Based on studies published by the National Library of Medicine and others.

You might think skipping dinner would reduce your caloric intake; however, the reality is far from the truth.

Research has shown that skipping a meal often leads to poorer food quality and can actually lead to overeating the next meal. On paper, the tactic might work, but reality is far from that. Let's have a look at how skipping dinner might impact your body.

Metabolism and Hormonal Effects

When you go to sleep after skipping dinner, your body goes longer without fuel. Which leads to:

The blood glucose levels might dip drastically, which might trigger intense hunger or sugar cravings the moment you wake up.

As per an October 2022 study in the journal Cell Metabolism, overeating can be triggered as the hunger hormone ghrelin increases and the satiety hormone leptin drops.

While fat burning increases in the short term, frequent fasting can signal the body to conserve energy, slowing metabolism over time.

Muscle and Recovery Issues

If you are someone who works out in the evening or at night, going without dinner would be drastic for you. Dinner often provides proteins essential for muscle maintenance. Skipping dinner hinders recovery and muscle repair.

In addition, low blood sugar at night can disrupt sleep quality and cognitive function the very next day.

Long-Term Health Issues

Habitually skipping dinner isn't a sustainable way to cut your calories. Some studies have reported that people who used to skip dinner for a while have reported greater weight gain over the years.

Irregular meals may increase stress responses, which further derail metabolic health. However, If you are still insistent on cutting your dinner as well as your calories, these tricks can help you.

Tips

Firstly, never skip your dinner entirely, rather shift the timings. Consider eating in the evening to fill you up, thus eliminating dinner.

In the night, it's a no-no to eat something heavy. So, make sure your dinner is rich in protein, fiber, and healthy fats, which will regulate appetite and support metabolism.

Lastly, if you are skipping dinner entirely, then make sure to track your calories. Why? Well, that's because you might be taking a heavy breakfast, thus overeating.

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi