MYTH – Eating late at night is going to cause weight gain.
TRUTH – A calorie is a calorie, regardless of when you eat it.
Now here's why:
Two main things go into whether someone gains, loses, or maintains the same weight:
- How much you eat (calories into the body)
- How much physical activity is done (calories burned)
It's not the time of day that makes the difference; it's what and how much you are consuming.
- Late night snacks often consist of large portions of high-calorie foods (chips, cookies, candy).
- They tend to be eaten in front of a TV or computer, with no physical activity around consumption.
- The body stores extra calories as fat if you take in more calories than you burn in a day, time of day doesn't matter.
- It all comes down to balancing calories that are taken in with calories exerted out.
Helpful Tips to Prevent Overeating at Night
- Choose a portion-controlled snack (100 calorie snack packs or fruit or yogurt).
- Eat healthy snacks throughout the day to prevent consuming a large meal at the end of the day.
- Eat regular sized meal's during the day to prevent late night hunger cravings.
- Get in the habit of not eating at night!
