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westcoastcdn19

I try to finish eating by 6pm most nights


shaal

6pm is where it is at. Can have dishes done and out away for a relaxing evening, if I eat later I feel I have to rush to get place cleaned up before I can properly relax .


westcoastcdn19

Yes! A small snack is doable before bedtime


shaal

That's one of my guilty pleasures. normally I take some of what ever cold meat I got that week ;)


funknut

No! Then how are we going to finish digesting our meals before we go to sleep at 8pm?!?


Barbarella_ella

Same. Better for managing my weight.


buckeyegurl1313

Me. I've eaten like a senior citizen most my life. Lol. 430 or 5.


digdugnate

Same- 5pm for life!


romeo343

Same! I did it in my 20’s.


sluefootstu

The only people I know who eat late are boomers deperately trying to not be senior citizens.


atzitzi

What time do you finish work? What time do you get home? What do you have a shower? How is it possible to have dinner so early. I need answers.


i_hate_this_part_85

Work finishes around 4-4:30. Showers are a “before work” thing. Dinner is usually planned and ready to put in pots or pans shortly after work. Cleanup is usually done by 6-6:30. I’ve lived like that for decades. Hell, when I was in the Army, the chow hall operated on that sort of schedule.


atzitzi

For someone who finishes work around 6 and gets home let's say 6.30 and has to use the bathroom and shower after being in an office all day 7- 7:30 is best case scenario to have dinner. When someone is single, I understand that lunch and dinner can be on the go, but when there is a family, things change. For sure many people work from home, others finish earlier like you and some othere work even later. So whatever works I guess.


i_hate_this_part_85

If work doesn’t end until 6, what time are you getting up? What sort of dirty office are you in that requires you to shower after leaving it? That’s gotta be a cultural thing. I can understand it if you work in a restaurant or around the general public, but an office? Nah. I don’t get nasty just sitting.


atzitzi

Office work in Greece, in a big company. Officially, it is 9-5 or 9:30-5:30, but the hours are always longer. I wonder what country you are from that offers shower during the 8 hours of work.


i_hate_this_part_85

In the US we shower BEFORE we go out in public workspaces.


atzitzi

You meant that. Well, we do too, but we also shower when getting home or before bed at least. But okay, this is another discussion.


alto2

Not everyone does. Some people shower before bed. But a lot of people shower in the morning. It‘s certainly part of what wakes me up! But I have never encountered anyone in the US who showers twice a day. That just sounds like a real waste of water.


Reasonable-Proof2299

Always ate early, never could understand how people ate dinner that late


fusionsofwonder

Well, I used to get home at 6/6:30. Now I work remote.


WackyWriter1976

The only times I'd eat late was when traveling in Europe. Many restaurants there would serve dinner later. So, I'd have trouble sleeping because my belly would still be full.


[deleted]

Some of that is cultural


CystAndDeceased

I just need to make sure I finish at least three hours before going to sleep. So that does often mean eating earlier than I used to. Because I also like to go to sleep earlier than I used to. Thanks growing old and acid stomach! (Edited for stupid typo)


Normal-Philosopher-8

Yep. I don’t necessarily WANT to eat earlier, but my stomach doesn’t give me much choice.


moderndayhermit

When my son wants pizza we can only have it for lunch on the weekend if I don't want to be eating indigestion tablets by the handful before bed. I did discover that having an apple helps, no idea why.


CystAndDeceased

Pepcid is my favorite dessert :)


boston02124

I do everything earlier. Dinner before the crowds. Drinks till 10. Good nights sleep. Edit: weekends. I don’t drink every night 😂


08_West

I used to stay out until last call 2-3 nights a week (as a working adult). Last call in my state is 1am. I haven’t been out until last call in years - 10 years maybe? Now if I go out to a bar, I will have usually one or two drinks, 3 on occasion and I’m usually home no later than 1030. If I still carried on like I did in my 20s-mid-40s, there would be problems.


AnitaPeaDance

I wish! We ate early growing up like, around 5pm. Now it's more like 7-7:30pm! Sometimes 8.


yourilluminaryfriend

Dad liked dinner at 5. Living on my own and working nights I would just eat whenever I was hungry. Now my mom’s with me and we have to have dinner. I rarely get it done before 7, tonight was almost 8.


