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Do not eat carbs after 6pm

Posted on 23 May 2016

Do not eat carbs after 6pm

We have all heard this one before haven’t we ladies! It reaches 6:00pm and we must STOP eating any more carbs!

For some reason, there is this idea that if you eat carbs after 6pm, they will be immediately converted to body fat. Despite the fact there’s no true evidence to prove this, it still seems to be a method that many people follow, and worse – many “fitness professionals” advise.

Where does this myth come from?

The way the media portrays carbs leads people to think that carbohydrate is bad and is most likely to be stored as body fat.

Someone new to dieting might think that due to the fact they might not be moving as much in the evenings, they won’t be burning any calories (or carbs). Whilst that is incorrect, I can understand why someone might think this.

There is a common view that those who are “overweight” eat more carbs than everyone else. However the reason they are overweight is not due to the carbohydrates they eat, but rather than the overall calories they have consumed in the day. They could eat carbs at any time, and they’d still be converted to body fat, due to simply eating too many calories.

What does science say?

 

Gaining or losing body fat all comes down to a calorie balance. If you are in a calorie deficient consistently, you will burn body fat and it will not matter whether these carbs or calories are consumed in the morning, afternoon or evening.

Science also says that we do burn calories whilst sleeping – approximately 40-100 per hour! On a side note, it’s also important to factor in lifestyle. Some of us like to snack in the evening or we go out to eat with friends and will want to eat our carbs, therefore happy to sacrifice eating as many throughout the day.

The important thing to remember is that the best diet is the one that works for you and that you can stick to. So make your carbohydrate timing suit your preferences and you will ensure great results.

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