By Melissa Miller
As a weight loss coach you encounter many common-held beliefs that are in fact myths. In my experience, the most stubborn weight loss myth is “eating before bed will cause weight gain“. So many believe that eating at night, closer to bedtime, will be worse for their weight loss efforts than eating at other times in the day. The truth is that this is a myth and there’s plenty of scientific research to prove it.
This myth originated because many people eat a lot of snacks and junk food at night before bed, and eating extra calories adds extra pounds. Sure, you may feel better if you don’t go to bed with half-digested pizza in your stomach. But, calories are calories, whether you eat them in the morning, at noon or at night. The problem with late night snacking is that you most likely are not eating due to hunger, which probably means taking in more calories than you had planned for that day.
The American Dietetic Association has dedicated an entire page in their website to try to disprove this myth. They do this by explaining some facts regarding your diet. The website states, “What you eat, not when, makes the difference. Calories have the same effect on the body no matter when they are consumed. Evidence does suggest eating regular meals, especially breakfast, helps promote weight loss by reducing fat intake and minimizing impulsive snacking”.
Remember: The golden rule of weight loss is that it really matters what and how much you eat rather then when you eat.
Melissa Miller is a professional weight loss coach and nutritional expert. We are very pleased to have her as a new contributor to BioHealthScience.org.
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