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Will avoiding carbs after 5pm will help me lose weight?

The Sanitarium Nutrition Service
Thursday, June 4, 2009
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Question:

Will avoiding carbs after 5pm will help me lose weight?

Answer:

There is nothing magical about not eating carbs after 5pm - this is an arbitrary cut-off point. A search of the National Library of Medicine Medline database of more than 4800 scientific journals failed to find a single study that lends support to the theory that carbs need to be cut after 5pm in order to lose weight. There are also no health authorities that endorse this type of approach.

Does a carb curfew work for weight loss? For those who tend to eat large meals at night, this is an easy calorie cutting strategy, without having to count calories. The strategy works, simply because it helps you eat less. However if you are trying to lose weight, you could also cut down on the overall amount of food you usually eat at your evening meal (including meat, cheese, creamy sauces, desserts) rather than just focusing on the carbs. Increasing the amount of vegetables on your plate in relation to all other foods can also help.

People who should definitely not practice a carb curfew include diabetics who are taking insulin or other blood glucose lowering medication. Such people could develop a hypo - where their blood sugar level drops too low – resulting in a coma, if not treated.

This information is provided by The Sanitarium Nutrition Service

Your Say: Do you eat carbs after 5pm? Tell us your tips for weight loss below...


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User comments
I don't think there is one answer. My aproach was to not eat after 8 pm and eat a healthy diet, then train 2 x 30 minute sessions per day for 2 weeks. Once in the am on rising, and once in the pm before bed, maintainig a fat burning heart rate based on my body and age etc. I managed to lose weight and even for 2 weeks after i stopped, i still lost weight. My aim was to raise my metabolism to burn more fat even while i slept and it worked. At the end of the day i think it basically comes down to. If you eat more than the body will use then you will put on weight, use more than the you eat and you will lose weight.

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