In my practice, I often meet clients who are afraid to eat after 7 p.m.
Just last week, I met a client who stopped eating by 5 p.m. every night as a rule. Some nights, she was successful at fighting her hunger, and others, she was at the refrigerator by 9 p.m. I told her something many Americans need to learn: there's nothing wrong with eating later in the evening, as long as it's not the only meal of the day. In many other countries, it is customary to eat dinner at nine routinely with no problem, so clearly something else is behind our American weight crisis.
The problem related to eating late is all about the quantity and quality of the food consumed -- not the hour at which it is eaten. If you eat after 7 p.m., you won't suffer any negative consequences. The issue for most busy Americans is that food is not regularly consumed throughout the day, so dinner becomes the main meal. Hectic schedules, stress and a lack of planning all contribute to common reasons some do not eat over the course of a day. When dinner becomes one's main source of energy, it's easy to over-consume as the body is often starved by that time.
Optimal health and effective weight loss require eating small, smart portions throughout the day and even into the evening. Your body and brain need to be fueled on a regular, consistent basis, even if you are not active. The reason is because our bodies contain a hormone called Ghrelin, which is a hunger hormone. It determines the amount of food we eat as well as our weight (1, 2). If food is not regularly consumed, ghrelin production spikes, driving us to overeat. That's why eating throughout the day is beneficial -- it controls your Ghrelin level, which, in turn, controls your hunger. Eating throughout the day also keeps your metabolism active (3), which aids in weight management.
I recommend following the 70 percent rule, which means you should consume 70 percent of your calories before dinner time, leaving 30 percent of your calories for your evening meal. This 30 percent can be eaten at any time of the evening, as long as you allow 90 minutes to digest it before you go to sleep. So if you are a busy professional that cannot eat before 7 p.m., do not worry; you will not turn into a "pumpkin" by eating after this time.
So start your day off right -- by eating breakfast within one hour of waking. If you exercise in the morning, consume a pre-workout snack, followed with breakfast after your workout. Then eat something sensible every three to four hours. I don't care what you call the meal, just eat!
References:
1. D.F. Cummings, et. al, Plasma Ghrelin and Hunger Scores in Humans Initiating Meals Voluntary Without Time and Food-Related Cues. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 287: E297-E304, 2004
2. A.M. Wren, et. al, Ghrelin Enhance Appetite and Increases Food Intake In Humans. The Journal of Clinical Endocrynology & Metabolism 86 (12): 5992-5995, 2009
3. Petra Platte, et. al, Resting Metabolic Rate and Diet-Induced Thermogenesis in Restrained and Unrestrained Eaters. International Journal of Eating Disorders. Volume 20, Issue 1, Pages 33-41, 1996
Manuel Villacorta is a registered dietitian in private practice in San Francisco, California. He is a national media spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and the founder of Eating Free
Follow Manuel Villacorta on Twitter: www.twitter.com/EatingFree
you would only gain weight if you were in a caloric surplus, if you are in a deficit it doesn't matter if you eat 90 min or 1 in before bed in regards to weight gain
There is nothing wrong with experiencing hunger ... it allows you to really appreciate good food! Frequent eating makes me nauseous. (I later learned that my approach to eating is captured in a lifestyle called The Warrior Diet - http://www.warriordiet.com/content/view/25/36/ ... which provided many useful tips for managing what the author calls under-eating and over-eating phases).
My point is that we have lost touch with what our bodies are telling us about food and hunger - "experts" don't know me - or what and when I should eat. People need to re-learn how to listen to their bodies especially with respect to eating, sleeping, and exercise!
William Anderson, LMHC
Author of 'The Anderson Method - Secrets of Permanent Weight Loss'
www.TheAndersonMethod.com
http://theandersonmethodblog.wordpress.com/
so wrong, there is no evidence that eating smaller meals throughout the day has any advantage over eating 2 or 3 meals a day. same with there is no evidence that eating a big breakfast or eating breakfast at all is advantageous to not eating breakfast
"Increased meal frequency does not promote greater weight loss in subjects who were prescribed an 8-week equi-energetic energy-restricted diet."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19943985
"Collectively, these data suggest that higher protein intake promotes satiety and challenge the concept that increasing the number of eating occasions enhances satiety in overweight and obese men."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20339363
It looked at many different studies that compared TEF during meal frequencies ranging from 1-17 meals and concluded:
"Studies using whole-body calorimetry and doubly-labelled water to assess total 24 h energy expenditure find no difference between nibbling and gorging".
Bellisle F et. al. Meal frequency and energy balance. Br J Nutr. (1997) 77 (Suppl 1):S57-70.
for a summary of the above study
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/meal-frequency-and-energy-balance-research-review.html#more-1389
Your research articles are not supporting meal frequency. Take a note that they are from 1997 and have a very small sample size (13-16 people). There are new findings about the hunger hormone, Ghrelin, that indicate to control hunger, one should eat throughout the day. If it is 3 or 5 or 6 meals, it is to each person's individual hunger levels.
Based on my 16+ years experience and after helping thousands of people, I am confident to conclude that it is best to eat small, frequent meals throughout the day given our modern lifestyles that are longer days, lack of sleep, and full of stress. All of these factors affect hunger. Therefore, eating throughout the day is key.
Here's a link you may enjoy!
http://www.no-cravediet.com/fm_small_meal_myth.php
You can get a cheap copy at Amazon