Weight loss & obesity: a calorie is a calorie regardless of the time it's consumed...

Fast food for thought...

The human body does not contain an internal clock.

Although energy expenditure is likely to decline during the latter part of the day - the average adult will eliminate less energy in the evening as a result of slouching on the sofa and/or remaining in a relatively sedentary state after a stressful day at work - calories can still contribute to weight gain regardless of the time that they're consumed.

For example, if we're eating more energy - be it from a morning meal and/or a midnight munch - than we are eliminating via exercise, activity and the maintenance of basic bodily functions (our basal metabolic rate, also referred to as BMR, allows us to burn energy even at rest), our overall caloric consumption will be higher than our overall energy expenditure - this creates the common energy imbalance that's responsible for the formation of additional adipose tissue (body fat) in the average obese or overweight individual.

Instead of entertaining the exaggerated eating rules that are religiously reiterated by the warped world of weight loss (think the classic 'no carbs after 6pm'), focus on how much food and fluid you consume during the duration of the day as opposed to forbidding food after a specific time/s - a midnight munch (or eating in the evening!) will only widen your waistline IF it contributes to an over consumption of overall calories, not because of the time that it's consumed.

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