Q: For weight loss, does it help to eat the heaviest meal of the day at noon instead of the evening?
A: One aspect of weight management that is vital to understand is that we gain and lose weight over periods of time – weeks, months and even years – not hour by hour. This happens as we take in more calories than we expend. Another important fact of metabolism is that our bodies do not stop working, even when we are sleeping. Hearts are beating, blood is circulating, lungs are functioning and brains are even working. This all takes energy, meaning we are still burning calories. There is no magic time after which the body stores fat. For instance, if you eat the same exact meal at 6 p.m. or at 8 p.m., is one more caloric than the other? No, each meal has the same number of calories. What really matters is the total amount of food and drink you have over the course of a week (or a month or longer) and how much energy you expend during that time frame. Excess calories will be stored as fat over time, regardless of whether they are taken in during the day or night.
– Indi Maharaj, registered dietitian, Erlanger’s Chattanooga LifeStyle Center
Readers: To submit a question for a professional dietitian, e-mail it to Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com. See this space each week.