Carbs at night will make you fat?

George Kefalas
May 30, 2018
2 min read

There is a common belief that carbs at night should be limited since you are going to sleep soon and your metabolism will slow down, therefore you don't need much energy and carbohydrates have a greater chance to be stored as fat compared to if they were consumed earlier in the day. During the day we are more active, so carbs have a higher chance to get burned and provide us with required energy, right? Seems logical, but lets dive into the research to find out whether this is true or false.

Metabolism at night

Research has shown that the average overall energy expenditure during sleep does not appear to be any different than resting metabolic rate (RMR) during the day.

Furthermore, it appears that non-obese individuals [1] and people who exercise [2] tend to have sleeping metabolic rates higher than their resting metabolic rates, whereas obese individuals have sleeping metabolic rates significantly lower than their resting metabolic rate. So unless you are obese, your metabolism not only does not slow down during sleep, but it actually increases.

Insulin

When we wake up in the morning our body is in a fasted state and insulin levels are depleted. Due to this fact, consuming a large amount of carbs in the morning leads to an exaggerated blood sugar and insulin response. High insulin levels block the fat burning process as it signals to the body that there is no need to break down fat tissues for energy since there is available fuel to burn instead.

The result is: more time out of fat burning state compared to introducing carbs later in the day. This equals to more carb cravings throughout the day and less satietion.

Experiment

Researchers put people with on a calorically restricted diet for six months [3] and split them into two groups. Both groups consumed the same amount of calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat but they distributed their carbohydrate intake differently. First group consumed carbs throughout the day, whereas the second group consumed most of their carbohydrates at night. Results showed that not only did the second group lost significantly more weight and body fat, but also experienced better satiety and less hunger cravings.

There is another experiment on BBC proving that insulin levels are much lower if carbs are consumed at night rather than having carbs in the morning. You can watch this short video here.

Advice

The scientific evidence is clear, carbs at night not only doesn't make you fat but in fact they help you lose body fat and stay heathy.

My advice for maximum results, is to skip breakfast and go straight for lunch. This way you will prolong the burning fat state and then you can eat the majority of your carbs at night. If you like eating in the morning you should minimise your carb intake and go for high protein and fatty foods (ex. eggs & bacon) and save your carbs for later in the day.

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