If you’re like most people, you’re used to eating a great big dinner.

After all, it’s a huge part of society to sit down for giant family dinners, attend business dinners, party at social events with–you guessed it–big dinner!

Everywhere you turn, we’re eating a huge meal in the evening.

Yet I require my Rebels to stop eating by 6:30 p.m. at the absolute latest, and here’s why.

First of all, eating late affects your weight loss.

If you go to bed with a giant glob of food making its way through your system, your body’s going to spend all night digesting that instead of burning through your fat stores.

So when you wake up the next morning and get on the scale, typically you can expect a stall, or even a gain!

Another reason for my 6:30 rule is that your body does its best healing while you’re asleep.

But digestion takes two-thirds of your body’s energy.

So again, if you’re going to bed with a full stomach – or even food in there from a couple hours ago – your body’s going to spend all night digesting food instead of healing you, detoxing, and reseting your hormones.

One exception to my 6:30 p.m. rule is night shift workers. For them, it depends on their schedule and when they go to bed.

For the rest of us, we’ve got to finish no later than 6:30 p.m.

“But Cristy, I’m hungry in the evenings!”

Ain’t nobody gonna die from a little hunger. Sip water or hot decaf tea, chew gum, brush your teeth, wear white strips, or better yet, go to bed early.

Also sure you’re getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night, because lack of sleep causes cravings and hunger. It’s your body’s way of trying to get you to eat so you’ll stay awake, since you’re ignoring its signals that it needs more sleep.

“But Cristy, I’m used to eating dinner with my family!”

I get it, but here’s the thing. You can sit with them, bond, connect, and enjoy their company without shoving food in your mouth.

Society has us conditioned to eat whenever we spend time with someone, so the thought of not doing that seems pretty alarming.

Even so, don’t make it a bigger deal than it needs to be. Spending time with the people you love does NOT have to revolve around food. The sooner you can embrace that, the easier your weight loss journey will be.

“But Cristy, I’m worried about what people will think!”

What about what YOU think? Do YOU want the weight off YOUR body, or not?

Spend less time fretting about other people’s opinions. They’re always gonna have ’em. Spend more time caring about what YOU know is best for you.

And if your weight loss is stalling, try finishing your meals earlier in the day. Remember, 6:30 p.m. is the absolute latest you need to finish, and really, most people can’t lose weight eating right up until 6:30.

Finish earlier – even in the afternoon – and see if it makes a difference on the scale.