Do you dare to eat carbs after dark?
Once we begin out fitness journey, we are hit with fitness facts from all sides. Our Instagram page is suddenly filled with people flexing, mothers throw in some age old recipes for losing weight, other people start counting your calories for you and you just start losing your mind!
We gotta chill. We have to get our facts straight. Let’s tackle the most major controversy in fitness today – eating at night!
“Eating at night is bad for weight loss!”
I’ll bet anything you’ve heard that one! We’re all sure we’ve heard it but not quite certain how it all began, right? Maybe it’s because so many people say it all the time that it’s almost ingrained. Isn’t that the first thing you think when you see a plate of pasta at night? You’re mentally debating if it’s worth it, and that you have to exercise extra hard the next day. Let’s look at the facts!
Possible origins of this myth
Food is food, calories are calories. Food that contain refined carbohydrates are easily digestible, so they enter the bloodstream just as quickly and have a higher chance of being stored as fat. Foods that are higher in fibre content take longer to digest, therefore slowing the digestion process. Since they have a higher fibre content they make you feel more full, preventing you from overeating. That’s why they’re good for weight loss. But does this depend on the time of the day? Absolutely not!
Another practical reason people scare you into not eating food at night is due to the numbers. People get hungry after a long day and one snack after your meal might lead to another. All those calories add up and the number doesn’t make us happy. Making this a daily routine means it’s going to get impossible for us to lose weight! Therefore, as long as we’re aware of the number of calories we’re consuming the time of the day doesn’t matter.
Things to remember:
- Junk food: You’ve heard it before! Eating junk food triggers cravings of overeating. That’s the one that negotiates portion sizes in your head. You resolve to eat half a bag of chips but reason with yourself thinking it’s easier to just finish the entire bag. That’s a bad sign, and you gotta cut it!
- Eat complex carbs with proteins: As said before, eating complex foods high in fibre ensures you don’t overeat. You feel full faster and they’re healthy food with a good amount of nutrition!
- Trouble sleeping: It depends on the individual. Most people have trouble sleeping right after eating a full meal and some people don’t. If you belong to the former, then it’s a good idea to try to spread your meals during the day. Some people wake up with all that energy in the morning and love it, some don’t. Figure out which one you are!
It’s important to keep your facts real and straight when you’re trying to lose weight, especially when you’re hit with new information each day. Contact your fitness coach whenever you’re unsure and that support will ease your mind!
Have a happy and healthy week!
