A common question I get asked is “will eating at night or after a certain time causes your body to store fat”.
The answer is NO.
Total calorie intake is the most important factor when it comes to fat loss/gain. If you stay under your recommended daily intake it does not matter what time of day you eat, you will not gain fat.
For example some people use a dieting protocol called intermittent fasting or IF, where they will fast for a certain number of hours each day and then eat only in a certain timeframe. A popular one is 16 hours fasting and an 8 hour eating window.
If you break the fast at 1 pm then your last meal would be at 9 pm. As long as you stayed under your total calories you would not gain fat regardless of eating at night.
The problem arises when you have already hit your total daily intake and then snack on high calorie items such as biscuits/chocolate etc. This will lead to gaining fat.
So if you like a snack in the night, go ahead just remember these:
- Fit the food into your total calories
- Eat in moderation, 1-2 biscuits instead of a packet
- Try lower calorie options such as strawberries and a small spoon of ice-cream
Any questions fire away below.