Is it okay to eat carbohydrates in the evening or is that not a good idea? Do you really gain weight from carbs? Here come all the answers!
More and more women are giving up carbohydrates in the evening. Instead, there are plenty of low carb recipes on the table. Bread, pasta and the like are given a wide berth.
But are you not allowed to eat carbohydrates after 6pm or is that actually complete nonsense?
And do you really get slim while sleeping if you stop eating carbs in the evening?
Table of contents
Carbohydrates in the evening in theory
In theory it means: If you don't eat carbohydrates in the evening, you burn fat at night. Pasta after 6 p.m. makes you fat because it blocks the breakdown of fat.
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There is even a shred of truth to it. No matter what time of day it is, when we eat carbs, blood sugar levels rise. Our body releases insulin. This allows the sugar (glucose) to enter the cells.
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Insulin is also known to be involved in the formation of body fat and inhibit its breakdown.
During the day, our body covers its energy needs through the food we eat. When we sleep, it draws on reserves and breaks down fat.
However, nutritionists do not really agree on this. While some say that carbohydrates should be eliminated in the evening after 6 pm. Others are of the opinion that it depends on the total energy intake of the day.
So much for the theory.
What does carbohydrates of which sugar actually mean?
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When it is not worth giving up carbohydrates in the evening
Eat bread, pasta, pizza and Co all day and switch to low carb after 6 pm and you lose weight? Well, rather not :)
How many carbohydrates per day can I eat?
Just because you don't eat carbs in the evening, you still can't shovel everything you find into yourself during the day.
Whether we gain or lose weight depends very much on the calorie intake throughout the day. Logical, isn't it? This is what the law of thermodynamics teaches us. It says: If you supply your body with exactly as many calories as you burn, you will neither gain nor lose weight.
If you eat 2000 calories per day and consume exactly 2000, your weight will not change at all. It doesn't matter if you eat them with carbohydrates in the evening, in the morning or during the day.
Basically, however, it pays to eat fewer carbohydrates if you want to lose weight.
You'll find a lot of carbs in bread, pasta, rice, sweets and products made from white flour.
Cut back on the consumption of these foods altogether. Then it doesn't matter if you eat carbohydrates in the evening.
That's why you should never give up complex carbohydrates!
What it is about burning fat in the evening
During the day, the body goes to the fat depots and that is when we consume more energy than we take in. For example, through sports.
But we burn and store fat all the time.
And this is how the whole thing works:
- After eating, the rate of fat storage increases. It now exceeds the rate of fat burning. You primarily store fat. And at the same time you burn quite a bit.
- However, this changes between meals. As soon as the food is processed, the body falls into the catabolic phase. Now it burns more fat than it stores.
If you have a balanced calorie balance (i.e. 2000 calories eaten and 2000 calories burned), these phases alternate so that you are balanced at the end of the day.
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If you have eaten more than you have burned, then fat storage predominates. If you have eaten less than you would actually need for the balance, then the fat burning predominates.
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Whether carbohydrates in the evening are healthy or not
It is very important that you distinguish between simple and complex carbohydrates.
Because whether carbohydrates are healthy in the evening or not depends on which ones you eat and of course how many. Chips, pizza, fries and white flour products of all kinds are neither healthy in the evening nor during the day.
Quickly digestible carbs cause blood sugar levels to rise and fall very quickly. In addition, they contain very few nutrients and fiber.
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This means that you quickly become hungry again. And your body produces insulin continuously.
Complex carbohydrates cause blood sugar levels to rise and fall much more slowly. They keep us full for a long time and provide energy slowly. Here you can eat as much as you want. But only in moderation and not in masses.
If you want to eat fewer carbohydrates in the evening, then avoid sugar and white flour in particular. Then you have already made a very big step in the right direction.
Instead of 4 slices of wholemeal bread, just take 1-2 and cover them with lots of vegetables, cream cheese and herbs. If it has to be meat, then go for turkey ham.
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In general, you shouldn't eat dinner too late. 2-3 hours before bedtime is just fine.
Why eating fewer carbs in the evening works for many
Avoiding carbohydrates in the evening and losing weight can work, but it doesn't have to. If it does work, it's because you're making a dietary change through low carb.
Small example
You used to eat bread with sausage in the evening and then another baguette with jam. Or a big stool of spaghetti. Of course, that's no longer possible.
Now you eat a salad, vegetables and a piece of chicken breast because of the "omit carbohydrates in the evening".
All in all, you consume far fewer calories than before. You are also full longer.
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Suddenly you burn more fat than you store. Avoiding carbohydrates in the evening works: You lose weight. But that's not because of the time of day or because you simply cut out carbs.
It works because you're eating healthier and consuming fewer calories.
How many carbohydrates you should eat per day
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. It depends on many factors such as height, weight, age, gender and your goals.
In total, carbs should make up 40 to 50% of your daily macronutrients. If you want to reduce fat, then reduce the intake to about 20%.
But if you do sports, your body needs a lot of carbohydrates to have energy and to build muscles.
Our conclusion
It can help you lose weight if you avoid carbohydrates in the evening. Especially from white flour and sugar you should keep your hands off - but not only in the evening but the whole day.
You don't have to cut out carbs completely. Just change the portions a bit: Have more vegetables and salad and less pasta. And the pasta you do use should be whole grain.
Despite many arguments for low carb, the bottom line is how much and what you eat throughout the day.
If you eat too much overall, it won't help to give up carbohydrates in the evening. You will still gain weight.
Good luck! :)
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