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Friday, April 23, 2010

Myth: Eating after 8 PM causes weight gain.

clock showing 8:00
Answer: Busted!

It doesn’t matter what time of day you eat. It boils down to what and how much you eat and how physically active you are during the entire day. These factors determine whether you gain, lose or maintain your weight. Your body will store extra calories as fat, no matter when you eat.

However, eating later in the evening may get you into trouble. Often we eat in the evening because we are tired or bored. Try to avoid snacking in front of the TV - it may be easier to overeat when you’re distracted by the TV. Leave the room and do something else during the commercials to decrease your exposure to advertisements that may trigger eating.

Think first about how much you’ve eaten already in the day. It’s a good idea to eat more of your calories during the time of day you are most active. That is different for everyone.

Contributor: Karen Sherbondy, RD, LD, Extension Associate, Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, University of Missouri Extension, sherbondyk@missouri.edu

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