Eating late will make me fat…NOT!

I hear this “logic” more times than I can count from clients, people in a restaurant and other sources that are so absurd, but I am here to tell you that it is a myth, a fallacy, a lie, and just plain stupid.  The reasoning behind this is that people say, and by people I mean people who claim to have an extensive nutritional or fitness based knowledge but who are just following the myths that they were raised with, but these people say that it is harder for the body to process food while it is at rest then while it is awake and active.

Let’s look at this shall we?  In order for me to refute this claim I have to get scientific for a moment, so bare with me if you can.  Our bodies are biologically preprogrammed to work around the circadian clock (i.e. active during the day and relaxing at night). Our inner clock is controlled by two antagonistic autonomic nervous systems: the SNS, with its highly alert “fight or flight” state, responsible for action and reaction to stress during the day, and the PSNS, responsible for relaxation, digestion and sleep during the night.  For that matter our body digests and utilizes nutrients better at night while at rest, than during the highly stressful hours of the day.  Furthermore, night is the time when growth hormone (GH) reaches a peak level. (Peak secretion during non-REM, SWS deep sleep). GH is known to be a potent muscle and bone builder and a fat burner. Late meals, if applied correctly could be most anabolic.

Note that GH actions can not be effectively finalized without the interference of insulin. Late meals, may well take advantage of a maximum GH spike during the night, providing the nutrients required for actually facilitating GH actions, thus promoting protein synthesis in the muscle tissues and fat burning (in particular, abdominal fat).  Basically what that means in plain-speak is that your body needs fuel to get through the night so that it can get stronger, burn the bad fat and grow.

The claim that I hear so much is, “but I’ve lost X amount of pounds by doing this.”  I can almost guarantee why.  Did you know that in a survey of over 4000 American adults, that only 1% actually knew what a serving size was of eight major foods like pasta, bread and meat?  ONE percent knew…that’s it.  Most people do not know what a serving size is, most people eat 20-30% more calories in a day than they need to, so it only makes sense that when these people cut out a meal at the end of the day, they are actually getting themselves closer to their REAL caloric needs.  If they would only watch their portion sizes, learn the difference between good and bad fats, they could eat all day long and still loose weight.

Now keep in mind when I say eat all day long, I am talking about good foods.  Foods high in lean protein, good fats, whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables.  The only time I personally go without eating for more than 3 hours is when I sleep, and the minute I wake up, I give my body what it needs, normally a piece of fruit, oatmeal and some type of lean protein. 

This is a subject that I have done extensive research on, read medical studies by reputable colleges and universities, tested in theory on myself for a few weeks, all because I HATE to be wrong, truly I do.  I don’t want to speak and sound ignorant, or be misinformed.  I can honestly say that there is absolutely no merit to these claims whatsoever.  If you would like more information on the topic, please feel free to e-mail me at info@bodyessentialstraining.com and I will forward on some of the studies that I have pulled from.

Have a great day and don’t forget your bedtime snack!  A healthy one of course…