The Always Eat After 7 PM Four-Week Diet Challenge, Week 4: Wrap-Up and Final Results! #alwayseatafter7pm #intermittentfasting #healthy2020

The following post is brought to you by our sponsor, Always Eat After 7 PM. All opinions expressed below are solely my own based on my personal experience trying out the eating plan for a four-week trial period.

For the past three weeks, I’ve been sharing my personal experience trying out the weight loss and nutrition plan outlined in the new book Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight. Bestselling author, Joel Marion is a Texas-based fitness expert and nutritionist who is debunking the myths underlying traditional dieting. Instead? He offers a simple, highly effective weight loss program.

Now that I’ve been following the program for four weeks – two weeks on the initial Acceleration Phase and two weeks on the Main Phase – I want to share a few final thoughts with you. For an introduction to the Always Eat After 7 PM program, read my first post in this four-part series. My main reason for following this program was to eat healthier and lose some weight. During the initial 14-day Acceleration Phase discussed in my second post, I struggled a bit with the lack of carbs. However, a daily dessert of dark chocolate and a bedtime snack of yogurt with berries – and knowing the Acceleration Phase only lasts two weeks – helped keep me from feeling deprived. At the end of the first two weeks, I lost 4.5 pounds and wasn’t craving sweets as much!

Last week, in my third post, I discussed my first week following the program’s Main Phase – including the fabulous weekly Cheat Meal with dessert. The Always Eat After 7 PM plan is a snap to follow! During my personal 10-hour intermittent fasting eating window, I start each day with a low-carb protein shake mixed with iced coffee. I then have a balanced lunch and dinner that includes lean protein, healthy carbs, vegetables, and a bit of fat; a piece of fruit or dark chocolate for dessert; and a bedtime snack of yogurt with berries before my eating window closes at 9 PM.

I’m eating the essential nutrients my body needs to be healthier…and losing weight in the process! My total weight loss after four weeks of following the Always Eat After 7 PM plan is 8.5 pounds. I’m happy with this loss – I’m eating healthier, and I’m not hungry between meals or outside of my intermittent fasting eating window. One of the biggest things I had to do when starting this plan was learn to trust the science behind the plan – instead of listening to the nutrition rules I’ve heard all my life.

That’s especially true when it comes to eating carbs at night. We’ve been traditionally taught to avoid carbs, eat an early dinner, and never eat before going to be bed. However, recent scientific research shows that this earlier model is not the most ideal. The most challenging times to curb hunger are just before bed and in the morning. By following the Always Eat After 7PM program, followers have the most willpower to stay on the diet -- because they’re eating during the hours when they’re typically most hungry. This also puts followers into both intermittent fasting – increasing testosterone and metabolism – and ketosis. There are other health benefits from following this eating plan! 

According to Marion:

A research paper published in Sports Medicine in 2014 showed that people who eat the majority of their carbs at dinner actually sleep better. Carb-induced, quality sleep decreases cortisol (a fat-storing hormone) and ramps up the production of your sleep hormones: serotonin and melatonin. Restorative sleep increases fat-burning hormones—the main one being growth hormone—overnight.

I know you’re wondering whether I plan to continue the Always Eat After 7 PM plan after this four-week trial ends. I do! The plan is easy to follow, I’m feeling great, and I’m enjoying my weekly Cheat Meal. I hope to slowly continue to lose weight over the next few months. The Always Eat After 7 PM isn’t a fad diet…it’s something I can definitely adhere to for the long term.

Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion is now available to purchase. Learn more about the book and how to purchase here. 

Disclosure: This is a compensated series of articles detailing my experience following the Always Eat After 7 PM plan for a four-week period. All experiences described and opinions shared are solely based on my personal experience following this eating plan.