Myth or Truth: No Carbs After 6 PM
A very persistent diet myth is the idea that eating carbs after 6 PM (or in the evening in general) will make you gain weight (or keep you from losing any). According to this belief, skipping carbs at night can help with fat loss. So, how did this myth even come about, and is there any truth to it? In this post, we’ll unpack where this idea stems from, what the science really says, and how you can actually lose excess body fat.
Where Did the “No Carbs in the Evening” Idea Come From?
The concept of avoiding carbs after 6 PM isn’t totally baseless, but it is often misinterpreted. The main idea is that our bodies don’t need much energy late in the day, and if we eat carbs at night, they’re more likely to be stored as fat. But that’s not exactly accurate.
Our bodies can obtain energy from various sources, not just carbs. Fats and proteins are also sources of energy, so cutting carbs alone doesn’t magically change our metabolism. What really matters for weight management is our overall calorie intake and our overall energy expediture (aka how much calories we burn) - hence, whether we’re in a calorie surplus or deficit.
In the end, if you eat more calories than you burn, you’re going to gain weight, regardless of when or what you’re eating. And on the flip side, if you consume fewer calories than you burn, you’ll lose weight. This is true regardless of whether you eat carbs in the evening or at any other time of day.
Why Do Some People Avoid Carbs in the Evening?
With that calorie balance principle in mind, let’s look at why some still prefer to avoid carbs in the evening. The original intention behind cutting carbs at night revolves around stabilizing blood sugar levels.
Eating carbs, especially simple sugars (think white bread, pasta, donuts), raises insulin levels in your body, which impacts hunger and appetite. When we eat foods high in simple sugars, blood sugar spikes rapidly and then drops, often leaving us craving more. This can lead to those dreaded late-night cravings that may disrupt weight-loss progress. By skipping carbs at night, some people find they can reduce their likelihood of late-night snacking and maintain their daily calorie goals.
The Impact on Your Daily Calorie Intake
Skipping carbs in the evening can also reduce your daily calorie intake without the need for strict calorie counting. Let’s imagine someone who’s usually close to their daily calorie maintenance level and likes to add a serving of rice or pasta as a side to some meat or fish and veggies for dinner. If they remove that evening carb serving—say, a portion of rice or pasta worth around 300 calories—they kind of automatically create a significant calorie deficit. This deficit allows their body to draw on stored fat for energy, leading to fat loss over time.
So, for some, simply skipping carbs at night is a way to “automate” a calorie deficit, because it feels easier for them to eat less calorie-dense food in the evening, when basically all they need to do is go to bed. And since foods that are high in carbs are often also high in calories, skipping (or reducing) those can be an efficient measure to reduce overall calorie intake.
So, Does Avoiding Carbs at Night Really Help with Weight Loss?
In the end, avoiding carbs in the evening can support weight loss for some people, but it’s not a magic formula. The key factor in weight loss is maintaining a calorie deficit, regardless of when this calorie deficit occurs.
For instance, intermittent fasting often encourages people to consume their entire calorie intake in a smaller eating window, sometimes only in the evening. This approach is essentially the opposite of “no carbs after 6,” yet it can also be successful for weight loss as long as the calorie deficit is in place.
The Bottom Line
No carbs after 6 pm may have some practical benefits for some people, but it’s definitely not a guaranteed path to weight loss. Weight loss ultimately comes down to calorie balance. You can still lose weight if you eat carbs at night, as long as you maintain a calorie deficit.
For many people, though, cutting carbs in the evening can be a useful way to stay mindful of their calorie intake. By reducing late-night snacking and improving dietary discipline, you might find it easier to stick with a calorie deficit. With consistency and a balanced approach, your fat-loss goals are definitely within reach.
Personally, I’ve started eating less (less, not no) carbs for lunch and instead started having carb-heavier dinners - to make my days more productive and my nights more sleepy.
More on the (science-backed) pros of intentionally eating carbs in the evening coming to the blog soon.
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Sources
Choi, J.H., Cho, Y.J., Kim, HJ. et al. Effect of carbohydrate-restricted diets and intermittent fasting on obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hypertension management: consensus statement of the Korean Society for the Study of obesity, Korean Diabetes Association, and Korean Society of Hypertension. Clin Hypertens 28, 26 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40885-022-00207-4
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