When Is The Last Time I Should Eat My Last Meal

Nutritionist Matt O'Neill has been asked this question many times. Below is an article he wrote in response to the question.

This query actually, really asks... "Will food I eat at night turn into fat?" It will if what you eat at night pushes you up over your calorie limit for the day or 'calorie cap' (as I call it).

Consider the following two scenarios:

1. Over your calorie cap at night - You eat breakfast as planned, have your morning snack as planned, you eat lunch the same, but you have a blow-out mid-afternoon and eat a packet of crisp and can of regular soft drink. You follow this up with an early (at 5.30pm) dinner of pizza because you consider you've blown your diet. You don't eat anything after dinner.
2. Under your calorie cap at night - You eat breakfast as planned, you skip your morning snack, have a light lunch (less than you usually have), eat your afternoon snack as planned and then eat your normal dinner, but late at 10pm because you had to stay at work to complete a job.

Now, in the first scenario above, you've obviously overeaten during the day, so although you don't eat anything after 6pm, you'll gain body fat.

In the second scenario, you are still short of your Calorie Cap for the day, even though you don't eat until late at night. In this case you finish your day and go to bed with an energy deficit, so you'll lose body fat.

In summary, it’s not how late at night you eat that causes you to gain or lose body fat. It's how you are placed relative to your calorie limit for the day.

Recently, I spoke all day at a seminar, so by the time I came to dinner later that night I had lots of calories left in my diet so I could eat more at night, being confident the food would not be turned into body fat. I was still under my Calorie Cap.

So, with regards to gaining body fat it’s not whether the food eaten at night is any more likely to turn into body fat. It's a case of whether you are still under your Calorie Cap for the day.

This said, the old saying is a good guide, "Breakfast for a king, lunch for a prince and dinner for a pauper." At night, you won't be expected to need too much energy from food, so don't eat too much.

A good guide for dinner is, catch up on your nutrition (it’s the last chance to round off good nutrition for the day) and eat enough to get to sleep without being too hungry. Simple!

The exception is for athletes who need to carbohydrate load and eat big after an afternoon or evening training session.

I hope this logic puts things in perspective. Nutrition is complex but it should be simple.

Green Tea

Green tea is the unoxidised form of black tea. It contains antioxidants called polyphenols, which are responsible for helping to protect the cell membranes of red blood cells from the oxidative damages (e.g. premature ageing) that is caused by free radicals. Green tea is an excellent drink for weight loss as it can suppress the appetite and also been found to reduce the absorption of dietary fats by up to 40%. Try drinking a cup of green tea 30 minutes before eating to help suppress the appetite.

Did You Know

Our brain is 75% water, which is why even mild dehydration causes headaches. Use the formula below to work out how much water you should be drinking each  day: Body weight (kg) X 0.03 = Your daily intake of water (litres)

Group Kayaking

We had another group kayaking day last month and the conditions couldn't have been any better. We kayaked in Middle Harbour (about 7 kms in total) and also checked out some shipwrecks.

The next kayaking day will be on Sunday 2nd May for those who are interested.

Nothing contained in this newsletter is intended to be used as medical advice and it is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for your own health professional's advice.