Weight & Food Resource Center

Maintaining a healthy body weight can improve daily function, promote good energy levels, and reduce your risk for chronic diseases and conditions, like heart disease and diabetes, pain, and sleep disorders. Many factors affect your body weight, including genes, activity level, sleeping habits, and environmental factors like your job and where you live — but your diet plays a crucial role. Sustainable healthy eating habits may include recognizing when you’re hungry or full; picking whole foods that fill you up, like lean proteins, fruit, and vegetables; and drinking water to stay hydrated throughout the day. Make changes gradually, and reduce salt, sugar, and fat consumption by using more spices and herbs to flavor your food.

Can You Lose Weight If You Stop Eating After 6 p.m.?

Can You Lose Weight If You Stop Eating After 6 p.m.?Medically Reviewed by Julie Cunningham, MPH, RDN, LDN, CDCES | August 6, 2025

FAQ

How can I lose weight healthily?

The “right way” to lose weight healthily depends on your preferences, goals, and overall physical health. Moving more and eating healthier are the cornerstones, but you may need to experiment, forgive setbacks, and look at underlying causes of weight gain.

What are healthy eating habits?

Eat whole foods and prioritize whole grains, leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables, fish, seafood, beans, and legumes. Meal planning, eating slowly, and finding nutrient-rich foods you enjoy might support weight management.

How do calories affect weight?

Using more calories than you consume, known as having a calorie deficit, can drive weight loss for some people, and eating more calories than you use can lead to weight gain. Calorie requirements are highly individual and take trial and error to calculate.

What foods should I avoid for weight loss?

Highly processed meats, processed cheese, and fast foods provide excessive saturated fats. Sugary sodas, candy, and processed snack foods like potato chips contribute empty calories. Fried foods often contain large amounts of unhealthy oils. Look to substitute these foods with healthier options.

How does stress affect eating habits?

Consistently raised levels of the stress hormone cortisol may trigger food cravings in people with chronic stress. Plus, if you’re stressed, you may eat higher-calorie foods to try and feel better. Stress management may support better weight management.

Everyday Health’s team of board-certified physicians and health professionals contribute to the creation and review of content, ensuring that the information is useful, up to date, and accurate.

Sean Hashmi, MD

Medical Reviewer

Castle Connolly Top Doctor, Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Sean Hashmi, MD, is an experienced nephrologist and obesity medicine specialist based in Southern California. As the regional director for clinical nutrition and weight management ...

Weight & Food

Do you think about food as a way to fuel your body?

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Sean Hashmi, MD

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Stephanie Young Moss, PharmD

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Kara Andrew, RDN, LDN

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Melissa Sleight, RDN

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Lynn Grieger, RDN, CDCES

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Jennifer Frediani, PhD, RD

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Roxana Ehsani, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN

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Alison Ozgur, RDN

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Chester Wu, MD

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Reyna Franco, RDN

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Julie Cunningham, MPH, RDN, LDN, CDCES

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Adam Gilden, MD, MSCE

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Kayli Anderson, RDN

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