Don’t Eat Carbs After 6pm – True or False?

‘Don’t eat carbs after 6pm otherwise it’ll all get turned into fat as you don’t burn it off’

This is a statement that we’ve all heard and has been around for god knows how long and many people have sworn by it’s truth for years. The theory is that if you eat something late at night, you’re not moving around and then go to bed then you can’t burn it off and it’ll get stored as fat straight away.

But is this true or is it false? Well, my lambs, allow me to explain:

The Truth Hurts

In short, the statement is complete and utter hogwash. Just because you eat carbs after 6pm doesn’t mean that they’ll suddenly get stored as fat, that’s not how our bodies work!

Carbs are our body’s preferred energy source and is something that is important if you are someone who is exercising, but they absolutely shouldn’t be feared and treated like something that’s going to make you put on weight.

The way we put on weight is if we eat more calories than our bodies are using and then any extra calories (or energy) that our bodies haven’t used as fuel or move, breath, eat etc gets stored as body fat (Well it has to go somewhere if it’s not being used!).

So Carbs Don’t Make Us Fat?

No, carbs do not make us fat! However, eating too many carbs does might do. Why? Because if you eat lots of carbs and end up consuming too many calories then you’ll put on body fat! The same goes for protein and fats, if you eat too many calories then you’ll put on bodyfat.

What About Eating Late? Does That Make A Difference?

No, the timings of your eating doesn’t make a difference! Our bodies work on overall calories in vs calories used across the whole day so how late or early you eat doesn’t change anything.

Summary

So we’ve now explored whether or not the statement ‘Don’t eat carbs after 6pm otherwise it’ll all get turned into fat as you don’t burn it off’ is true or false and we’ve firmly established that it is indeed false. So feel free to eat your favourite carbs in the evenings, just know that if you eat too many then you risk over eating calories!

Want help with losing weight? Email adam@adamcmorris.com for details on Personal Training and Online Coaching and take the first step in changing your life today!