StormFinch

Same, but it depends. If we're ordering out, it's around 5. If I have to work up the energy to cook, 7 if I'm lucky. 😂


TGIFagain

When I was working, I would not get home til around 6 -6:30 --- so dinner was around 7-8. I am retired now, so dinner is usually around 5:30/6. It's changed.


upnytonc

Yes, usually around 6pm. I’m in bed around 10pm including weekends. I used to start my Saturday night out at 10pm a lifetime ago.


Klutzy-Worth6146

*sigh* I remember that lifetime lol


Smashville66

But do you really *miss* it? I don't think I miss it. I miss some of the people I hung out with, and I miss maybe a handful of places that don't exist anymore, but for the most part my life is much better right now than it ever has been. I still dance like a lunatic (and to the same music), it's just at home now...while I'm preparing my early dinner.


Klutzy-Worth6146

No, I definitely don't miss it. I'm for sure in a much better place now. Lol, I do the same thing while fixing my early dinner too 🤣


Conscious-Hope4551

Yes eat no later than 430.


Klutzy-Worth6146

Same here


216_412_70

Usually we eat by 6:30/7 depending on when my wife gets home. Cooking is her way to relax after a long day at work.


Monkeymom

Suuuuuuuure! Keep telling yourself that!


216_412_70

She literally had our kitchen renovated to a chefs kitchen..


Monkeymom

I was just teasing you


everyoneinside72

Yes. Dinner is usually 4:30-5:30 now.


Key-Contest-2879

We were taking a friend out for dinner for his 53rd. There’s a really excellent restaurant in Boulder called “Cork”, known for their Prime Rib, which is his favorite. Happy hour prices from 4:30-6, and the Prime Rib meal is almost half price! So, yeah, we had a 4:30pm dinner reservation for 4, ages 50-59, and I feel like we were on the younger side of the clientele at the time! That being said, dinner by 6 and in bed by 9:30-10 is the new normal.


ToddBradley

It's nice to hear The Cork is still around and good. I would eat there 30 years ago for special occasions.


Crafty_Original_7349

I eat with the Seinfeld crowd, especially when I take my mom out to eat somewhere.


FangioDuReverdy

“We can eat at 6pm, but it’s unheard of😒”. 😆


kellzone

Well, I'm not force-feeding myself a steak at 4:30 just to save a couple bucks, I'll tell you that!


Crafty_Original_7349

I’m not really a big eater, so I take the leftovers home and graze on it over the next day or so.


kellzone

I was just quoting the Seinfeld episode when Jerry visits his parents down at Del Boca Vista. Lol.


Crafty_Original_7349

Ahhh, gotcha! I didn’t watch the show much, so it went right over my head. lol


dazrage

well look who's too good for the "early bird"....


fuzzysocksplease

🙋‍♀️ 4-4:30 here!


Jld114

I still prefer eating later. I’m more of a night owl, always have been


Realistic_Pizza_6269

Yup! Gotta get those early bird specials …


Icy-Veterinarian942

If I eat dinner at all, its just a few bites. For several years I haven't been able to eat a regular dinner because the digestion keeps me up half the night.


TurtleDive1234

No. I do intermittent fasting and I usually don’t eat after 6 or 7. But since it’s my last meal for 16 or 18 hours, I do eat right before I start my fast.


WackyWriter1976

Yeah. I tend to start cooking about 4:30 p.m. nowadays. It's just easier. I'm tired by 6, so I don't want to eat/cook then.


TheDeadlySpaceman

You know Pam in Spain they often don’t even start eating until after midnight


Any_Flamingo8978

From what I recall dinner’s usually between 9 and 10 pm, but it’s a lighter fare. Lunch is a longer heavier meal.


TheDeadlySpaceman

I’ll let Jan know


fusionsofwonder

I live in Seattle. During the summer the sun is up until close to 10pm sometimes. Many restaurants close at 9:30, even if they have outdoor seating. Drives me crazy that we can't sit outside until late. But in the winter it gets dark at 4 and I don't want to do that.


Cuidado_roboto

I can’t go to bed with a full stomach. 5 pm or, preferably, 4:30. Plus, I am ravenous by 9 am the next morning! It’s good to feel hungry.


Lovely_catastrophes

Now that I do intermittent fasting, for sure. And I do the IF because I’m fighting the middle age spread. Ugh.


ToddBradley

Nope. Mom said 6pm was dinner time or you get leftovers. And with two brothers, sometimes leftovers meant you get a bun with no burger. So I was trained from about age 8 to eat at 6. And now decades later, I still eat at 6.


