Why meal timing matters

Meal timing is one of those hotly debated nutrition topics on the old interwebs. What is an ideal time to eat protein? What should we eat before or after a workout? How many carbs do I need intraworkout?

For most of us, these things really don’t matter. Nutrient timing probably would only account for a fraction of percent difference in our results. Of course, that can be the difference between first and second place for competitors but most of us are just competing to place top 10 in the household Olympics. I’m 3rd out of 3 in my house.

Not all nutrient timing is about physiology, though. Sometimes timing can, in and of itself, be a weight loss strategy. Look at how successful intermittent fasting can be. It’s not due to some magical hormonal response or by tricking the body into some type of nutrient confusion. Intermittent fasting, or more accurately time restricted feeding, works great by lessening the opportunity to eat and therefore feeling more full during feeding hours. By utilizing a nutrient timing strategy we are able to help to deal with non-physiological obstacles that come with dieting. Emotional and psychological situations like nighttime eating or stress eating can be mitigated with a time restricted approach.

Time restricted eating can also be a great solution for those who are focused on losing fat but also cognizant of the messaging it can send to kids. By utilizing a meal timing strategy that has a window of eating favoring more calories at night meals with family, which will be more visible, can be less restrictive and more intuitive. We can still set an example of balanced eating while chasing our goals.

One of the most innovative uses of meal timing came from a client. She was having struggles with emotional eating at night. The stress and chaos of night with the kids was straining her already thin decision fatigue and her coping mechanism was emotional eating. The best solution for any type of emotionally charged behavior is often an environment change. Unfortunately, this is rarely practical. But she found a way to change her environment and, in turn, change her meal timing issues. So what was this radical change? She moved the kids’ bed time up by an hour. Simple solution to a complex problem. She was able to mitigate evening stress and thereby eliminate her emotional eating episodes. That extra hour was just enough to eliminate her decision fatigue and lead to more desirable nighttime behaviors.

Meal timing doesn’t have to be about optimal physiology. It doesn’t have to be about what the research says. It can be about how to be strategic. It can be about managing behaviors by managing environment. Think about what you need, examine the tools at your disposal, and be willing to try something new. It might just be the solution that’s been eluding you.