Will I gain weight If I eat late at night?

Seems like a yes or no question right? I’d like to say NO and leave it at that, but every time I have tried it’s been contested. So rather than wait for the disagreeing emails, I’ll explain.

Think of your body as a small bucket inside a larger bucket. The small bucket will represent your muscle tissue and all functions of your body that require calories. The larger bucket will represent your fat stores (yes I realize your fat stores also require calories to be maintained, but I’m trying to simplify this). Pour too much into the smaller bucket and the excess will automatically get dumped into the larger bucket.

The small bucket represents your metabolic rate. Everyone’s is different, it depends on a number of factors the most importantly your muscle mass and activity level. Let’s say your metabolic rate happens to be 2,000 calories, this is the amount nutritional labels are based on. If you eat 3,000 calories in a day 1,000 (almost 1/3 of a pound) will spill over into your fat stores. If all of your body processes have sufficient energy to function and your muscles are filled with energy excess calories will be stored as fat, regardless of when you consume them.
On the flip side if you have only eaten 1,500 calories throughout the day this means your small bucket is not full. Your muscles have expended more calories than you have replaced and therefore require more energy to maintain strength, REGARDLESS OF WHEN YOU CONSUME THEM. Even if you go to sleep right after you eat, these excess calories will go to your muscle tissue as energy. Remember, you are always burning calories even if you are sleeping.

So then why does it seem like when you eat at night you gain weight? It’s actually pretty simple. Your bucket is full, but not overfilled before you go to eat that late night snack. When you take in that late night “treat,” where do you think it goes??? Right into the big bucket. Now I always get well I only ate ______. Whatever you fill this blank with is all going right to your fat stores at this point. A small bowl of ice cream, even if it’s only 300 calories adds up QUICKLY. Do this 11 times and you’ve gained a pound. Now if you only had 1,700 calories that day and you had a 300 calorie bowl of ice cream, your small bucket would still not be overflowing. You wouldn’t gain any weight.

Remember these are all made up numbers. Chances are your metabolic rate is NOT 2,000 calories. If you are looking to loose some weight first off, change your thinking to loose some body fat, then consult a personal trainer or nutritionist to set you up on a nutrition plan. A trainer can help you raise your metabolic rate and make it far easier for you to loose body fat. When it comes to body fat loss, whatever your goal is it’s attainable. There are NO genetic limitations. It maybe harder for some, but anyone can do it. You just need to have the right plan and stay consistent with it.

To Find A Certified Personal Trainer in your area Click Here