We have heard various celebrities advocating the power of eating dinner early. Yet, we stick to the age-old Indian tradition of having food once everyone comes back home, which is usually never before 9. Prateek Singh writes his experience of following the same ritual, how it backfired on his health and what he did about it.

Growing up in an Indian family, dinner was always a big deal. Dinner was meant to be ‘family time’ and in no way could be missed. Since, I am an obedient person, I gave in to this family tradition for the longest time. But only till I grew up and office became my second home.

In my effort to finish work in time and make my boss happy, I ended up making my body unhappy and unfit. Not only did I miss dinner everyday but also binged on all kinds of junk whenever I got the time. Since I had always eaten dinner after 10 pm, it was difficult for me to get away from this schedule and eat anything less than a snack before this time. Therefore, dinner was not considered a meal anymore as I filled my stomach any time I felt hungry.

It was only after my pants stopped fitting that I realised the damage caused. There was no way I was going to spend money on buying an extra pair of pants because ‘I became a little heavy’. Therefore, I started bringing my dinner from home. My dinner usually included roti rolls, dal chawal, paranthas, or even multi-grain sandwiches. On days I couldn’t bring a tiffin, I ate my meal in the cafeteria at 7 pm. The idea was affordable and meant I wouldn’t order in every now and then. I made it a point to eat dinner at 7 pm every day. Here is how it helped me in a mere span of 20 days!

NOT BLOATED: Prior to my early dinner spree, I felt heavy all the time. Even when I felt like this, I would still end up munching on chips! But, when I started having proper meals at 7 pm and nothing post that, I felt lighter and more energetic as well!

SOUND SLEEP: Since my day goes in front of a computer, sound sleep felt like a distant dream for me. When I started having early dinner, I slept better as well. I did not feel hungry and was off to bed by 11 pm maximum.

LOST 2 KGS!: Yes, early dinners do help! I started with 65 kilograms and was down to 63 by the 20th day. This perhaps could be due to the fact that I did not eat anything post 7 pm.

DID NOT WAKE UP GROGGY: Before this, I used to eat everything possible till 11 in the night. And even then I could not sleep properly, which meant waking up unhappy everyday. When I started eating dinner at 7 pm, I woke up fresher and did not struggle to get out of bed as well.

POOP ISSUES GONE: One major issue of not eating dinner and sticking to junk all the time is constipation and indigestion. You are always uncomfortable but still go for the last piece of pizza. But, once I started eating homemade food for dinner, these issues vanished within the first 10 days! Eating dinner at 7 pm is certainly a lifestyle modification I will stick to forever!