6 Reasons to Stop Eating by 7pm
So Why is it bad to eat late at night? You’ve probably heard the advice to stop eating after 7 pm. But have you ever wondered – Why is it bad to eat late at night?
Yes, it’s a healthy weight loss strategy. But there are some other amazing health benefits as well. In fact, not eating after 7 is one of my favourite healthy habits to encourage people to try.
Unfortunately, it’s easy to get in the habit of snacking at night, and it’s one of the most common weight loss challenges my clients face.
6 Reasons to Stop Eating by 7 pm
Watch the video for a more in-depth discussion of each reason, but here’s a quick overview of the answer to the question – Why is it bad to eat at night?
1. You’ll get the fat-burning benefit of intermittent fasting. When you stop eating at 7 pm and don’t eat breakfast until 7 am (or later), you’re doing a 12+ hour fast. So when your body needs energy during that time, it will burn stored body fat.
2. Train your body to be more efficient at burning fat. A study at the Perelman School of Medicine found that frequent eating at night (which they defined as between 7 pm and 11 pm) causes you to burn fat more slowly. The group of people who ate after 7 pm gained weight, compared to a group who only ate between 8 am and 7 pm. And here’s the kicker – both groups ate the SAME amount of food!
3. Reduce overeating. Think about this: When you eat after dinner, are you actually hungry? For most people, the answer is no. This means that the food you eat after dinner is “extra” food and calories that your body doesn’t need for fuel. It’s a form of overeating and can lead to weight gain.
4. Get a better night’s sleep. By not eating after 7, you give your body time to begin digestion before you go to bed. This lessens the chance of indigestion or heartburn when you lay down. It also means you won’t be spiking your blood sugar right before bed, which can cause a fitful night’s sleep. Lastly, certain foods – and alcohol – have been shown to decrease the quality of your sleep. So stop eating at 7 to get a better night’s sleep!
5. Allow your body to rest and repair while you sleep. Your body has a lot of important tasks to accomplish while you sleep. Your detoxification organs actively deal with toxins, the human growth hormone kicks in to help you age well, your immune system releases cytokines (which lowers inflammation & boosts the immune system), and so much more! Your overall health will improve when you allow your body to focus on these repair tasks at night, instead of being “distracted” by digestion or blood sugar imbalances.
6. Wake up feeling refreshed. If you wake up in the morning feeling tired, puffy, achy, or just plain “yucky”, chances are good that your night-time snacking habits aren’t helping the situation. Stop eating at 7, and you’ll start to notice an improvement in how you feel in the morning.
Your Next Step to Stop Eating By 7pm
So, are you feeling motivated to give this healthy habit a try?
If so, your first step is to figure out why you want to snack at night. In my experience working with clients, I’ve discovered that there are 8 common types of night-time snackers. Each type has a different reason for wanting to eat at night.
Once you understand why you want to eat at night, it’s much easier to create a plan to break the snacking habit for good.
So I created a FREE resource to help you figure out exactly why you want to snack at night:
“Which Type of Night-Time Snacker Are You? Discover the 8 Most Common Reasons for Night-Time Snacking that Stop You From Losing Weight”
Yes I want to know which type of late night snacker I am
Click the button above, and grab the PDF so you can take this fun quiz to find out if you’re like Hungry Harriet, Bright-Spot Bettie, Soothe-Me Sally, or one of the other 5 types of night-time snackers!
Then, once you figure out your type, come back and let me know in the comments which type(s) of night-time snacker you are.
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