Is There a Cut Off Time to Eat?

I often get asked, “Rush when is the latest I can eat? I’m working / studying late / I’m on a night shift, will my ‘diet’ still be effective?” Yes. Somewhere along the line people got brainwashed into thinking if you eat your carbs at night it’s going to get stuck. Many have the thinking that because we are less active in the evenings, that this theory could be true? For whatever reason, I’m here to tell you it ain’t true!

The problem with late night eating is we are often indulging in high calorie foods late at night. Ask yourself, am I eating for comfort? Stress? Is it a habit to have something sweet before bed? Address emotional and habitual eating issues first, before beating yourself up about “sticking to diets.” My advice here would be to replace unhealthy snacking and meals with healthier options, or omit a snack altogether and start new rituals and habits. Some hot water with lemon, herbal tea and a catch up with a family member. Meditating, praying, reading or watching your favourite show. There are many things to do beside mindless eating.

What happens after you eat any meal? Your stomach is filled with food and water. You have a food baby, right? This is going to happen any time of the day that you decide to eat. DUH. Unless you’re Beyonce on world tour performing in a leotard, only then are you going to eat teeny tiny meals throughout the day. This is not functional for many. It is normal to be a bit bloated after a meal. It is normal to feel heavy. This natural occurrence won’t affect your result over all.

CALORIE ALLOWANCE & TECHNOLOGY

I don’t want to get technical here. I don’t want you to measure, track, log or weigh your food. That is madness. I do however think when you are educating yourself on what foods carry what weight in the calorie department it is a fantastic way to learn about calories. Balancing your calorie expenditure vs your calorie intake is no way to live. Many people get caught up in how many calories did I reach today? How many calories did I burn today? Tracking absolutely everything can have a negative affect on your long-term stress for many reasons. We are so quick to turn to technology to give us answers that we completely unlearn ourselves. What is your heart rate? Are you reaching it? Are you covered? Are you in the safe zone? You need to be present and alive in your body, listen to it and adjust yourself appropriately. Knowing when you are full, listening to specific cravings and performing moderately in the gym are things we need to be in tune with within ourselves. We don’t need apps and technology to track our worth.

A TYPICAL DAY

If you’re observing a healthy diet on any given day, it doesn’t matter what time you eat what. You need to look at your total days worth of meals, snacks and drinks. If you’re controlled with your eating and you’ve been diligent with exercise and movement, there is no need to be concerned with what time you eat what meal. It’s not going to matter. Your body doesn’t know what the time is. Your metabolism will act the same in the morning, as it would at night. Yes in the morning your stomach is its flattest, you will feel your lightest. This is because you had a night of ‘fasting’ ie sleep. Lol. So you will feel light. Address your gut and your digestion and that will only ensure that you are regular through out the course of the day. If you feel “fat” by the end of the day you are eating the incorrect food for your body and your digestive system is whack. Eating allergens that cause inflammation in the gut is a culprit here too. If you eat whole natural foods, have enough water and get movement in, you wont feel sluggish, heavy, bloated. Food should be used as fuel and pass through your system efficiently. If you don’t know what to eat, start with a CLEANSE, to teach you how your body responds to whole foods. Check out my two cleanses here.

LOOK AT THE BIGGER PICTURE

Don’t forget its not about ONE DAY. It’s about a collective of days, for how long can you repeat those days? That’s what yields results. For me, I like to look at my day as a whole. Then I look at my week. Roughly I know which days my body will require more nutrients. I know which dates I’m going on with friends to enjoy a meal I’ve been wanting to eat, and which days will be physically and emotionally draining. Those days I need more. For the rest of my meals and snacksI’m to the point clean. You need to be real, honest and relaxed about this journey. If you added 8-10kgs over years, you cant expect to lose it in a few days or weeks. You need to enjoy the journey, discover your healthy side and eat a few meals at night without sweating it. You will still achieve results, over time, focus on the bigger picture.

Love Rush