Question
A friend told me that she began dropping pounds when she ate dinner within the late afternoon as a substitute of 8pm (her usual supper time). How can the timing of your meals affect your weight?
Sixteen obese or obese young adults agreed to take part in an experiment that lasted several months. Their eating regimen and physical activity were controlled by the study. During the “early meal” study period, they ate their first meal at 9 a.m. and their last meal at 5 p.m., through the “late meal” study period, they ate their first meal at noon and their last meal at 8:30 p.m. Each study period included a 3rd meal between the primary and last meal. Importantly, total caloric intake and physical activity were the identical through the two study periods: only meal times were different.
Late eating significantly increased appetite, decreased levels of the hunger-suppressing hormone (leptin), increased the quantity of fat stored, and decreased the quantity of fat burned over a 24-hour period. Eating late does this by altering the activity of fat-burning and storage genes. Thus, this latest study confirmed earlier research that suggested late eating results in weight gain, and the study also showed why.
Although this was a small study, and wishes to be confirmed by other scientists, it is sensible to me. Several years ago, my wife and I made a decision to eat a giant breakfast and one other big meal within the afternoon, with healthy nibbles (nuts, fruit) in between, and perhaps a dessert around 6 p.m. Our smart watches monitored our each day activity levels and our sleep.
Three things quickly became clear. At first, to our surprise and delight, we weren’t hungry. Second, as we expected and hoped, we began dropping pounds. Third, and unexpectedly, we slept more soundly at night. Dinner at a “normal” hour with friends all the time follows a nasty night’s sleep. Several recent studies have found an identical effect of eating late on sleep quality.
So I like to recommend you are attempting our two large meal program, or at the very least finish the last of your three meals before 5pm, you is perhaps surprised by the outcomes.
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