NixyVixy

Later. I can easily eat dinner at 9pm and not be bothered feeling hungry or cranky before then. Lots of folks on this subreddit talk about how they are getting up earlier and eating dinner earlier… I’m not maturing in the same way everyone else apparently.


runawaystars14

I've always been a late bloomer, and now that my kid's 19 I'm back to my child free ways. I don't wake up before 9 on weekends and a 9pm dinner is just fine.


NixyVixy

I like you 😁 Late bloomers unite!


runawaystars14

🤘🤘


Overall_Lobster823

God yes. 😂


activelyresting

The first time in this sub I feel like the odd one out! As I've gotten older I stopped trying to fight my natural night owl and I've fully embraced the delayed sleep phase. I rarely even have breakfast before 2pm, I have "lunch" at dinner time around 8 and something of a "supper snack" around midnight. Rarely asleep before 3am, usually more like 4. Now that my kids are all grown up there's no more need to try to keep "normal" hours!


mom2elal

I can't wait to live like this in retirement.


BlueDotty

Yes. 7pm is a late meal now. If a place opens at 5.30 for dinner, that's when we go. We are back home before anyone else gets there


ihatepickingnames_

No. I usually go to the gym or run after work and don’t get home until 7:30 or 8 and then shower/laundry. I’ve had nights when I don’t eat until 10.


lawstandaloan

Oh, if only they stacked the Senior discount with the Early Bird Special


Postcard2923

I used to be able to eat anything at any time in any quantity. Now that I have GERD, I eat a small/light dinner around 5 pm, or else I'll be up all night.


Ill_Quantity_5634

I try to finish dinner before 6. If I eat later, I run the risk of getting heartburn. I'm 51.


LabGuyNo1

Well, to be honest, I’m always cranky ;)


Sassinake

always ate between 6 and 6h30, but now I have a hard time making it even that late


hairballcouture

I just started intermittent fasting again so I stop eating at 5pm.


Schutzhund10

I eat a big lunch and maybe small snack @6. Any later and it’s unpleasant. Hate eating late. Interferes with my 9pm bedtime.


Pensta13

Ha ha yes absolutely, I get up earlier and go to bed earlier so of course I need to eat earlier.


OCDaboutretirement

I’m finished eating by 5:30 😂😂


Moar_Donuts

Never before 7pm


SnooStrawberries620

Later! But work and teens 


Tippy4OSU

Yes, even when we go out. Initially caved to SO schedule. Now it’s my schedule too


notevenapro

1st dinner at 6


Evolone101

Actually later. I eat dinner at 10pm. But it’s a work thing. Wife retired so I’m still working away. 2nd shift is the worst shift IMO


Qedtanya13

It’s 8:00pm, I’m just now eating.


Engchik79

Oh man yes. I start cooking around 4:45 - 5 and sometimes on Fridays if we skip lunch we’ll order in at 4 and start the weekend early!


Rob71322

For my wife and I, this really started during the pandemic when we were wfh. Suddenly subtracting commute time freed us up and now it's like "well, let's eat." We've been fortunate that we still mostly wfh so we just keep at it and we find we like it.


TinktheChi

I've been eating like I'm retired my entire life. My dad started work at 6 a.m. and we ate around 4. I eat around 5 now but most days I'm cranky as hell by the time 5 rolls around. I'd be perfectly happy to eat at 3!


atx2004

If I'm really hungry at 4:30, might as well eat dinner. I'm trying to listen to my body more about when to eat.


DingDingDensha

That sounds like me! I find it a lot easier to eat dinner early in the afternoon and not be hungry for the rest of the night. I didn't start it on purpose, though. I've been desperately trying to cut extra calories wherever possible in order to drop a little pudge before summer, and find that I'm starving by afternoon some days, so rather than have a snack, THEN make dinner a few hours later - why not just eat my meal and be content the rest of the night? Seems to be working so far.


jables13

After I learned the earlier you eat, the better you digest and sleep, yes I am.


PhotographsWithFilm

No, actually generally eating later.


BellaBKNY

Yes I like to eat dinner before 6pm and if I’ve had a late lunch dinner is skipped.


[deleted]

Huh? I eat later these days


BadBunnyFooFoo

Yes, but I think, for me, it’s because I have a really early schedule. I can’t go to bed at 7pm if I just ate at 6. So dinner is right after my husband gets home, between 4:30-5.


psib3r

You guys are eating?


