Eating After 7 PM: How It Could Affect Your Weight Loss Goals

Most people focusing on weight loss tend to fixate on what they’re eating and how many calories they’re bruning each day. Few understand the importance of the time of meals, and the impact it has on overall health, fitness and weight loss goals. Many nutrition experts point out that late-night eating, especially after 7 pm, may interfere with your body’s natural processes and slow down your progress.

HerZindagi spoke to Anushi Jain, Nutritionist & Founder- Nutri Maven, to understand the importance of meal timings.

How Late-Night Eating Affects Your Body

Your body runs on a circadian rhythm, which is basically the the internal clock that regulates hormones, digestion, and metabolism.

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According to Anushi, “Late-night eating may disrupt your body’s circadian rhythm. During the evening, your body's capacity to burn fat and metabolise glucose slows down. Therefore, eating heavy meals late at night may make it more likely that fat will be stored rather than burned.”

In simple terms, your body is less efficient at processing food at night. A plate of rice or pasta eaten at 6:30 pm may be digested and utilised differently from the same meal eaten at 10 pm.
Eating lighter meals later in the day and earlier in the evening is what’s considered best.

More Calories, Poorer Food Choices

Anushi highlighted that eating later increases the chances of overeating and, consequently, consuming a lot more calories. She highlighted, “Studies reveal having food late in the evening increases the risk of consuming excess calories, making less conscious food choices, and experiencing sleep disturbances. Such factors all can impede weight loss efforts.”

Typical late-night indulgences like pizza or chocolates are usually unhealthy in nature.

On the other hand, those who eat their last meal earlier tend to reap multiple benefits. “People who complete dinner earlier tend to have better energy balance, better hunger control, and even better metabolic health,” said Anushi.

Eating before 7:30 PM gives your body more time to digest food and enter a natural fasting period overnight. This improves not only digestion but also fat-burning efficiency.

However, it is important to note that eating after 7 pm isn’t a standalone culprit that is sure to cause weight gain. “It’s important to note that the clock isn’t the only factor at play,” Jain clarified. “Apart from having meals, the quality of your meals, portion quantities, and overall diet balance are more important.”
A soup at 8:30 is probably better than a full plate of biryani at 7:30 pm, so just the timing of meals can’t contribute to weight loss.

A light, dense meal, at 7 pm or 7:30 pm, can help in overall wellbeing, and achieving weight loss goals. “Consistency is crucial. Try to eat dinner before 7:30 pm, eat a light, nutrient-dense meal, and give your body more time to fast overnight,” said Anushi.

One way to do this well is to meal prep and plan in advance. Lighter, balanced meals are what you should go for.