Whether you’re working overtime or having a late-night snack attack, the only gain you get from midnight munching is on your waistline. Consuming calories at night is associated with a high BMI and increases your diabetes risk. Plus, nocturnal eaters are more likely to lose teeth, according to the ADA.
If that wasn’t enough to make you put the pizza back in the freezer, these 6 reasons will:
1. Puts on the Pounds
Eating before bedtime means your body must work harder to metabolize and burn carbohydrates. This causes late-night calories to be stored as fat—instead of burning them as energy. Especially if that last cookie made you exceed your daily calorie intake.
2. Erases Exercise
Your daily workout routine means your insulin and glucose levels are likely low. Your body may have a better chance of burning off a small handful of almonds, but heavy-duty eating proves much more challenging.
3. Beats up your Body
Americans have their smallest meal at breakfast and largest at dinner. We have it backwards—eating after 3:00 P.M. can backtrack weight loss goals. Make your biggest meal your earliest and consume smaller portions in the evening. This will give your body plenty of time to digest before bed.
4. Constricts Calorie Burn
Your body is more capable of burning calories before 1:00 P.M. than it is after 4:00 P.M. It’s preparing itself to shutdown later in the day, meaning it’s more difficult to burn calories and easier to add on pounds.
5. Confuses your Clock
Every time you eat close to bedtime, your body has trouble digesting. Additionally, it may lead to grogginess in the morning and a later eating schedule the following day. Try to stay on schedule and stop eating 3 hours before bedtime.
6. Begins Bad Habits
The more often you binge before bedtime, the easier it is for your brain to do it again. Practice positive habits! Train your brain to hit the sack, not a snack.
If you must munch at midnight, try making a lighter meal and refrain from mindless snacking.