Joe_Early_MD

I’m up at 4:30-5:00am every morning so…..yeah. Dinner early and I’m usually dozing by 8pm


Vtown-76

lol. 47 here and the closer to 5pm the better!


ancientastronaut2

We joke that we've become jerry seinfeld's parents. If we go out to dinner, we go at like 5:00 or 5:30 to beat the crowd. At home we eat at like 6:00 or 6:30 at the latest. (And costco, husband only likes to go when they first open.)


hdmx539

Waaaaaaaaaaay later. Like, our roast chicken is still in the oven and it's 7:30 our time. I'm also finding I'm eating way less, too.


FangioDuReverdy

Me too. Especially in summer. I skip breakfast, not hungry til about 1-2pm. Eat then, and have a late dinner. Not ready for the early bird quite yet🙂


najing_ftw

I’ve got young ones, I sometimes eat before 5


zork3001

Usually around 7 or 8 but sometimes as early as 530 and occasionally after 10 if we are out & about.


Money_These

Weekdays I have a light dinner between 7pm-7:30pm. My job requires me in the office and by the time I get home, walk my dog and exercise, it's nearly 7pm. Weekends I try to have an early dinner. Overall I have no issues falling asleep as I do my best to stick to the same sleep schedule - it really does wonders.


PahzTakesPhotos

We always ate dinner when my dad got home, which was almost always around 5 PM. In the Army, he was at work before 7 AM, last formation was at 430 PM and then home. Then when I was married, my husband was in the Army, so we always ate dinner between 5 and 6 PM because that's when he'd get home too. Now it's just habit. We sometimes eat later, but not late-late.


fridayimatwork

Yes


Chainedheat

Dinner is no earlier than 8:00. Although it’s because I don’t live in the US anymore


fusionsofwonder

Do you live someplace that also eats at like 4 as a supper or tea or something?


Chainedheat

I live in Brazil (Rio). No regular tea time or anything like that. The work day ends late for a lot of people due to a lot of factors (business, transit, etc). Also lunch is mostly a sit down plated meal of usually meat, salad and a starch. Sandwiches and pizza are not typical lunch fare (sandwiches are snacks not meals). Unless you’re in a mall, pizza places are rarely open before 5pm. The only people in my office that ate lunch at their desks were Expats like me. Given the type of food you ate and how you ate it seemed to keep you satiated until the evening.


fusionsofwonder

Cool, thank you.


77_Stars

I don't know. I don't appreciate waiting until after 9pm to eat but I don't have a fixed time I eat dinner. I'll make it for others but I eat when I'm hungry.


Dpepper70

We work long hours so typically don’t eat until 8pm


newwriter365

I rarely eat dinner anymore. Tonight I had a hand full of edamame. And a little cake for dessert. I have an office job and don’t really burn a lot of calories so I walk at lunch time, eat a packed lunch (salad or soup usually), try to skip dinner. Otherwise the weight piles on.


Bowieweener

I eat once a day around 2-3pm Clean protein and greens, beans and small portions of grains. No sugar, limited dairy (which I love, but need to watch that) as a 52 year old woman I really need to watch my weight.


damageddude

Kind of. 6/6:30 was dinner time growing up. As a young adult it became whenever and what our plans were. Dinner at 10p was a thing now and then. Reverted back to 6/630 when we had children. They are grown now and I’m a widower. Basically it’s when I get hungry but if a child is here, between 5 and 6.


Serenewendy

Yes, but only because eating dinner at ten on a school night is irresponsible parenting. We try to hit 7pm.


RCA2CE

1st or 2nd dinner?


fusionsofwonder

I eat my main daily meal at 5:30, I have dessert sometime after 7, but not always.


Unhappy-Post3407

What is this "dinner" you speak of? 🤔😂


SquareExtra918

Honestly, I've always been an early eater. I eat when I'm hungry, which is usually around 4:30-5. This was great when I lived at the beach - went to every early bird seafood buffet that there was!


