Are you the type of person who does a lot of late night snacking? Get the munchies after dinner? There is good news for you!
Everything you’ve been told about eating after 7 PM is not true. Our bodies metabolize calories the same way regardless of the time of day we eat.
According to the Oregon National Primate Research Center in Portland Oregon, calories still mean more than the time of day they are eaten. The basic equation for weight loss is calories in minus calories out. This equation remains true whether you eat at 10 AM or 10PM. Nightime snacking alone will not make you fat.
If, however, you eat a half a gallon of ice cream or a full day’s calories and continually eat at night for emotional or habitual reasons, you will either stall your weight loss progress or gain weight.
One thing that may help is to avoid eating your trigger foods. If you know you can’t stop eating a certain item without finishing the container, its best to choose a different type of snack and control your portion size.
By carefully planning your day’s worth of calories, you can cut back throughout the day to leave a little wiggle room for nighttime snacking and prepare for junk food cravings without worrying about blowing your diet.
