Health Tips
Calories &
Weight Management Article
My friends and I disagree — can
you settle the dispute? I feel a calorie is a calorie no matter
what time of day that you eat it. They say that if you eat all
of your calories early in the day, that it is less fattening,
because you will be moving around burning off those calories. I
say that if you eat 1800 calories a day, it doesn't matter if
you eat them in 5 meals or 10 meals, it is still 1800 calories.
I believe that the idea of not eating anything after 7 helps you
to lose weight because you cut out the high calorie, high fat
foods that are often eaten late in the evening. They say that by
not eating after 7, you lose weight because you're not moving to
burn off those calories. Please settle the dispute. Thanks.
Dear Alice,
There seem to be mixed opinions on late night eating. Presuming
I do not eat over my daily recommended calories, is it perfectly
acceptable to take in the bulk of my calories late at night?
Dear Readers,
One aspect of weight management that is vital to understand is
that we gain and lose weight over periods of time — weeks,
months, years — not hour by hour. We would need to take in
substantially more calories than we expend, over time, to gain
weight.
Another important fact of metabolism is that our bodies do not
stop working, even when we are sleeping! Hearts are beating,
blood is circulating, lungs are functioning, brains are even
working. This all takes energy — meaning we are still burning
calories.
There is no magic time after which the body stores fat. For
instance, if you eat the same exact meal at 6 PM or at 8 PM, is
one more caloric than the other? No, each meal has the same
number of calories. What really matters is the total amount of
food and drink you have over the course of a week, or a month or
longer, and how much energy you expend during that timeframe.
Excess calories will be stored as fat over time, regardless of
whether they are taken in during the day or night.
When it comes to eating late at night, most people have two main
problems. One is having a late dinner because they haven't eaten
in a long while. When this happens, often it's hard to keep
portion sizes within reasonable amounts, making it easier to
overeat. Frequently people are so hungry that they grab whatever
they can — usually fast, on-the-go, and unhealthy choices — they
don't call it "fast food" for nothing. For lots of people who
are ravenous, a few slices of pizza win out over steamed veggies
and broiled salmon!
Another problem is the "mindless" snacking that goes on at night
for many folks. The excess calories that add up quickly from
chips, cookies, ice cream, and pizza can contribute to weight
gain, whether or not they are all consumed in the wee hours of
the night or during the light of day. Some people find that if
they set a time that they can't eat past, it helps minimize or
eliminate the possibility of munching on a lot of high calorie
foods after hours.
