Will you lose weight if you don't eat after six in the evening or not? Finding out the answer is vitally important, because every day we are forced to deny ourselves dinner when we see that the hand on the clock has passed the cherished number. The roar of an empty stomach, hunger and the unbearable desire to eat everything in the refrigerator are driving you crazy. And a rule has stuck in our heads, which we hear about every day from friends, acquaintances and all those who are unsuccessfully trying to return their figure to slim. Why has this statement become so popular, and is it worth believing? After all, most of us do just that: we persistently reject offers from colleagues inviting us to a cafe or restaurant, we stubbornly push away the plate and turn our noses up even at low-calorie foods. Most often, refusal leads to night hunger and snacking, which is done under the cover of darkness. Even if we steadfastly endure until the morning, the result cannot please us - often the weight not only does not decrease, stopping at the same level, but also grows. Why is this happening? Our bewilderment knows no bounds: after all, we did not eat anything and stoically held out until dawn, overcoming our own desire to be full. This is where the catch lies - by depriving ourselves of food after 6, we deliberately harm not only our health, but also our figure!
Why can you eat after 18.00?
Anyone who wants to lose weight must monitor their meal times and diet. If you eat in the evening, fat will not be deposited. However, if you are on a diet, do not go more than 10 hours between meals.
The body stores food “in reserve” to save energy. During your next meal, hormones will be released, which will force you to eat more than you need. You definitely won't be able to lose weight this way.
Metabolism slows down during sleep, but does not stop completely. The food in the stomach is still digested. At the same time, physical activity decreases in the evening. The body has nowhere to use the amount of energy from eating a large amount of food. Therefore, it does not matter what time you have dinner - before 6 pm or after. If you don't eat well and don't move during the day, you won't be able to lose weight.
Myth #1: What you eat after 6 is not digested
In fact:
The digestive organs, gastrointestinal tract, and pancreas work at night in the same way as in the morning or during the day. The body copes well with the food that you eat even after 18, even after 19 hours. The common misconception that metabolism slows down in the evening and at night is false. Nutritionists are convinced that daytime and nighttime metabolism are absolutely the same, and their speed depends only on the individual characteristics of a particular person. Thus, poor digestion of food as a reason not to eat after 18 hours disappears.
What to do to lose weight
When losing weight, it is necessary to maintain energy balance. Energy expenditure should exceed the number of calories consumed. If you are inactive during the day, try to consume most of your diet in the first half of the day.
To avoid gaining weight, eat dinner 3-4 hours before bed. And 1–1.5 hours before, make a small snack. During such a short-term use, try to eat only easily digestible foods and in small quantities.
Eating a heavy dinner before bed is not advisable. The body needs to process all the food you eat into energy, which you simply cannot spend. The likelihood of gaining excess weight will increase.
After 6 pm, it is better to eat lean protein and fiber foods. This way you definitely won't get fat. Protein and fiber speed up metabolism and burn fat. At the same time, the body does not lose water and muscle mass.
If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, a simple diet will not help you. To lose weight healthy, you need to eat right and exercise. During physical activity, the body uses stored fat as an energy source. Regular exercise increases muscle mass, which helps you burn more calories at rest. Sports combined with proper nutrition are a guarantee of weight loss.
Is it possible to lose weight without eating after 6: expert advice
Eating in the evening and getting rid of extra pounds... This is not a fantasy that people who have fully felt the harm of exhaustion indulge themselves in, but a golden rule. The only condition is that the food you put into your mouth must be low-calorie.
There is a well-known misconception that everyone who eats dinner after six is sure to gain weight. This opinion is associated with a substitution of concepts: for some, dinner is a generous portion of fatty and heavy food, for others it is a light and healthy meal. The difference is obvious: if fried potatoes with lard go straight to the “bins” of the thrifty body, then the light broth will not only satiate you, but will also be easily digested, without being deposited in the form of folds on the waist. One important condition must be remembered: food rich in carbohydrates should not be eaten in the evening. You can only afford it until 16:00, just like sweet vegetables: beets, carrots, corn, potatoes, etc. Another rule is that food must enter our stomach a couple of hours before bedtime, otherwise it simply cannot cope with digesting food, and you will not be able to rest peacefully. We can advise “owls” one thing: transfer most of the kilocalories to the evening and don’t worry about the number on the scales. For women, the energy value of a serving should not exceed 650 kcal, for men – 950. Is it possible to lose weight without eating after six? With a light and healthy dinner, getting rid of extra pounds will turn from a pipe dream into a reality that each of us can bring closer. The diet should be balanced and complete, not meager. Fasting is a blow to our health and one of the main enemies of all those who lose weight. You still have doubts and are trying to understand what is allowed: you can’t not eat after 6, but is it possible to lose weight by eating delicious food? After all, in the minds of many of us, a common opinion has firmly taken root - low-calorie food cannot be appetizing! What if you dine on aromatic fish broth or a delicious beef steak? Juicy fruits - tangerines, kiwis or grapefruits can be an addition to the main dish, but you can treat yourself to them 1.5-2 hours after eating. Before going to bed, you are allowed to drink a glass of warm water, kefir with minimal fat content, juice or green tea. Agree, late-night snacks are not as scary as they are described. Much worse is starvation, which leads to health problems and weight gain. By controlling the calorie content of cooked dishes and creating the right diet for every day, you can get rid of extra pounds without torturing yourself with evening hunger strikes. Look at the Gratitude of our clients and Success Stories - View In our clinic you can learn about the basic rules of healthy and tasty nutrition, and a unique program selected by specialists will help you lose weight once and for all without fainting from hunger and refusing to eat. Say a decisive “no” to exhaustion and constant self-tests - choose a fulfilling life, in which there will be a place not only for slimness and an amazing feeling of lightness, but also for delicious dishes.
What can you eat after six?
In order not to gain weight, you need to consume an amount of calories that does not exceed the daily requirement of the average person. On average, this is 1500–2500 calories. Of this, approximately 20–30% should come from dinner.
3–4 hours before bedtime
You need to take the preparation of the evening menu seriously. 3-4 hours before bedtime, you need to eat something that promotes rapid digestion of food, recovery after a working day and replenishment of fluid reserves.
For dinner, choose dishes and foods that contain more proteins and carbohydrates. Such food gives a feeling of fullness and is quickly digested. This means that extra pounds will not appear on your sides.
Proteins help maintain and increase muscle mass and also fill the blood with amino acids. Carbohydrates produce insulin and store glycogen in the muscles and liver. Glycogen sends satiety signals to the brain, so you won't want to overeat.
Many people think that on a diet it is necessary to completely give up fat. This is wrong. Fats are involved in the absorption of vitamins and minerals, which play an important role in a balanced diet.
Dishes suitable for dinner:
- vegetable salad;
- egg white omelette;
- fruits;
- low-fat cottage cheese;
- chicken, turkey or lean meat;
- Fish and seafood.
1–1.5 hours before bedtime
You should choose low-fat, light and low-calorie foods. At the same time, you should like the dish and give you a feeling of satiety and comfort. A diet full of restrictions and conventions quickly gets boring and inevitably leads to breakdown.
Why do you need a late snack:
- satisfies hunger before bedtime;
- helps you fall asleep quickly;
- activates metabolism.
The ideal option is low-fat yogurt or kefir with bran. This set of products will not allow you to gain weight, even if you eat it right before bed. Such a snack maintains the necessary level of glucose and other nutrients in the body. Just pour a few grams of bran with kefir, wait until they swell, and eat.
Foods you can eat as a snack before bed:
- dairy and fermented milk products;
- vegetables;
- berries;
- juice, green tea and low-calorie drinks.
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However, in fact, to date there is not a single convincing evidence that eating after six in the evening affects weight. The most important thing is the number of calories burned in a 24-hour period, rather than the time of their consumption.
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It is rather a myth that eating before bed contributes to weight gain compared to other times of the day. The indisputable fact is that weight is a kind of balance between calories consumed and calories burned, completely independent of the time when exactly we eat.
As a rule, not eating after 6 pm is a kind of definite fasting! And, as you know, fasting causes a slowdown in metabolism and loss of muscle mass, as a result of which adipose tissue increases. First of all, you need to understand and fully realize that in the fight against extra hated kilograms, fasting after 18.00 helps only when combined with other restrictions and certain physical activities!
You can’t eat after six – what to do?
The question is, of course, very, very relevant, but first you still need to figure out where the myth is and where the truth is - why can’t you eat after 18.00!? First of all, it is worth noting once again that at night absolutely all physiological processes in the human body slow down. Therefore, food that gets into the stomach will become a dead weight. In turn, the digestive system in the morning must process all this, which is extremely difficult for it.
Read: What to eat before bed without negative consequences
As a result, peculiar toxins are formed that are absorbed into our blood. Hence, weakened immunity, dull brittle hair, general lethargy, poor skin color, etc. And, of course, excess weight - after all, the calories produced do not have time to be burned, but are stored in reserve in the form of “fat” on the stomach and hips.
However, it’s still not worth going on a strict evening hunger strike! Judge for yourself: from 6 pm to 8 am the stomach is empty, so it turns out that the body does not receive food for about 13 hours in a row. Therefore, such “pauses” are a formal guide to action for him - our body begins to create reserves.
And these, as a rule, are fatty deposits (i.e., the enzyme lipoprotein lipase, the intensity of which increases with long food breaks; fatty acids are sent to the subcutaneous fatty tissue). In addition, night fasts are fraught with insomnia, which in turn can provoke depression, nervousness, etc. Moreover, the body may require replenishment of energy reserves at 2-3 am.
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That is why you should not take any extremes, such as completely refusing to eat after 18.00: the best option is a light dinner, for example, a vegetable salad with the addition of low-fat cottage cheese, a glass of milk or a piece of cheese with a cracker. Adequate nutritionists advise shortly before bedtime to consume foods with a negative calorie content (i.e., those that cause the burning of calories, moreover, than they contain themselves).
Is it possible to eat after 6 pm - the answer is clear - YOU CAN
The best alternative to fasting after six in the evening is an absolute change in your diet. If your main goal is to lose weight, then first of all you need to completely abandon enemy foods, not only in the evening, but also in the daytime. For example, replace the usual delicious buns with apples or oranges, fatty fried meat with boiled fish or beef, and a salad dressed with mayonnaise with a salad of “exclusively” fresh vegetables, dressed with olive oil.
You can do the same, but be careful:
- oatmeal/rice porridge (with water);
- boiled chicken breast;
- baked potatoes (1-2 medium sizes);
- bread;
- a handful of dried fruits.
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Strictly not recommended:
- roast;
- fat;
- salty;
- spicy;
- dishes seasoned with a lot of seasonings.
Don't believe in myths - trust only verified information!
The material was prepared by Natalya KOVALENKO. Website illustrations: © 2013 Thinkstock.
Perfect dinner
The perfect dinner follows a simple “plate rule.” Conditionally divide the dish into 4 parts: one for the side dish, the second for vegetables, the third for protein products and the remaining fourth for fruits. By following this rule, your body will receive all the essential nutrients.
An example of an ideal diet dinner:
- buckwheat grain;
- lean boiled poultry meat;
- vegetable salad;
- apple;
- a glass of water or a cup of green tea without sugar.
Table of foods you can eat in the evening
| Product | Kcal/100g | Product | Kcal/100g | Product | Kcal/100g | Product | Kcal/100g | Product | Kcal/100g |
| Animal products | Fish and seafood | Dairy | Vegetables | Fruits and berries | |||||
| Boiled chicken | 135 | Squid | 75 | Yogurt (1.5%) | 51 | Eggplant | 24 | Apple | 46 |
| Turkey | 150 | Boiled carp | 46 | Kefir 1% | 38 | Zucchini | 27 | Orange | 38 |
| Rabbit meat | 115 | Shrimps | 85 | Kefir 0% | 30 | Cabbage | 28 | Lemon | 31 |
| Fried chicken | 210 | Crabs | 70 | Milk (3.2%) | 60 | Carrot | 33 | Apricot | 46 |
| Chicken egg 1 piece | 65 | Bream | 48 | Whole cow's milk | 68 | Cucumber | 15 | Cherry | 49 |
| Pike | 41 | Curdled milk | 59 | Sweet pepper | 23 | Pear | 42 | ||
| Sea kale | 16 | Ryazhenka | 85 | Salad | 14 | Raspberries | 41 | ||
| Pollock | 70 | Low-fat cottage cheese | 72 | Tomato | 19 | Blueberry | 40 | ||
Don't believe myths about healthy eating. Use common sense. Even if you follow these rules, you will not be able to lose weight without exercise.
At the Mango fitness club you will learn to lead a healthy lifestyle and meet like-minded people. Sign up for fitness support - our instructors will create a personal training program for you and give you nutritional recommendations.
