If you’re trying to lose weight in a healthy way, you’ve probably made a few changes to the way you eat. Maybe you gave your fridge and pantry a makeover, tossing out all the cookies and chips and replacing them with more nutrient-rich options. You might be using a calorie tracker to give you more awareness of how much you’re consuming. Maybe you’re paying more attention to portion sizes now. But have you thought about changing the time you eat dinner?
Many people believe that all that matters for weight loss is consuming fewer calories than you burn. But scientific studies are showing that there is more to it than that—and what time you eat could make a difference. Curious as to how? Here, registered dietitians explain the connection between meal timing and weight loss. Plus, find out what the best time to eat dinner is if you’re trying to lose weight.
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How Are Meal Timing and Weight Loss Connected?
When it comes to weight loss, Kendra Haire, RDN, LD, a registered dietitian and Noom coach, says that what matters most is how many calories are being consumed, not what time you’re eating your meals. But weight loss is hard, so anything that can work at least a little in your favor is worth considering, right? Kimberly Weimann, MS, RDN, a registered dietitian based in Long Island, New York, says that meal timing can contribute to how quickly (or not) you lose weight.
Weimann points to a 2021 scientific study published in the British Journal of Nutrition showing that people who ate an earlier dinner while following a weight loss program lost more weight than people who were following the same program but ate later. “Researchers hypothesize that this may be caused by the late meal influence on circadian genes, meaning people that are late eaters are more prone to difficulty losing weight,” Weimann explains.
Another scientific study, published in Cell, backs this up—at least in animals. The study found that eating meals late threw off the body’s circadian rhythm (AKA internal clock) and suggested that this could make it harder to lose weight.
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Registered dietitian Lindsay Allen, RD, says that the reason why eating an early dinner can help with weight loss versus eating late at night is because the body burns more fat while we sleep. “Your body is designed to be in a ketogenic state while you sleep, drawing upon its fat stores for energy which is used primarily to repair our cells. If you eat late, your insulin rises and it interferes with this process because now your body has to deal with digestion rather than repair,” she says.
With this in mind, what is the ideal time to eat dinner if you’re trying to lose weight? The successful weight loss participants in the British Journal of Nutrition study ate dinner between 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. while the group who wasn’t as successful in terms of weight loss ate between 10:30 and 11 p.m. So, to follow the scientific findings, it’s best to aim for eating by 7 or 7:30 p.m.
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Tips for Sticking to an Earlier Dinnertime
If you’re used to eating dinner at 8 or 9 p.m. or like to snack in the evening, transitioning to an earlier eating time can be difficult because it leaves more time to snack. Wiemann says something that will help prevent evening or late-night snacking is eating a balanced dinner. “Using the plate method can help people focus on keeping their meal balanced. This means half of your plate is filled with veggies, while the other half is split between lean proteins and whole grains,” she says. “If after the meal is finished you are still hungry, then feel free to go back for seconds but try to focus on the veggies first!”
The “plate method” is exactly what Haire recommends too. After you finish what’s on your plate, she recommends waiting 20 minutes before going back for seconds. This, she explains, will help you figure out if you’re truly hungry for more or if you’re just reaching for seconds out of habit. If you are still hungry, go ahead and get more!
All three dietitians say that nixing evening snacking after an early dinner will greatly help with weight loss. “The most common evening habit that makes it difficult for people to lose weight is excessive snacking before bedtime,” Weimann says. “People find themselves exhausted from a long day, maybe watching TV, and will eat many more calories than intended simply because they are not paying attention.” Allen agrees, saying, “Eating snacks at night will make it harder to lose weight, especially anything carb-based or that has added sugar. The most common problem is that people get into the habit of snacking during a movie or TV show, which most likely means having junk food. This is one of the first things you need to cut out if weight loss is your goal.”
It isn’t just important to think about what time you stop eating in the evening; what you drink matters too. “A nightly cocktail or glass of wine before bed not only adds non-nutritional calories but can also impact your quality of sleep,” Haire says.
All three dietitians reiterate that what matters most when it comes to weight loss is what you eat and the overall amount of calories consumed, not when. But science does show that timing can play a supporting role. Eating dinner by 7 or 7:30 p.m. and nixing snacking after your meal will help you reach your goal faster.
Next up, find out what morning habit will help you lose weight faster, according to weight loss experts.
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