The long, hazy days of summer have a way of throwing our otherwise carefully constructed routines out the window. Lunch is whenever everyone finally tears themselves away from the beach. Dinner stretches past golden hour. One cocktail becomes two and then three. Before you know it, it’s midnight on a random Tuesday and you just ordered all the desserts. (For the table, of course.)
Such are the pleasures of vacation—and life. However, this kind of seasonal hedonism can leave your body feeling super out of sync. You know the vibe: puffy, bloated, sluggish, and generally feeling icky.
“These changes can lead to temporary imbalances,” corroborates Samia Rhalem, a dietitian at Royal Mansour Tamuda Bay. “Some people may notice weight gain or an increase in body fat, while others experience unstable blood sugar levels, elevated cholesterol or triglycerides, digestive discomfort, or simply lower energy because their diet has become less nutrient-dense.”
Luckily, this is all usually temporary. Returning to a balanced diet often helps—and so does something else: simply eating at regular times.
Why meal times matter
Like sleep, our appetite follows a circadian rhythm. This internal “master clock” in the brain helps coordinate everything from hormone production to digestion, and responds primarily to light.
“When we stay up later, sleep less, or constantly change our schedules for sleeping and eating, that synchronization is lost,” explains Dr. Isabel Castaño, a gynecologist specializing in hormonal health and a researcher.
“As a result, the secretion of hormones such as melatonin and cortisol can be disrupted, along with insulin sensitivity and the hormones that regulate appetite, including leptin and ghrelin.”
In other words, our bodies like consistency. Constantly changing meal times can create what nutritionists refer to as “metabolic jet lag”—a mismatch between our internal clock and our daily habits.
The best time to eat
According to Neolife nutritionist Meritxell Massons, one of the simplest ways to reset your biological clock is through time-restricted eating (TRE), which concentrates meals within an eight- to twelve-hour window.
“What our body expects is food during the day and rest at night,” she explains. “If we break this pattern, it creates a metabolic jet lag that not only contributes to weight gain but may also affect long-term health.”
Her recommendations include:
- Eat most of your daily calories before 3 p.m.
- Try to avoid eating dinner after 10 p.m.
- Keep meal times as consistent as possible from day to day.
- Aim to eat your final meal two to three hours before bed.
- If you eat breakfast at 8 a.m., try to finish dinner by 8 p.m.
Massons also recommends the following in order to further support your circadian rhythm:
- Eat breakfast early and make it rich in protein, fiber, and complex carbohydrates to support energy and concentration.
- Don’t skip breakfast. It can lead to swings in blood sugar and increased hunger later in the day.
- Choose lighter dinners, since digestion naturally slows during the evening.
