Should I Eat After 7pm? The Truth You Need to Hear

 

You’ve probably heard the “rule” that you shouldn’t eat after 7pm if you want to see results. Maybe you’ve even felt guilty grabbing a late snack, like the clock itself was going to derail your progress. But here’s the truth: your body doesn’t own a watch.

In this episode of Embrace Your Real, I’m breaking down the real science behind nighttime eating so you can finally stop stressing over the clock and start focusing on what actually matters for your goals.

We’ll cover:

  • Why calories aren’t magically stored as fat after 7pm

  • The difference between one late-night snack and a nightly pattern of overeating

  • How macro counting clears up the confusion about timing

  • When digestion and sleep might benefit from setting a food “cutoff”

  • How to tell the difference between true hunger and emotional eating at night

By the end, you’ll know exactly how to approach eating in the evening without guilt, stress, or confusion — and how to make late-night choices that align with your body and your goals.

🎧 Want more? Listen next to: Episode 466: Still Hungry After Hitting Your Macros? Do This....

If you want more from me, be sure to check out… 

Transcript

00:00

Hey, hey, beautiful human, Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace your Real with me, julie Ledbetter. I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned If you're ready to embrace your real, let's get it. Let's go. Hello and welcome back to another bonus episode on the Embrace Real podcast.

00:35

Today we're tackling a question that I know so many of you have wrestled with and that was because I did for a decade of my life and that is should I eat after 7 pm? Like? Maybe you've heard the rule that you should cut off eating in the evening or close the kitchen if you want to see results. Maybe you've even felt guilty grabbing a snack before bed, like it's automatically going to derail your progress. Is this true? Will that really happen? This is what I'm going to be diving into in today's bonus episode. So get ready for some real talk and some simple science on whether or not eating after 7 pm will stop you from building the body that you want. But first let me share this super sweet review. I don't have a name, but she gave a five-star review and said you need this. Stop everything you're doing and listen. This is a nice dose of reality and motivation.

01:25

I've been doing Movement with Julie for seven months now and have never felt so empowered and strong. Julie girl, you're changing the world, one podcast at a time. Oh, her name is Mama Strong 3. Thank you so much, mama Strong 3. I really appreciate you. I'm so grateful for you. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day, and I'm so, so grateful to hear that Movement with Julie has never felt you. You've never felt so empowered and strong. Like that is my goal. I want these workouts to not only give you that foundational functional strength that will carry through throughout your day-to-day, as you're picking up your kids, as you're going to the park, as you're doing your day-to-day things, but I also want you to feel empowered, and that is exactly why I created them. So I'm so grateful to hear that. So thank you so much for taking time out of your day to send that in.

02:15

All right, let's get right into it. Number one is the calorie myth. Now let's start with the big one. Eating after 7 pm does not magically make you gain fat. Your body doesn't look at the clock and say oh no, it is 7.01 pm. We are going to store this as fat. That's not how your metabolism works. Here's what actually happens. So your body is constantly processing and using the energy that you give it 24-7,.

02:40

Whether you eat at 7 am or 7 pm, the calories are handled the same way. They're either used for energy or they're stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen, or, if you're consistently overeating, they're stored as fat. There's no switch that flips when the sun goes down. What really matters, though, is how much you eat across the entire day. So if you're hitting your macros, you're fueling your body while you're staying consistent. A You're hitting your macros, you're fueling your body while you're staying consistent.

03:05

A late snack is not the enemy. The only time it becomes an issue is if that snack is pushing you over your daily goal, but here's the key. That would be the truth, whether you ate it at 7 pm, 4 pm or 10 am. The timing isn't the problem. The total intake is and here's something else to keep in mind your body still burns energy at night. You don't stop using calories when you sleep. Your brain, your organs, your muscles, all of those are still active. In fact, your body does a lot of the repair work overnight, which actually does require fuel, and that's why eating after 7 pm isn't bad in and of itself. It only becomes an issue again if it's consistently tipping you into overeating, eating more than what your body needs, based on where you're at, what your goals are, and all of those factors. Number two one night versus every night. So the question isn't can I eat after 7 pm? The real question is can I eat after 7 pm, at 7 pm or 8 pm or even 10 pm? Do I still have macros left to eat today? Because the truth is, one late night meal or even going a little over your target will not erase your progress. Your body doesn't run even on a 24-hour reset button. It responds to the consistent patterns that you build over weeks and months.

04:20

I want you to think of it like a bank account. It's like one unexpected expense doesn't completely ruin you, or it shouldn't completely ruin you, but overspending every single day, that is what is going to add up. Same with your nutrition. The problem isn't the clock. It's constantly going way over the target every night, and this is where macro counting comes in, like when you actually know your numbers, the guesswork disappears. You stop stressing about good or bad foods and instead ask the only question that matters, which is do I still have protein, do I still have carbs and fats left to hit today? And if the answer is yes, then go ahead and eat more, even if it's after 7 pm. If you've already hit your macro goal, then it's time to ask if you actually are still hungry and if you need to eat more. Or maybe you're just thirsty, maybe you just need a break and you need to get out of the kitchen. If you don't know how to set these numbers up, or you maybe tried tracking before and it has just felt so overwhelming this is exactly why I created my Macro Academy and Simple Online Academy. So inside the MCMS, I will walk you step-by-step through how to calculate the exact protein, carb and fat targets that your body needs. How to build meals that actually fit your life yes, including dinner at 9 pm, if that's what works for you and then how to stay consistent without feeling restricted, stressed or chained to your food scale. You'll finish the program with clarity, confidence and a plan that you can actually stick to and my goal with this program is that you don't feel like you have to have a coach for the rest of your life. I want to empower you, I want to teach you so that you can take that into your real life and you can apply it yourself and not just rely on these macro coaches for the rest of your life. If you're ready to take the stress out of food and finally see results that last you can go to macrocountingmadesimplecom Again, that's macrocountingmadesimplecom. Again, that's macrocountingmadesimplecom. I will also include it in the link in the show notes that you can easily go check that out.

