‘Stop Eating After 7pm’ Challenge

[MissMuffett]

Who will join me?

I intend to do this for the rest of January- 10 days and hopefully I’ll have broken the habit by then and carry on.

I‘m not hungry, I suspect I’m bored and it’s becoming a habit. So I thought if there were a few of us that struggle with this it would be good to record our successes and make suggestions on how we coped.

@LivingLightly?

 

[May Mic]

I've been doing that for a while. It took a bit of effort at first before it became routine. Well worth the effort. I did stumble just after Christmas for a couple of weeks but back to it now.

 

[ravensmitten]

In - I used to have a cut off of 6pm, not for any particular reason past the feeling of having digested enough food before I slept.

I do still have a rule of no coffee past 6pm, as it always seems like a good idea at the time.

will go for 7pm for the purposes of the challenge.

 

[MissMuffett]

In - I used to have a cut off of 6pm, not for any particular reason past the feeling of having digested enough food before I slept.

I do still have a rule of no coffee past 6pm, as it always seems like a good idea at the time.

will go for 7pm for the purposes of the challenge.

I try and stop at 6pm but thought it might be a bit early for some who don’t get in from work until 6! My husband didn’t het home until 7pm. I started plating his up so I could eat earlier but that wasn’t a very sociable habit. Now I can eat when I like.

 

[ianf0ster]

@MissMuffett Are you just trying to have a more than 12hr fast each day? Or are you delaying/skipping breakfast as well?
I started skipping breakfast after about 4 months of low carb since by then I was 'fat adapted' and no longer hungry in a morning, or most times to be honest.

I can't do your challenge on weekdays, because of our schedule. Weekends is no problem though since I usually only have one meal per day on weekends somewhere between 3pm and 5pm. A meal at that time isn't convenient for me on weekdays, so I eat both lunch and dinner during the week, dinner doesn't usually start until 7pm.

 

[In Response]

I often see advice about not eating too late with times like 6pm or 7pm mentioned.
I thought this was about having no undigested food when we go to bed so doesn't it depend what time we go to bed?

I write this as someone who works until 6pm most evenings and then goes to the gym before cooking dinner from scratch. So, it is not possible to finish eating by 7pm (even if I batch cooked at the weekends) but my bed time is midnight so I am not concerned.

 

[ravensmitten]

I often see advice about not eating too late with times like 6pm or 7pm mentioned.
I thought this was about having no undigested food when we go to bed so doesn't it depend what time we go to bed?

I write this as someone who works until 6pm most evenings and then goes to the gym before cooking dinner from scratch. So, it is not possible to finish eating by 7pm (even if I batch cooked at the weekends) but my bed time is midnight so I am not concerned.

Yeah about 4 hours for me, it was 6pm when going to bed around 10pm

Rock n Roll!

Maybe stop eating x hours before bedtime challenge would be a bit more flexible.

edit: If, of course, that is healthy for you to do.

 

[Lamont D]

I do the 7pm cut off time.
The reason is simple.
If I have something that causes the trigger for high blood glucose levels, then the hypo. It is within a four hour period, since eating. I'm usually in my pit around 11pm (ish).
So I know I'm not going to hypo.
It works for me.

 

[bitofagit]

I have been in the system of eating/drinking not before 10.00am and not after 6.00pm. There have been days when it has not been possible to adhere to, but surprised in that those days have been very few (I am retired and therefore do not have to conform as others might have to).
I find that if I have something to do, in workshop or similar, the hunger pangs are avoided (always hungry, just matter of degree!) and it is a lot easier to not eat.
It does become easier as time goes by

 

[eventhorizon]

Yes, I'll take that challenge. I normally don't eat after 8pm anyway and then don't eat anything until 1 or 2pm the next afternoon anyways.

 

[KennyA]

We tend to be late eaters so I am going to disqualify myself.....

 

[Pipp]

I don’t usually start eating until about 2pm, then dinner by 7:30. I confess to nibbling low carb stuff laternin the evening. It is the dark winter nights, and I am a bit of a night owl.
Will probably benefit from a bit of a time shift / reset of diet, so will join in this challenge.

 

[LivingLightly]

Happy to take the challenge.

Having your last meal of the day no later than, say, 18.00-19.00 and avoiding snacks afterwards gives your stomach a rest before you hit the hay and, when done consistently, works wonders for my FBG readings on waking the next morning.

 

[Lamont D]

I don’t usually start eating until about 2pm, then dinner by 7:30. I confess to nibbling low carb stuff laternin the evening. It is the dark winter nights, and I am a bit of a night owl.
Will probably benefit from a bit of a time shift / reset of diet, so will join in this challenge.

I honestly believe, if you are a night owl, then four hours before bed is just as good.

 

[MrsA2]

I try to make sure I'm full enough by 18:00 to go right though.
I put an imaginary but very firm "kitchen's closed" sign on the door.
I also know now, that if I go to bed a little hungry or peckish, I'm going to wake in the morning not needing to eat straight away. A little hunger isn't a bad thing (no matter what the snack adverts tell you!)

 

[Paul_]

This was my first step to losing my "Snack King" title following diagnosis last year - no food after 7pm. Only exception is Friday night, as my kids have swimming lessons and it's 8pm that night. Was tough at first, like you I suspect that was more down to habit/boredom more than hunger, but it got easier and I don't even think about it now 7 months later. Count me in!

Seen a number of posts discussing motivation for doing so above. My motivations were 1) to retrain my appetite towards meals rather than endless grazing, 2) to allow me to do 16:8 fasting on occasion with an 11am to midday lunch the following day if I have meetings over lunch, and eventually I came to notice 3) I slept better.

 

[MissMuffett]

This challenge is really to get me to stop mindless eating in the evening because I’m bored! I don’t eat because I’m hungry so it’s to stop this habit.
@ianf0ster I don’t eat breakfast but drink a very large mug of coffee with a bit of almond milk and double cream around 8am, I’ve recently ditched the erythritol in it as trying to get out of that habit as well. My first meal is around 12-12:30 after I’ve walked the dogs, I do feel peckish about that time and I have dinner about 5-5:30. I go to bed fairly early by some people’s routine, about 9 o’clock so finishing eating by 6pm fits in well with me.

 

[aylalake]

I was very good about not eating after 7pm, then Christmas…
So I will happily rise to the challenge. Thanks for setting it up.

 

[Pura Vida]

we try to have our last meal at 3 pm no snacks. that.s when i sleep best from 11pm to 6am breakfast at 7am

 

[Lainie71]

I am up for the challenge (writing this at 00:41am), cannot sleep so sat with a decaf tea which probably is not the greatest thing to do. I'm wide awake annoyingly and hubby is snoring his head off! Haven't tested for days as I have been feel naff mentally. At least this might kick start me again after feeling no enthusiasm to do anything!