My mom's advice for weight loss is: don't snack after bedtime!

A calorie is a calorie, right? Regardless of the time it's consumed. BUT, she has lost weight just by not eating after dinner. Has anyone lost weight without any special diet, just not eating after a certain time?

As I understand it, when we don't eat at night, it allows our insulin levels to fall to normal levels, thereby allowing us to NOT store fat.

I'm so confused.

The advice used to be not to eat at night because calories consumed before bedtime were more likely to be stored as fat. Then, someone published a study that showed that it didn't matter when you consumed the calories, and weight loss results were the same as long as the total daily calories were the same. I've heard several conflicting opinions, and don't have my own

However, the real advantage to not snacking at night is that these are usually extra calories that you don't need. Plus, the foods we tend to snack on at night are not usually healthy. When's the last time you reached for a carrot stick while watching Leno? Chips, cookies, and leftovers rule the night shift. The trick to losing weight is burning more calories than you consume. If you consume an extra 350 calories snacking at night, just cutting this out can burn one pound every 10 days, without making any other changes to your routine.


I might also note that during my most successful weight loss periods, I did not eat at night. My goal was 1600 to 2000 cal per day, with my last meal at 5pm. At 6pm, I would add up my daily calories and if I did not consume at least 1600 calories, I would have a healthy snack to round it out. Then I stopped eating for the day, and only drank water at night.

having lost lots of weight (only to regain it back ahhaah) I found that not eating after 7pm did help in weight loss.

having a dh and 2 kids who love eating at night does not help. but i'm happy to say that so far i've been able to refrain (except one night last week when it was that time of month).

Everyone is different..what may work for one will not work for someone else.

Well, so far I am in the minority, but here is my 2 cents. Every recent study I have read indicates that the time you eat isn't a factor as long as your total calories for that day do not exceed your allowence for the day. Personally, I have always been a night owl and enjoyed snacking at night. I still do that today and have been sucessfully losing weight. However, the snack I have at night is planned just as all my meals and snacks are, and the calories are are the last in my allowed 1500 for the day. Something that is important to consider is that food isn't processed and stored as fat overnight. The bodily functions run more on a weekly cycle - one reason it is often suggested that you weigh only once a week.

So, your mother may very well lose weight by cutting out her nighttime snacking. But, if her usual snacks are large and high calorie, that would not be unusual. If by cutting out her snacks she's cutting out 500 or so calories it wouldn't be any different than if she had cut those calories out during any of her daytime meals.

I think you will find that lots of people feel very strongly one way or the other about this subject. And the reason for that is people will report what has worked for them. And that is the key. Like anything else concerning weight loss, cutting out nighttime snacks will wield results for some and not make a difference to others. What is important is that you figure out what works for you. If you enjoy a snack at night, plan for one and make sure it is as healthy as anything else you eat during the day. If you don't feel like your loosing weight at an reasonable rate (1-2 lbs a week), try eating your snack earlier in the evening and see if it makes a difference for you. Nobody's body metabolises food in exactly same way and if you are going to succeed in losing weight you'll have to figure YOURS out.

It looks like you are down to your last 10 pounds (congratulations!). If you've snacked at night during the course of your weight loss and are having trouble shedding those last few pounds then changing your nighttime eating may very well make a difference for you.

I think as long as it's a PLANNED snack, then it's probably okay.

In the past, when I packed on a HUGE amount of pounds my eating habits were to eat hardly anything during the day - I'd have a bowl of cereal before work and literally consume nothing but diet Cokes and occasionally, a small scoop of tuna salad. Part of that was the mental thing I had and still have about eating in front of other people.

AFTER getting home from work (and back then, I was taking college courses after work so I wouldn't get home until around 7:30 or so) I would turn on the TV (if it wasn't already on) and strap on the mental FEED BAG until bedtime (back then, around 11:30 or so if I recall correctly). And I don't have to remind y'all that having the TV on not only keeps your conscious mind off the fact that you're eating enough calories to last a week, but you also have all those commercials for pizza and junk and fast food acting as an enabler/coach.

