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We’ve all heard the traditional diet advice: “You have to eat a big breakfast, and you should never eat after dinner.”
Generally speaking, this advice was created to help people establish a longer fasting period while they sleep. If you finish dinner by 6:00 PM and don't eat again until 6:00 AM, you've naturally created a 12-hour fast that limits your overall calorie intake.
But what if you are a night owl who regularly goes to bed at 2:00 AM? Stopping all food intake at 6:00 PM is going to be incredibly difficult. Inevitably, you'll break down, raid the fridge, and probably won't be making the healthiest food choices at that point. Or, what if you simply aren't hungry in the morning? Why force yourself to eat a massive breakfast when your body isn't asking for it? Forcing calories when you aren't hungry is entirely counterproductive to weight loss.
The real challenge isn't eating when you are hungry, it’s learning to use the times when you aren't hungry to your advantage.
The 3-Step Strategy to Manage Hunger
Instead of fighting your natural instincts, you can tap into your body's natural hunger schedule to start losing fat right now. Here is how you can put this into practice:
Step 1: Track Your Hunger Times
Pay attention to your body for a few days. Figure out exactly what times of the day you are the most hungry, and when you are the least hungry.
Step 2: Plan Your Meals and Snacks
Based on those hunger times, plan for 1 to 2 larger, calorie-dense meals and 1 to 2 smaller snack-type meals. Eat your larger meals when your hunger peaks, and rely on smaller snacks or beverages to bridge the gaps.
Step 3: Build Your Fasting Window
Create a fasting period of at least 12 hours based on your natural schedule. You can eat at any time of the day or night, as long as you have that 12+ hour block of fasting built into your 24-hour cycle.
What This Looks Like in Practice
If you aren't a morning person, you don't need to force a morning meal. For example, you might start your workday around 10:00 AM with just a coffee (about 100-150 calories). Because you are preoccupied with work, you might not actually feel hungry until 2:00 or 3:00 PM. That is the perfect time for a high-protein snack, like a shake or some cheese and meat (300-400 calories).
By 6:00 or 7:00 PM, when true hunger hits, you can enjoy a large, satisfying dinner of meat, vegetables, and healthy carbs without guilt (around 1,000 calories). And if you are a night owl who stays up late, you still have room for a 400-500 calorie evening snack around 9:00 or 10:00 PM—like yogurt, fruit, or cottage cheese.
This setup keeps your total daily intake around a healthy 1,800 to 2,200 calories while maintaining a 12-hour fast, all without ever feeling deprived or fighting your natural instincts.
Ready to Get Fit Now?
This is just one of the strategies to help you get Healthy + Fit 4 Life. If you want to dive deeper into how to make food your best friend, check out my Get Fit Now Video Training.
I cover everything you need to know to get on track, and the entire training course is completely free.