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"What time do you usually eat lunch every day? I&amp;#x27;m firmly in the 12:30 camp, but I admit there are days filled with so much busy-ness that I find myself thinking about lunch a little later...like 5 P.M., which I guess technically no longer qualifies as lunch. But new research is indicating that if you&amp;#x27;re trying to lose weight, it might be better to eat lunch on the early side. According to the results of study in the International Journal of Obesity times of day may play significant roles in how our bodies regulate weight. In the study, 420 participants in Spain were all on the Mediterranean diet, where 40 percent of the day&amp;#x27;s calories are eaten at lunchtime. About half of them said they ate lunch before 3 P.M.; the other half said they ate lunch after 3 P.M. The early eaters lost about 22 pounds, while late eaters lost 17. (What time they ate breakfast or dinner wasn&amp;#x27;t linked to weight loss.) The researchers say that one reason for the difference in weight loss could be due to glucose tolerance--our bodies are better able to deal with sugar earlier in the day than later. Also, people who eat later may have extra food in their stomachs when they head to bed, which could mean more food is stored as fat. We&amp;#x27;ve heard before that people who stay up (and nosh) late may end up being heavier--this could just be more evidence that keeping food toward the early side may be a smart idea. What time do you usually eat lunch? What about dinner? More on weight loss: * Stop these habits now if you want to lose weight * Lauren Conrad&amp;#x27;s diet and exercise tips to get fit (fast!) * The workout plan that&amp;#x27;ll help you shed a dress size in one month Photo: Thinkstock "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2013/01/forget-the-late-lunches-eating>