06:15

Number three digestion and sleep. Now there is one reason why some people benefit from stopping earlier, and that's digestion. Your digestive system isn't just on 24-7. It actually has a rhythm. At night, your gut motility, which is how food moves through your system, actually does naturally slow down. So if you're eating a heavy meal at night right before bed, you might notice more bloating, some reflux or even disrupted sleep, because your body is still working to process that food instead of shifting into rest and repair mode. And this is where something like a 12-hour break between dinner and breakfast that can help. Think of this like giving your digestive system office hours. When you stop eating at a consistent time each night, you're allowing your gut to rest, reset and do background repair work things like balancing your gut bacteria and supporting your immune system. Research also does show that consistent overnight fasting can improve insulin sensitivity, which is key for managing blood sugar and energy levels.

07:12

And here's the important part. It doesn't have to be a rigid 7 pm cutoff. It's about creating a rhythm that fits your life. That could look like finishing dinner at 8 pm and eating breakfast at 8 am, or 9 to 9 or 10 to 10. There's no fat storing magic number at night. That benefit comes from the consistency of the break, not the clock on the wall. If you're curious to try it, start small, pick a realistic window maybe 8 pm to 8 am and notice how your body feels. Do you wake up less bloated? Do you sleep more soundly? Let your experience guide you, because this tool is meant to support your lifestyle, not to restrict it.

07:52

Number four is listen to your hunger. Here is the part that I really want you to hear. If you're hungry after 7 pm, you absolutely can eat. Hunger is your body asking for fuel, not something to fear. Ignoring it doesn't build discipline. It usually backfires when you skip food, even though you're genuinely hungry. You're more likely to toss and turn at night, wake up craving sugar, end up overeating the next day because your body is trying to make up for the deficit. The key is mindfulness. This is where you wanna pause and check in with yourself. Am I actually hungry or am I just bored or stressed or tired or sad? Emotional and stress eating oftentimes show up at night because your brain is looking for quick dopamine hits to unwind. That's normal, but it's different from true physical hunger. So here's a simple tool.

08:42

I want you to use the hunger scale on a scale from one to 10. If you're at three or four, your stomach is growling. Energy is dipping. That's real hunger Eat. If you're at a six or seven, you're just kind of restless. You want a distraction. Maybe what you need is a walk, maybe some water, or head to bed earlier and if it is true hunger, choose a protein rich snack. Protein keeps blood sugar stable, supports muscle repair.

09:06

Overnight. I want you to think of Greek yogurt with some berries or cottage cheese or a quick shake or even a couple of hard-boiled eggs. Those aren't just snacks, but they're small, powerful choices that fuel your body instead of working against it. So remember that late night hunger is not the enemy. The enemy is ignoring your body or mindlessly reaching for whatever is easy. I want you to fuel wisely and you stay in alignment, without the guilt spiral.

09:34

So let's wrap it up. Should you eat after 7 pm? The answer is it depends on your goals, your hunger, your digestion. If you're hungry and you're still within your macros, eat. If you consistently find yourself blowing past your goal at night, that's something to adjust. If digestion or sleep is a struggle, try that 12-hour window and see how your body responds. No guilt, no rules carved in stone, just awareness, consistency and small adjustments.

10:01

Eating after 7 pm isn't the villain it's made out to be. What matters is your overall intake, your consistency with protein, your consistency with movement and whether or not you're listening to your body and if staying on track with your workouts or nutrition is where you keep struggling. That is why I built my two programs. I have my Movement With Julie app, which is my dumbbell-only workouts for you. Literally, all you need is a few pair of dumbbells in a small space, five brandy workouts every single week. There's a 30-minute or 60-minute workout for each workout, so depending on your time constraints, there is a workout for you and my Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy. This is going to teach you how exactly to fuel your body without the obsession or overwhelmed. Together, these are going to give you the structure and the clarity that you need to move forward without second-guessing yourself.

10:47

And if you love this episode, I know you will also love episode 466. If you're still hungry after hitting your macros, do this. I will go ahead and link that in the show notes so that you can easily go check that out. And if today's conversation helped you, would you share it with a friend who's been stressing over the 7 pm rule? And, as always, leaving a review is the best way to help more women find this podcast. That is all that I have for today's episode. I love you so dang much. I mean it, and I'll talk to you in the next one.

11:24

All right, sister, that's all I got for you today, but I have two things that I need you to do. First thing if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter yes, it's with an A in the middle for that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real, because you're worth it.

 
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