Do you gain weight faster if you eat late in the evening?

You have probably heard or read that eating late in the evening is unwise. The warning that is usually given is that late meals are immediately converted to fat. In other words, are you having dinner at 10am? Then it is almost impossible to lose weight.

Of course that sounds threatening. Many people therefore obediently ignore their evening snacks if they want to lose weight. But is that necessary? We'll explain where the story comes from, and how much of it is true!

Eating late at night is unhealthy?

Where does the idea come from that you gain weight by eating in the evening? Quite simply, there have indeed been studies showing that there was a correlation between these two factors. People who ate late more often also had, on average, more unwanted weight gain.

You can draw various conclusions from such data. Many people make it a causal relationship: because you are no longer active in the evening, those extra calories are directly converted into body fat. But is that correct?

Unfortunately - or fortunately - the real story is a bit more nuanced. An important point here is that fat storage is not as fast as people often think. It's not like your meal will turn to belly fat two hours later if you don't use it right away…

Instead, your body is continuously storing and burning fat. That makes the overall picture a lot more complicated. If you eat more calories one day and less the next, the fat from that big meal is never really stored. You can better look at fat storage in the longer term.

That brings us to the next point: that your metabolism does not work properly according to the clock. It's not like your calorie burn is 'locked up' after eight in the evening. Or that calories you ate on Monday suddenly cannot be burned on Tuesday.

Energy that you eat in the evening is treated exactly the same as energy that you eat at other times. Your body uses it as soon as it needs to â € “whether right after a meal or the next morning. Only when too much energy is continuously coming in, part of it is stored as permanent fat.

In other words, it's just about calorie balance in the end. Do you consume as many calories as you burn every day? Then your weight will remain stable. Do you eat just a little more than you need every day? Then you will indeed come in the long run.

When you eat those calories, then it makes little difference. Does your late meal just fit into your diet? Then there is no reason to assume that you will suddenly lose weight. In fact: if you have a total calorie deficit, you can even lose weight with it.

So why do people who eat late in the evening often arrive? The reason is not the time, the reason is what they eat. Usually there are no more nutritious meals on the menu in the evening, but rather baking chips or alcoholic drinks. They add little to your diet, but they provide a lot of calories.

The result? These snacks often come on top of the rest of the meals. People are already simply on their energy needs, but then eat half a bag of chips in the evening. In that case, it is not surprising that eating late in the evening leads to weight gain.

Are you not allowed to snack at all in the evening? Well - even that is quite possible. Most importantly, make sure you don't forget to include calories in your daily diet. If you pay attention to this, you can eat or snack fine late in the evening.

It is, however, advisable to choose healthy and nutritious snacks as much as possible. This way you avoid typical binges where that cookie jar is 'suddenly' empty. In addition, your snacks help you to get all your nutrients for the day. That's how you create a win-win situation!
It is, however, advisable to choose healthy and nutritious snacks as much as possible. In this way you avoid typical binges where that cookie jar is 'suddenly' empty. In addition, your snacks help you to get all your nutrients for the day. That's how you create a win-win situation!