It is normal to worry about timing of meals when trying to cut or build muscle. We have already covered the fact that protein timing is generally less relevant as long as the total amount of protein consumed throughout the day is adequate.
Similarly it does not matter what time you consume your carbohydrates when it comes to gaining weight. The notion that carbohydrates consumed at night time will “turn into fat” is a myth. As long as you are in a caloric balance or caloric deficit you will not gain weight no matter what time you consume your calories.
Consuming meals at night has even been shown to help in maintaining muscle mass during weight loss. We do however recommend avoiding consuming large meals very late at night this might affect your circadian rhythm i.e your body’s ability to separate daytime from nighttime.
Glucose tolerance is also reduced at night, giving a theoretical benefit of consuming more carbs during the day as the carbs will be stored more effectively. These factors are minor, however, and should not cause you to restrict the hours in which you consume carbs.
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EBT (Evidence Based Training) M.Ds with a passion for fitness & nutrition making science simple. Build muscle, burn fat, perform better. Like, comment & follow us on IG & Facebook, and check out ebtofficial.com for our full blog with tons of free content. Also please share research with us as we love discussions! The information above is not medical advice.
Sources:
1. Obes Res 2005 Dec; 13(12):2072-80.
2. The Journal of Nutrition Vol. 127 No. 1 January 1997, pp. 75-82
