Running in the Evening and Dinners Am I Eating Too Late to Lose Weight?

Please can you help with this one. I run on the treadmill in the evenings around five or six o'clock. Whilst I want to lose half a stone, I don't want to add on the pounds so I'm not sure when do I eat my dinner.

I have heard I'll pile on weight if I eat late. I'll be running around five to seven km in the evening. Please help all confused.
Many thanks
Fi

Answer by Dom: Hi Fiona, thank you for your running for weight loss question. Running 5-7 km on the treadmill after work is a great routine, and your dinner time is not the problem you think it is. Here is what I'd focus on instead.

1. Calories in versus calories out decides your weight, not the clock
2. What an evening 5-7 km run is worth towards your half stone
3. How to eat after your treadmill run without overdoing it
4. Late-night snacking is the real catch
5. Track your food for a month to see the truth

Calories in versus calories out decides your weight, not the clock

I get so frustrated by questions like these. Not because of the question — it's not you. There is simply so much weight loss information around that it becomes overwhelming and confusing. The weight loss industry, in its need to sell product, keeps throwing one piece of advice after the other at you. Much of it is noise.

The bottom line is:

In order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you take in.

A calorie is simply a unit of energy. Food gives you energy, running uses it up. If you use up more than you eat over a week, you lose weight. If not, you don't.

It's pretty much irrelevant when you do each of those things. You could run in the morning, at midday or at night. You could eat dinner earlier or later. Your body keeps one running total across the whole day and the whole week, and that total is what counts. So no, you won't "pile on weight" because your plate lands on the table at 7.30pm instead of 6pm.

What an evening 5-7 km run is worth towards your half stone

Let's put some numbers on it. Running 5-7 km uses up roughly 300-500 calories, depending on your body weight and your pace. A heavier runner or a quicker pace sits at the top of that range. Treadmill displays are often generous, so treat their number as a rough guide only.

Half a stone is 7 lb, or about 3.2 kg. A sensible, sustainable loss is roughly 0.25-0.5 kg a week. That means you're looking at around 6-12 weeks, not a crash diet and not a fortnight.

Say you run three evenings a week at roughly 400 calories each. That's about 1,200 calories a week from running alone. It's a solid start — but only if your eating doesn't quietly add it all back. A single takeaway pizza can cancel a whole week of treadmill sessions. Keep your running consistent, build up the mileage gradually, and let your food do the rest of the work.

How to eat after your treadmill run without overdoing it

Your run finishes around 6-7pm. My advice to you is simple: have dinner within an hour or two of finishing, and make it a proper, balanced meal. Some protein (eggs, chicken, fish, beans), some carbohydrate (rice, potatoes, wholemeal pasta) and plenty of vegetables. That refills your energy stores and helps your muscles recover for the next run.

Most of us arrive hungry after an evening run, and that's where the trouble starts. Hungry people grab the nearest thing and eat it fast. Two things help. Drink a big glass of water straight after you finish, and have your dinner planned or even prepped before you run. If it's already in the fridge, you won't wander towards the biscuit tin.

Use a normal plate, not a huge one. Serve once, sit down, eat slowly. Your stomach takes a while to tell your brain it's full, so give it that time before you go back for seconds.

Eating at 7pm or 8pm after your run is perfectly fine. Please rest assured of that.

Late-night snacking is the real catch

Now, I am sure there is a bit of merit to the advice not to eat late at night. When you have already had a nutritious dinner and your calorie intake for the day is done, a mid-night snack is not going to help your weight loss.

Especially because late night snacks are almost synonymous with bad foods, e.g. a quick bag of chips or nuts, chocolate bar etc. With some of these snacks you could be taking in the calories of a full meal with just a few bites. So, late night snacking like that is not really good. That is the real catch behind the "don't eat late" rule — not the hour itself, but what we tend to eat at that hour while sitting in front of the telly.

But many people nowadays eat their meals spread over six portions a day. A breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and snack a bit later at night. Many find it helps them keep the hunger at bay by never having a completely empty tummy.

I do pretty much the same, I eat my breakfast at 6am, have some nuts and a latte at about 9.30-10am, lunch at 12-1pm, another latte and an apple or other piece of fruit at 3pm, dinner at about 7pm and often some nuts or yoghurt at about 9.30-10pm.

But, none of the meals are particularly big. My total calorie-intake is not excessive. And I do run a fair bit.

If you want a late snack, decide on it in advance: a small pot of yoghurt, a piece of fruit, a small handful of nuts. Portion it onto a plate. Never eat from the packet.

Track your food for a month to see the truth

I'd highly recommend using a calorie-tracker app/website like MyFitnessPal. I did it for a while with my wife last year.

After a matter of a month you'll know exactly how many calories you are taking in on a daily basis. My wife and I got quite creative with creating a few healthier, lower-calorie versions of regular meals we had once we found out just how many calories were in sour cream, pasta, etc.

Do it. Don't go overboard with the whole calorie-restriction thing. It's tough to maintain as it requires an iron discipline. Just make sure you run sufficiently so you can indulge once in a while... :)

Weigh yourself at the same time once a week, not every day. Daily numbers jump around with water and food in your system, and they'll only stress you out.

Fi, you're already doing the hardest part by getting on that treadmill. Eat a sensible dinner after your run, keep the late snacks small, and I'm confident the half stone will go. Best of luck.

Kind regards,
Dom

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