Study reveals the three times you should avoid eating to lose weight

study reveals three times avoid eating weight loss

(Image credit: Getty)

By Aleesha Badkar 2020-03-02T12:40:00Z

Looking to lose a few pounds? Well a study has now revealed the three times in the day that could be your downfall.

According to new research, there are three ‘danger times’ in the day that could have a massive effect on your weight loss.

The study revealed that during mid-morning, late afternoon and late evening, people are more likely to over-consume, which could have a detrimental impact on weight loss.

Research revealed that the specific ‘danger times’ were, 11.01am, 3.14pm and 9.31pm.

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It was found that during these times, people could consumer up to an extra 750 calories per day due to excess snacking.

However, a nutrition expert has revealed that slimmers can avoid the excess calorie intake by making a few little changes.

"Take control of this high risk feeding time by scheduling a small snack three to four hours after breakfast and before 10.30am to avoid feeling hungry too close to lunchtime,” leading dietician Susie Burrell told the Sun.

"Ideally this snack will contain just 100-200 calories and 5-10g of protein to keep the hunger pangs at bay until lunchtime.

"Good options include a small coffee, 100g Greek yoghurt and berries or a couple of wholegrain crackers and cheese."

As for the afternoon slump, Susie says a high-in-protein snack around three hours after lunch could help.

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"Good options include portion controlled, nutrient rich nut based snack bars, crackers with a savoury topping or vegetables with cottage cheese or hummus,” said the dietician.

"Scheduling a filling snack before extreme hunger hits late afternoon will also help to prevent binge eating when you arrive home from work late, tired and prone to demolishing an entire packet of rice crackers and dip before dinner."

And when it comes to after-dinner munchies, Susie advises treating yourself to a little sweet bite to avoid going overboard.

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"Good options include a small individual ice cream, a few squares of dark chocolate or a biscuit or two with a cup of tea,” she said.

"Having an eating cut off each day at say 8 or 9pm also can work well as can ensuring you do not keep tempting foods in the house, as if they are there, you will eat them.

"If though you have difficulty in controlling yourself at this time of day, going cold turkey on all food after dinner may be the key to breaking this bad food habits which is causing you to eat a significant number of extra calories each day."

Aleesha Badkar

Aleesha is digital shopping writer at woman&home - so whether you're looking for beauty, fashion, health or home buys, she knows all the best places to splash your cash. She earned an MA in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London in 2017 after graduating from University of Leeds in 2014 with a BA in English and Spanish (which took her to Madrid for a fun Rioja and tapas-packed year). Aleesha has worked for woman&home since 2019, when she joined the team as their digital news writer. A year on the news team gained her quick and reactive writing skills and a love for breaking stories, invaluable insight into where to get the best lifestyle releases first, an AOP awards nomination and the nickname ‘crazy watch lady’ after she became so obsessed with the royals that she followed breaking news alerts on her Apple Watch.

Before joining the woman&home team, Aleesha wrote for their sister site GoodtoKnow, where she covered celebrity news, health advice and where to snap up the cheapest lifestyle buys. With a background in beauty, Aleesha has also written for Stylist and Women’s Health where she developed an understanding into what makes a stellar product and which brands are worth paying attention to. She never leaves the house without a slick of lip balm and a good slathering of SPF, cannot live without an eyelash curler by her side and is always on the hunt for new lipsticks to add to her ‘Lipstick of the Day’ Instagram story highlight (and color-coordinated collection).

But it’s not just beauty buys Aleesha can help you with. Social media savviness, strong PR relationships and a need to stay in the know mean she’s all about the latest fashions, clever gadgets and reliable lifestyle buys too. She loves indulging in an interior craze (with a bedroom drowned in prints, plants and pink), is a regular visitor to the Missoma and Edge of Ember 'New In' pages and can’t resist the allure of a kitchen gadget—just ask her three coffee machines.

When she’s not playing around with new products and testing anything she can get her hands on, Aleesha spends most of her time with her head in a current bestseller, catching up on the latest Netflix craze with her sister, trying out new recipes, drinking wine with her bestie and (in non-COVID times) has been known to be a bit of a jetsetter amongst her friendship group. Oh and she makes the most of her Disney+ subscription by watching the Marvel films on repeat (definitely not just for Chris Evans...).

Follow her latest shopping & lifestyle advice, beauty insights and social antics on Instagram at @aleeshabadkar.

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Email: aleesha.badkar@futurenet.com