Research confirms that the body burns far more calories and fat during an early dinner, and nighttime hunger only accelerates these processes. The truth is that there is another simple fact behind this, namely, that the body doesn't know when breakfast is, when lunch is, and when dinner is. It's all in our heads. It's important to have a hearty breakfast, and for the other meals, it's important to have them as early as possible and not right before bedtime.

A study conducted at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University in the USA showed that most people eat between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., although from a metabolic point of view, it would be better to consume most food by 3 p.m.

So, what should you do?

The first rule of metabolism is to not force anything or rush into changes overnight. Try moving dinner one hour earlier each day and don't worry if you don't succeed every time. It's important to continue where you left off the next day. It is crucial to overcome the psychological barrier and try to align with the body's natural rhythm (you can observe this best by going for a walk at the same time every day).

Also, consider that shifting dinner is not suitable for people with high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol. For them, it's more effective to have several smaller meals.

Keep in mind that irregular meals after the age of 50 almost certainly lead to obesity because people move less and expend less energy as they age (remember that the brain uses over a third of the body's energy even when it seems like it's doing nothing). Irregular meals are the biggest contributor to excess weight gain.

Another important point not to overlook: the mentioned times are applicable if you go to bed between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. If this doesn't apply to you, don't change the rhythm, but adjust the timings accordingly. If you go to bed at midnight, dinner at 5 p.m., breakfast at 10 a.m., and fit lunch and snacks (don't skip them!) in between those hours.

What can you expect from a delayed dinner?

If you think you will lose weight by delaying dinner, you are mistaken. The longer you stick to the adjusted time, the better your metabolism will adapt to the new rhythm, fewer excess fats will accumulate, and over time you will reach your optimal weight (which is far from being ideal!). Just maintaining a constant weight will reassure the body and leave enough energy for more important tasks.

Only when your weight stabilizes (which can take 5 days or more), can you focus on losing excess weight.

But this won't work without physical activity...