Keeping up with two small children under three years old is exhausting. As they enter each new phase of life, I tell myself that this is the season when I will have more energy, get more rest and keep up with them. Truth – I haven’t found that right season yet.

Until I get to that period in time, I will look for other ways I can boost my energy in a healthy and safe way. 

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed below are my own.

The Myth: Don’t Eat Late at Night

No one ever told me I shouldn’t eat late at night, it was just something that I read about in healthy living articles and magazines. While others followed trends that restricted the times when they could eat a meal or a snack, I was more focused on what I was eating. Then came pregnancy… and breastfeeding. Any woman who has experienced those two miracles knows there’s a special kind of hunger that comes with growing and feeding another human being from your body.

But once that phase passes, and you are no longer using your body as fuel for two (sometimes more) human beings at once, what happens to those cravings and the hangriness? They will eventually fade away, but while you wait for that to happen, your license to eat whatever you want gets revoked, and your healthy lifestyle journey is top priority again.

Getting my body back to where I want to be post-baby has been a little different the second time around. With less time to spend in the gym or doing a solo workout, I have been focusing a lot more on what I put into my body to make healthier choices that benefit both myself and my family.

The Hack: Eat That Midnight Snack

I’ve always been a fan of eating late at night but always felt the need to burn the extra calories if I found myself snacking on something particularly delicious after dinner.

But I never thought about the science behind how it affects your body until I picked up a book that sounded like it was written with me in mind – Always Eat After 7 PM. 

The book, by nutritionist and fitness expert, Joel Marion, debunks popular diet myths – including the one in the title of the book – while offering step-by-step meal plans and recipes that promote fat burning. The best part? The plan allows you to indulge in your most intense food cravings and eat the majority of your calories at night.

Sounds crazy right? Well I thought so too, but there’s scientific evidence that says otherwise.

“Research shows that the average person’s metabolic rate is no different during sleep than during the day. In short, your metabolism doesn’t slow down at night. Nor does your body store fat at the end of the day. Whether it’s 8 am or 8 pm, you use food for energy the same way.”

Science Behind the Diet

Even better, there may be more benefits to eating that late night snack instead of denying yourself.

“Late-night eating also curbs calorie intake the next day. In a four-week study, dieters added a snack to their daily regimen 90 minutes after dinner every night, and check this out: late-night eaters ate an average of 397 fewer calories per day.”

Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion is now available to purchase.

Learn more about the book and how to purchase here.

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed below are my own.