieting. I don’t believe in counting calories, nor do I believe in meal timing. I do however believe in calculating macronutrients, and ensuring that all those macronutrients are consumed within a 24 hour period. I also believe incorporating foods that are high in fibre, low in sugar, and contain an abundance amount of vitamins and nutrients. And if it works better for my client to consume the majority of these foods in the latter part of his or her day, then so be it. As long as they are following the exact plan that I have designed for them – when, where, and what order my clients consume their meals in, is completely irrelevant to me.
The Final Word
So will eating late at night cause you to gain weight or make it difficult for you to lose weight?
If you are following a portioned controlled Nutritional Plan, that is packed primarily with rich, wholesome foods, then the answer is: NO.
Eating late at night WILL NOT have a negative impact on your health, aesthetics and long term results
Yours in Good Health and Goodnight!
Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance