No Eating After 8 PM. Does It Actually Help You Lose Weight?

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No Eating After 8 PM. Does It Actually Help You Lose Weight? (Credits: Pexels)

We’ve all heard it at least once in our lives, “don’t eat too late at night; it will make you gain weight.” But does closing the kitchen early really melt away the pounds, or is it just another myth wrapped in the beautiful package of good intentions?

Let’s talk science first

At its core, weight loss is all about calories in and calories out. You should be burning more calories than you eat. This deficit makes your body take the energy from that stored fat cells, and you see the weight loss on the scale. However, according to research, meal timings may also play a significant role, especially in relation to your body’s circadian rhythm.

Your body’s metabolism isn’t working at full speed the entire day. It also follows a biological clock. A study published in the journal Obesity in 2013 found that participants who ate their largest meal at lunch lost 25% more weight than those who ate it at dinner, even when calorie intake was the same.

Another 2020 study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism revealed that late-night eating decreases fat oxidation (the body’s ability to burn fat), suggesting that eating late could lead to fat storage, not fat burn.

So, what happens when you actually eat late at night?

Eating late at night (too close to your sleep time), especially if you are opting for calorie-dense foods, is often linked to overconsumption. You are already tired from the entire day, and your willpower dips. That tub of ice cream or the slice of pizza really feels like something that will give you an ounce of endorphins. According to a 2014 study in Appetite, people who ate after 8 PM consumed an average of 248 more calories daily than those who didn’t.

In addition to this, your body’s insulin sensitivity also decreases during the evening hours. This means that your body is more likely to store glucose as fat. Combine that with a sedentary post-dinner routine, and you’re left with a recipe for slow weight gain.

Calorie deficit is still the best way to lose fat, but stopping food intake after 8 PM can help your weight loss journey. Not because 8 PM is the hour of magic, but having a hard stop at 8 may reduce late-night snacking in general, improve sleep quality and also align better with your metabolic rhythm.

The best way to go with this would be to set a food “curfew” for yourself. This might help you avoid unnecessary calories, align with your body clock, and create healthier habits. In the end, it is not about the hour on the clock; it’s about consistency, quantity, and quality.