Weight Loss Tips: Why You Should Have Your Dinner By 9 PM - Expert Explains

Best Time To Have Dinner To Lose Weight: For efficient digestion, good sleep, and a healthy lifestyle, it's important to plan your meals on time. The last meal of the day, dinner, should be had by 9 pm, say experts. Let's find out why and how time matters.

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In an interview, former Indian caption and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar had said that he follows a mantra when it comes to diet and fitness - "I can eat whatever I want, but not whenever I want". Fitness experts have time and again emphasized the importance of eating meals on time and how timely dinner, especially, is important to boost your metabolism and maintain your weight. Having an early dinner is recommended by all fitness experts to weight watchers. While not everyone can manage to finish their dinner earlier, experts suggest that dinner must be had within 9 pm.

The weight loss journey can be a tough one for most people but the key is not to lose hope.  Rohit Shelatkar, Fitness & Nutrition Expert, VP Vitabiotics Ltd, says, "Although it may appear unattainable, losing weight is not completely impossible. It's critical for weight watchers to be conscious of both what they eat and when they eat it in order to lose weight. Your Circadian rhythms must be in harmony, therefore set your eating times from breakfast to supper."

The term "circadian rhythms" refers to the 24-hour-cycled changes in the body, mind, and behaviour. Shelatkar says it's important to ensure you know exactly what you want to accomplish before beginning your weight-loss quest so that you can plan your daily lifestyle adjustments according to how much weight you hope to lose.

How Having Dinner By 9 PM Helps In Weight Loss

Rohit Shelatkar lists the following reasons why one should have dinner by 9 pm:

Digestion efficiency: To thoroughly digest food, our digestive system needs three to four hours. For it to work best, we should consume a few hours before night. It can interfere with digestion when you eat late at night, which can cause pain, indigestion, and disturbed sleep patterns. We give our bodies adequate time to digest the meal by eating our dinner by 9 o'clock.

Metabolism Regulation: As our physical activity decreases in the evening, our bodies tend to slow down. Since we are less likely to burn off a large meal in the late evening before going to bed, this may result in the accumulation of extra calories as fat. By eating supper by nine o'clock at night, you allow your body plenty of time to break down the meal and use the energy more effectively. You eat a light meal that includes salads, fiber-rich foods, lean proteins, green veggies, and curd, which is significant to notice.  

Quality of Sleep: Some studies suggest that sleep plays a vital role in your weight management journey. When we sleep, our bodies focus on repairing and rejuvenating themselves. If you’re eating a large meal too close to bedtime, it can result in discomfort, heartburn, and even acid reflux, which can significantly disrupt sleep. Hence, it becomes important to have 8-9 hours of sleep daily. This way, you'll encourage a night of more uninterrupted, restful sleep, which will improve your health and well-being in general.

Weight Management: The timing of our meals can affect our hunger and satiety hormones such as leptin and ghrelin. Your hunger is decreased by leptin while it is increased by ghrelin. By finishing your dinner within 9 pm, you reduce the chances of late-night snacking or consuming calorie-dense foods, ultimately getting closer to your weight loss goal.

Lifestyle Balance: Eating dinner earlier helps you to lead a balanced lifestyle. It provides an opportunity to spend time with family or engage in other activities after dinner, such as taking a leisurely walk, pursuing hobbies, or relaxing before bedtime. Additionally, eating earlier can help establish a consistent eating routine, which promotes healthy habits and overall wellness.