Don’t eat carbs after 6pm otherwise it’ll all get turned into fat as you don’t burn it off’
This is a statement that we’ve all heard and has been around for god knows how long and many people have sworn by it’s truth for years. The theory is that if you eat something late at night, you’re not moving around and then go to bed then you can’t burn it off and it’ll get stored as fat straight away.
But is this true or is it false? Well, allow me to explain:
The Truth Hurts
In short, the statement is very much not true. Just because you eat carbs after 6pm doesn’t mean that they’ll suddenly get stored as fat, that’s not how our bodies work!
Carbs are our body’s preferred energy source and is something that is important if you are someone who is exercising, but they absolutely shouldn’t be feared and treated like something that’s going to make you put on weight.
The way we put on weight is if we eat more calories than our bodies are using and then any extra calories (or energy) that our bodies haven’t used as fuel or move, breath, eat etc gets stored as body fat (Well it has to go somewhere if it’s not being used!).
So Carbs Don’t Make Us Fat?
No, carbs do not make us fat! However, eating too many carbs does might do. Why? Because if you eat lots of carbs and end up consuming too many calories then you’ll put on body fat! The same goes for protein and fats, if you eat too many calories then you’ll put on bodyfat.
What About Eating Late? Does That Make A Difference?
No, the timings of your eating doesn’t make a difference. Our bodies work on overall calories in vs calories used across the whole day so how late or early you eat doesn’t change anything. What tends to happen is many people get cravings or want to snack during the evenings so they end up going over on their ideal calorie intake for the day, which then gets stored as body fat and the fact the eating occurred late gets blamed. In reality, it wasn't time time of eating that was the issue, it was the fact that person went over on their total daily intake.
Summary
So we’ve now explored whether or not the statement ‘Don’t eat carbs after 6pm otherwise it’ll all get turned into fat as you don’t burn it off’ is true or false and we’ve firmly established that it is indeed false. So feel free to eat your favourite carbs in the evenings, just know that if you eat too many and/or don't account for them during the day then you risk going over on your calories!
This is one of the many helpful tips we give all of our Personal Training and Online Coaching clients here at ACM Fit to help them achieve their weight loss goals.
We work with our clients to identify where the problem areas are for them and come up with easy to do solutions for them to encourage a healthier diet and long term, sustained weight loss.
Is this something you feel you need?
Email adam@adamcmorris.com for more details on Personal Training & Online Coaching and start reaching your goal today!