I have a friend that's doing the weight loss thing with me, and she keeps saying it's better to eat fruits early in the morning and the afternoon rather than at night because fruit calories get burned off better during the day or something like that. I've also heard that it doesn't matter what time of day you eat anything; it's still going to digest/burn the same. So what's the deal? Is my friend feeding me a crock of s*** or do I really do need to keep my fruit intake during the day? I will say I do enjoy having a serving of fruit with my dinner as a dessert and to keep things balanced... am I doing this wrong?

I think if you ask enough people regarding when to eat you will get a different answer from everyone. My pattern of eating is against what most "experts" say, but it is what works for me, is giving me results and will be something that I can sustain, so.....

If your food plan is working for you and it is something you can maintain, stay with it. If your weight plateaus you may need to mix things up. My advice, don't over analyze, just do what gets you results in the long run. Eat healthy foods, stay with your plan and enjoy life!

I don't think that eating some fruit in the evening is why anyone is fat.

This is a great question. While my instincts (which haven't proven that well so far, I guess lol) say no, but then again..fruit isn't what makes ppl fat!

Because fruit is closer to a simple sugar it can set cravings off in some people. Since evening tends to be a danger zone for snacking/binging that is a consideration. As others have noted - every BODY is truly different and you have to learn to listen to yours. If it works for you - cool, if not - adjust.

Everything (sugar, proteins, fat etc) burns better during the day when you are fully awake and you body is at the peak of its performance.

I try not to eat anything after 8PM. Not even fruits and veggies. If can get really strong cravings I just try to fight them off with some veggies and if this is unsuccessful, THEN I try some fruits (oranges, bananas..). But the best thing is to go to bed and try to fall asleep.

You aren't doing anything wrong. Maybe just forgetting little bit that all people are different. So's your friend -- she forgets you are different than her. What works for her isn't necessarily going to be on your plan. It doesn't mean anyone is "right" or "wrong." It means diff people have diff needs.

Let me give you a real life example. Fruit?

The timing doesn't matter to my husband who has no extra issues. Day, night -- he could care less and it doesn't affect him. All he cares about is that it is watermelon, apples, pears and the fruits he likes. He hates grapes that are "squishy" and dried fruits are "disgusting." He's a big "texture" eater and textures matter A LOT to him. But timing of the fruit he could care less.

I love all textures, so I could care less if it is slippery grapes or harder apples or dried cranberries! I like 'em all!

The timing DOES matter to ME because I am prediabetic. (Insulin resistance). I cannot eat naked fruit or juices. It slams into my blood stream too fast and spikes my blood sugar. I rather have it paired with a protein/fat so it is a mixed meal and the protein/fat slows the fruit hit down. I also prefer it in the morning, so I have time in the day to exercise. (Exercise also helps with extra insulin floating about.) Fruit makes me too lively. I don't want it at night when I want to go to sleep soon.

I like planning my fruit for after school. This is my natural slumpy time and when my kid hits, I need the energy boost to keep up with her! So apples with cheese or peanut butter or similar is a good snack for us then.

See? YMMV. If it works for you to save it for dessert after dinner -- go with it! You are doing fine on your plan.

A.

For burning calories, I don't think it matters at all. I am one of the people who do have to be careful with fruit at night (or any time of the day, for that matter) because it does trigger extra hunger and cravings (especially if I eat it by itself).

I still do eat fruit, but I have to remember that if I eat it alone, I will be hungry again in an hour. If I'm sticking to my exchange plan, that doesn't always matter, I just have to "deal with" the extra hunger.

I find it easier to succeed when I control and minimize hunger, so I always try to eat fruit with some fat and protein (such as a bit of peanut butter or cheese, or as a dessert for a meal), because it satisfies hunger better and longer.

I read somewhere that fruit is quite readily digested, so if you're going to have a snack right before bed I would expect it can't be bad for you. I will often have fruit if I'm still hungry before bed. At least if you're going to eat something it may as well be fresh fruit instead of candy/sweets or processed junk (which when I ate before bed gave me nightmares... for real!).

You might just need to experiment - maybe try a bit of low fat plain yogurt with your fruit to help it 'stick' better (i.e. delay the return of the hunger pangs).