# 04 The Night Eater
For most of the day, food is barely on your radar. You might skip breakfast and eat a sandwich for lunch. But then, at night, you feast: a large dinner, followed by something sweet. ‘ This back-loading of calories seems to predispose people to be overweight,’ says Martin. It’s more than intake vs output. Nutrition researcher Courtney Peterson has just completed two major studies on meal timing. Our metabolic rate drops in the evening; her findings show that late-night eating disrupts insulin sensitivity, raises blood pressure and hinders fat loss. ‘We think that eating later at night puts your body’s clocks in different “time zones”,’ she says, ‘leading to conflicting signals.’
The prescription
Experiment with a compressed eating schedule. The idea might not appeal, but the results of Peterson’s studies may persuade you. When subjects ate their meals between 8am and 2pm, they burned more fat and felt less hungry than those eating the same amount on a normal schedule.
Initially, you may find you have little appetite during the day. One of the study participants confessed to dreading feeling overfull when eating a last meal in the early afternoon. But within just five weeks, the results were weight loss, rebalanced blood sugar and lowered blood pressure.
Altering your sleep patterns may help, too. Wake up early to run, firing up your appetite, and aim to be in bed by 10pm, which will also cut into your evening snack time. If you’re struggling to wake up, try sleeping with the curtains open. The natural light will rewire your brain.