Eating the right food and at the right time are both equally important when trying to lose weight. If you want to shed kilos speedily, then you need to take care of both. But between our hectic schedule and work pressure, we often have our lunch late in the afternoon and this one factor is enough to sabotage our weight loss goal.
The worst timing
As per a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, having your food after 3 PM can slow down your weight loss process. The journal covered a research, which was conducted on more than 1200 overweight people in Spain who were trying to lose weight. It was found that people who had their lunch after 3 PM had difficulty in losing their weight. The study focused on the effect of the perilipin protein, which is found in human cells and necessary for the fat burning process. People who had a little genetic variation of this protein lost less weight when they had their meal after 3 PM.

This study specifically mentioned people with specific genetic makeup. But another study published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2013, also claimed the same and stated clearly that people who ate lunch after 3 PM lose less weight as compared to people who had their meal before 3.

Why the timing matters?
We know that circadian rhythm is the internal clock that regulates the body’s sleep and wake up cycle. But it also has a major impact on our insulin sensitivity. Eating food when your insulin sensitivity is low can make it harder to mobilize the fat and lose kilos.

However, researchers did not find any relation between weight loss and breakfast and dinner timing. This can also be because the study was conducted in Spain, where people consume most of the calories at lunch.

The perfect timing to have your food
According to a study conducted by Harvard University, no matter how healthy you eat, if you are not eating at the right time, it will be difficult for you to lose weight. Having your meal at the same time daily will help you maintain a balance between your mealtime and circadian rhythms.

Your food timing can also help you manage your metabolism, body-weight, obesity-related diseases and sleep cycle. So, when trying to lose weight try this is the right time to have your meal:

BREAKFAST: 6 AM to 10 AM

MID MORNING SNACK: 2 to 4 hours after breakfast

LUNCH: Before 3 PM

AFTERNOON SNACK: 2 to 4 hours after lunch

DINNER: Between 5 PM to 7 PM