“You can’t eat carbs after 6pm as you will gain fat”. “Don’t eat carbs in the evening, they turn to fat!”. I’m sure most of you have heard things like this? Have you asked why or just accepted that you carbs make you fat if you eat them after a certain time? .
Do the fairies come out
and sprinkle extra calories on the food at 6pm? No, I don’t think so.
Overall, energy balance is the key principle for weight loss/gain. There are other factors like adherence which are also important however for weight loss, the evidence shows that meal timing and frequency has little if at all, any impact.
- If you want to eat carbs in the earlier part of the day, do it.
- If you want to save them for the evening as they help you sleep, do it.
- If you want to bunch them in one meal, do it.
- If you want spread them out over the day, do it.
- Eat in a way that suits you, your body, your lifestyle.
** Note that for performance and muscle gain, meal timing and frequency may have a little more impact. Example – carbs around training