Nowadays, I eat a good healthy breakfast, I eat during the day, and at home I have dinner, do the dishes and the kitchen is CLOSED - just to reinforce I brush my teeth right afterwards. I used to go to bed with a full, distended stomach, and now I stop eating anywhere from an hour to two or more hours before bedtime AND I feel better and sleep better too

Also, for what it's worth, Oprah (who looks SMASHING right now - even better than she did back in the early to mid 90's in her 'Make the Connection' period) says that one of her cardinal rules that has enabled her to lose and keep off weight - and this is right off her website: "You must stop eating three hours before bedtime. Do just this, Oprah says, and you'll lose weight".

Now speaking for myself, three hours is impossible most weeknights, because I usually hit the sack by 9:20 pm at the latest, and most of my weeknights (M-Th) I have 'after work' activities such as riding lessons, Pilates, or Yoga and I don't get home until 7 or so (sometimes after 8 if I'm doing a 5:30 pm riding lesson followed by a 7 pm Pilates mat class...) but I do what I can...and that includes no more binging at night.

Thanks for the responses, everyone! I"m really bad about NOT eating at night. Whenever I'm depressed, I'd eat (I'm not kidding) a whole box of POT OF GOLD or PURDY'S chocolate before bed.
I'm going to try to limit by carbs after 6pm. I'll still eat, just high in protein foods. Many people have accelerated their weight loss by doing so, I believe.
...and I'm definitely going to take your advice and NOT eat 3 hours before bed. Oprah DOES look fabulous! I guess I'll be trying to stay up until 1am tonight. sigh.

Missy, when I evaluated my eating habits prior to making changes, I noticed I was eating a lot from the moment I got home from work until it was time to go to bed. To combat this, I eliminated all starch at dinner. I eat meat, eggs, cheese, nuts, and/or yogurt and non-starchy veggies. I ONLY do the low-carb thing at dinner, and I have a no snacking rule that I stick to religiously. The low-carb dinner eliminates most of my night cravings.

I'm also exercising and I eliminated sweets except for on holidays, and so far I've lost 15 pounds (in a month), but I think changing my night-time eating habits has had a lot to do with it.

OH MY GOODNESS!!! 15lbs in a month!!! Wow, that's inspiration, if anything. Congratulations!
Whoo...now I'm motivated. Just chicken for me tonight ^.^

But DO NOT eat the whole chicken, have a portion of chicken with some veggies or in a salad with a bit of dressing... Portion control is key...

I'm with the other ladies who say, if it's "planned" in your 1500 or so calories of the day it's ok... I usually don't eat because MY calorie alotment is GONE by 6pm ...

My 2 cents...

Hi all,

I will let you know if I lose when I quit eating at night....It is sooo difficult for me

How in the world do y'all get the cute little weight tracker to work. I get in the lbs but after that page I get no where....Help

My ex-boss does not eat after 6pm and he is looking great for it.

i have started a no snacking at night rule. when i first started losing weight i saved some calories for the night time. then ir ealized, i was starving all day, and then eating right before bed. now i allow myself more snacks throughout the day, and have cut out on my night time snacking ( except for the ocassional jello). it helps me to cut out some unnecessary calories, and i am already seeing results. however i agree that the only reason it is helping me lose weight is because i am eating less calories.

For my body to loose weight consistently at 52, I need to limit my night time eating. I stop eating and like mentioned before I consciously "close the kitchen" around 8 or 9 depending on my schedule.

My last snack is usually a wonderful, marvelously magnificent miracle diet food that has helped me to loose over 95 lbs and maintain it for almost a year now.... my miracle diet food (drum roll please)..... low sodium canned black beans. Yummy. I've developed a taste for them. They have both carb and protein in a naturally low fat little package. I rinse them off and keep a bowl in the fridge for snacking any time of day. Ok, so I'm wierd.

Allie in Oregon

I try to not snack after 8 p.m. I will usually chew gum to keep my mouth occupied. But if I really need a snack that late, it's usually fruit. Most often grapes.