Eat Late, Gain Weight?
Study: People Who Eat After 8 p.m. Have Higher BMIs
By Brenda Goodman - WebMD Health News - Source
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Checking a clock may be as helpful as counting calories when it comes to controlling body weight, a new study suggests.

The study shows that people who snack after 8 p.m. have higher body mass indexes (BMIs) than people who don’t nosh at night, even though they don’t eat significantly more total daily calories.

Previous studies in animals have found that even when calories are held steady, the timing of meals and sleep and exposure to light can impact metabolism and BMI.

The new study is one of the first to explore those relationships in humans.

There’s no doubt that the hardest part of losing weight is staying motivated. Weight loss isn’t something that happens overnight – you need to stick at it if you want to see results. Most people know how to lose weight so the main reason everyone isn’t slim and healthy is that it’s difficult to keep up a weight loss regime for a long period of time. Here are some tips for staying motivated whilst losing weight.

1. The first thing you need to do is work out why lose weight in the first place. Is it because you want to be generally healthier? Are you worried about the way you look? Is it because there’s an important wedding coming up? Everyone is different and you need to decide why losing weight is important to you personally before working out how to increase your motivation.
2. The next tip is to work out some long, medium and short term goals. Your long term goal should be the final amount of weight you want to lose. This can be as much as you want as long as you understand it’ll take time to get there. The medium and short term goals should provide you with targets to aim towards in an attempt to reach your final target. Setting smaller targets is a great way of increasing your motivation because it allows you to measure your progress.
3. Another great way to stay motivated is to have a weight loss partner. If you know someone who wants to lose weight then you can keep each other company while exercising, keep track of what the other is eating and provide support for each other. If you know you have to answer to someone other than yourself it can make a big difference.
4. Entering a sporting event such as a fun run or bike race will keep you on track when exercising and provide something to work towards. It can be hard to keep exercising on a daily basis if there is no end goal. Just be careful not to aim too high to begin with.
5. Many people find that keeping a journal of their weight loss efforts can help them to stay motivated. The useful thing about a diary is that if you’re having a bad day you can look back and see how much progress you’ve made. Sometimes it can be difficult to gauge progress through memory alone and a diary solves this problem. You don’t have to write in it every day unless you want to. If you would like to make the most out of a diary then you could even attach photos every few weeks to see the changes in your body shape. There’s nothing more motivational than knowing you’re going to have to see yourself naked on a regular basis!
6. Also, most people find it easier to get motivated to exercise in the morning. After a long days work nothing seems more appealing than lying down on the sofa watching TV for a few hours. If you never want to exercise after work then try to get up a bit earlier to do a 20 minute cardiovascular workout.
7. Try to do something every day. Even if it’s only a few press-ups you should keep your momentum going by exercising each and every day.

Ultimately, success and failure when it comes to weight loss depends on your motivation. If you can find a way to keep motivated over a long period of time then you’re well on your way to losing as much weight as you want