Should I eat after 6pm?

I'm often asked this, as the rumour, myth, perception is that if you eat after 6 or 7pm you are not able to burn the calories you have just consumed.

This is so not true!

The simple fact is that if you eat more calories throughout the day/week than you burn off, you WILL put weight on. It doesn't matter if its at night or in the day - its the total amount that matters.

If you can address the need to eat at night as real hunger, and not emotional hunger then your body needs food. Don’t ignore real hunger signals. Also, if you are looking to build muscle (which you should – it isn’t just for body builders), then your body craves routine when it comes to food and going that long without food is not what your body needs or wants. You want to keep your metabolism going!

If you are working out after work, it is essential that you eat a post-workout recovery snack, and eating a proper dinner is paramount to both productive training and reaching your body weight goals. Here’s what I recommend:

1. Ensure you are fueling adequately all day, not skimping on calories earlier in the day and thus overeating late at night, which can lead to weight gain (or prevent weight loss).

2. Fuel up before all evening workouts with a good, balanced snack, such as half a sandwich, a cup of soup, or yogurt and fruit.

3. Plan your dinners in advance to avoid poor last-minute choices or “grazing” on whatever happens to be in the kitchen when you arrive home late and hungry.

4. Include complex carbs, lean protein, veggies and good fats in your dinner meal, no matter what time the clock says. Good examples include lentils, salmon, kale and avocado or quinoa and beans, lean meat and sautéed veggies.

5. If you are trying to drop a few unwanted pounds, find other (smart!) places to cut calories, such as that third handful of pretzels at lunch, candy from the office candy jar or that extra beer on Friday night.

Its simple: eat healthily when you are hungry and keep an eye on how much you are eating!