Discover the effects of skipping dinner on your body, including its potential for weight loss and possible side effects. Learn when it might be beneficial and when it could harm your health.
Surely more than one person has that friend or acquaintance who claims to have lost weight just by skipping dinner. But it's not always as they say; in fact, science does not support this habit. Although there are exceptions since intermittent fasting has many health benefits. However, according to research, people who do not consume food at night tend to gain more weight than those who do. Specifically, according to a six-year follow-up study of various volunteers prone to overweight, those who skipped dinner increased their weight by 10% compared to those who did not, who remained stable.
Thus, even amid the popularity of trends like intermittent fasting, which involves going between 8 and 16 hours without eating, science has yet to demonstrate that eliminating the last meal of the day is truly effective for losing weight or staying healthy. A review of research supports this theory and concludes that there is not enough evidence to support that eating a light dinner helps to lose weight. Indeed, the study suggests that a healthy dinner, free of fats and rich in proteins and vegetables, can be very helpful in preventing the loss of lean mass overnight. Therefore, while it is not advisable to skip dinner lightly, it should not be mandatory either, as there are certain circumstances in which not having dinner could perfectly be part of a healthy diet. The reason is that people are still animals with their built-in mechanisms capable of regulating hunger and satiety. Going to the extreme: an infant is capable of expressing when they are hungry and is fed when it expresses it. Therefore, if one follows a diet that respects the cycles of hunger and satiety and when night comes there is no hunger, the answer to whether one should force themselves to have dinner is no, since the body is not asking for it.
But then why is intermittent fasting or skipping dinner to lose weight fashionable?
Well, the issue is more complex than it seems. It must be clear that to lose weight and not regain it, it is important to reduce the number of calories consumed and increase those burned by exercising. But skipping meals completely can cause fatigue and loss of essential nutrients. It is also more likely that foods high in fats and sugars will be consumed, which can lead to weight gain. In fact, skipping dinner can lead to nocturnal binge eating where the person wakes up in the early hours to find something to satisfy their hunger. Under these conditions, they will choose food with higher amounts of sugars or fats.
What is clear is that adopting balanced eating habits is one of the indispensable steps towards a healthier life. However, it is not always easy to know what the best strategy is to achieve this. Sometimes, mistakes are made that, instead of contributing to well-being, act against it. This can create the perception that one is leading a good lifestyle when in reality it may be harming the body. For example, the famous intermittent fasting or skipping dinner can have different repercussions on the body, depending on various factors such as the frequency with which it occurs, the general diet, and the person's lifestyle. While it may seem a simple way to reduce calories, the effects of skipping this meal can be more complex and varied.
Skipping dinner is not a good idea
A very common mistake when trying to lose weight quickly is to skip dinner and it is not favorable, except in some cases, and all meals of the day are fundamental and require attention. This must be emphasized since, based on some sayings, one often focuses on breakfast and lunch to stay full of energy during the day. However, come night time, one might think that they no longer need that last meal, after all, the day is ending, and they are about to go to sleep, so why give more calories to the body? With this argument in mind, many people believe that skipping dinner prevents weight gain. But it's a misunderstanding that has no basis and that in fact, can have the opposite effect.
So, what usually happens when skipping dinner?
Loss of muscle mass: Each time a person goes to bed without having dinner, the body obtains energy from two sources: muscle mass and stored fat. Although one might prefer it to use the fat, the reality is that it tends to resort to muscle mass. Thus, skipping dinner can result in muscle loss, not fat. In turn, this muscle loss decreases resting caloric expenditure, which slows down the metabolism. Therefore, avoiding dinner not only affects body composition but also metabolic performance.
Body on alert: It should also be noted that skipping dinner puts the body on alert. When eating resumes, the body tends to store reserves in the form of fats in case of future food scarcity situations. This phenomenon contributes to the rebound effect observed when resuming normal habits after miracle diets of low caloric intake, where weight is lost quickly. Metabolic slowdown: When caloric intake is reduced during a diet, the body may interpret it as a signal of scarcity and adjust its metabolism to conserve energy. This is known as "metabolic slowdown effect," that is, the body seeks to adapt to survive with fewer calories, decreasing the resting metabolic rate. Additionally, the loss of muscle mass during the diet can also affect metabolism, since muscles burn more calories at rest than fat. Hunger at odd hours: Going to bed on an empty stomach can cause one to feel hungry in the middle of the night, negatively affecting rest. It can even lead to the syndrome of nocturnal binge eating, also known as Night Eating Syndrome, which is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of excessive food consumption during the night. People who suffer from this syndrome tend to wake up during the night to eat large amounts of food, often high-calorie and carbohydrate-rich foods. Metabolic and energy effects of skipping dinner Changes in metabolism: When dinner is regularly omitted, the body may experience changes in metabolism. For example, the metabolism may slow down as a defense mechanism to conserve energy, given that the body perceives a prolonged period without food as a signal of resource scarcity. This response can counteract any attempt to lose weight, especially if reducing calories is the main goal of skipping dinner.
Impact on glucose levels: Skipping meals, especially dinner, can lead to a drop in blood glucose levels. This can cause hypoglycemia, especially in people with diabetes or those whose last meal was very early in the day. Symptoms of hypoglycemia include dizziness, tremors, fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating.
Effects on sleep and appetite Sleep problems: Eating helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle, so skipping dinner can lead to difficulties falling asleep or interrupted sleep due to hunger. Additionally, the lack of essential nutrients can affect the production of hormones and neurotransmitters that facilitate restorative sleep, such as melatonin and serotonin.
Increased appetite the next day: Skipping dinner can cause an increase in hunger sensation the next day. This can lead to excessive food consumption during breakfast and lunch, which can cause fluctuations in caloric intake and make it difficult to maintain a healthy weight. Tips for dinner and losing weight Advance dinner time Definitely, having dinner in an adequate manner is crucial to achieving goals such as leading a healthier life or losing weight. Therefore, advancing dinner time is an important key, allowing at least two hours between dinner and bedtime since, during the night, the body prepares for rest, which slows down the assimilation of food. This habit allows the metabolic process to be more efficient and contributes to achieving well-being goals.
A light dinner is better than not having dinner at all
Taking care of what you eat is essential, so it is advisable to have a healthy and light dinner, avoiding foods that are too heavy, such as fried foods, or those that hinder nighttime digestion. Opting for sources of protein, such as eggs, fish, or lean meats, during dinner is an excellent choice, as it is the best way to provide essential nutrients in a balanced way without overloading the digestive system before sleeping.