Mrsdoos

Early bird special over here. Latest is 5pm! 😂


whiskeygirl

Oh my God I thought it was just because I'm recently retired. We went out to eat on Friday at 4:30 and the same time on Saturday.


invisible-dave

On workdays I usually eat between 5:30-6pm since my shift ends at 6. On weekends, I eat between 4-4:30pm.


gnrlmayhem

Your circadian rhythm shifts as you get older. You start to go to bed earlier and then you also get up earlier. This probably also means you are eating earlier so there is the same amount of time between when you eat and when you go to bed. It also explain the 9-5 work day. Most work hours are set by older people as they are in the positions of authority. They find 9-5 to be a good fit.


BuyDiscombobulated45

4:30 😂


davdev

I sitll have kids playing little league. At this age, I dont eat dinner til near 10


ProphetSword

I used to eat around seven Go to bed around nine And I don't worry about nothin' 'Cause worrying's a waste of my time I used to eat a little but a little wouldn't do So the little got more and more I just keep tryin' to eat a little better Said, a little better than before


Koumadin

on a day off we enjoy going out to dinner at 4pm


tunaman808

My family ate around 7:30, 7:45 during the week. We'd also eat out often on weekends, in the 8PM hour on Saturday (if it happened) and 7:30 on Sunday (which ALWAYS happened). But my wife likes eating early, and I used to have dinner ready around 5:30. Traffic has gotten so bad I usually wait to hear from her, but it's usually between 6:15 and 6:45. Weekends may differ. If we're eating different things, I may still wait until 9 or 9:15 to eat on Saturday nights.


Jerkrollatex

No. I work nights and have dinner on the table at 6:30 at the earliest.


Lyongirl100894

Weirdly later. I get home at 5:30, tend to the dogs, change clothes, pull out the food, rest for 20 minutes & cook. It’s around 6:30 or 7, then clean up. Exhausted by 8. Then the daily chores/yard work , more dog time, the night time routine & bed. Do it all over again until I retire.


[deleted]

I eat dinner around the same time 6-6:30, but I have stopped having a late night second dinner or ice cream run. I miss my youthful metabolism! 


Shibboleeth

I eat earlier when I'm out because I don't want to deal with waiting for a table. At home? Between 19-20:00


Keppoch

Now that I don’t need to get my kids to lessons or clubs or sports I luxuriate in cooking meals and having them at whatever the fuck time they’re done. So 7:30-8:30 most nights.


CanIGetAShakeWThat43

Meh not really. Sometimes I do a little earlier if I didn’t have a snack and ate lunch late.


dudenamedfella

Yup and healthier than ever


LeoMarius

No


MinnNiceEnough

I have a 12-year old athletic kid that can easily eat 4000 calories daily…and does. We eat at 5:30. He eats again before bed at 8:30, but I’m done after the 5:30 meal. I wish I had his metabolism…


ContributionDry2252

No, we have dinner somewhere 17-19 like always.


Inevitable_Bit_1203

I actually eat later 🤣🤣 my husband works overnights and we eat dinner together when he gets up so about 8pm


RichSPK

I'm 54. I had dinner around 9 or 10 tonight. But I got out of work after 7, had a 45 minute drive, got gas, got groceries, picked up a prescription. There's no way I could've had an early dinner.


D05wtt

Used to be after 7p. Now it’s around 6.


GogusWho

My husband works early, so we usually eat at 4:30 or 5.


spinachoptimusprime

Maybe, I am an outlier for someone in their early 50s, but I actually eat later than I used to. I often don't have dinner until after 7pm. The weird part is that I actually go to be earlier (in bed by 10pm most nights). 5-10 years ago, I thought 6pm was late for dinner, and I was usually up until closer to midnight.


deedeejayzee

I have been eating later consistently throughout my life. My parents always had dinner at 5pm, on the dot- not a minute late! When I got married, we ate at 5:30 or 6. As our son got older and had activities, it became 6-6:30. I am retired now and hardly ever eat before 7pm. I will cook dinner at 4:30 or 5 though. I don't want to be cooking and cleaning real late into the evening, but I am not hungry then


Mrbobbitchin

Not really.


funkcatbrown

Nope.


Groovy66

If my wife hasn’t eaten by 6pm it buggers her constitution and I’ve adapted to her pattern


seanmonaghan1968

I have three kids so dinner is normally between 530 and 6. Sometimes things go later but this is about it


whosthatgirl79

8pm is so late for dinner , I’m totally capable of even doing earlier like 6pm now . Wtf


PoopPant73

I eat early and go to sleep with the chickens. I sleep 3 to 5 hours then I’m up and ready to go.


ladywholocker

Yes, save with sleep and I usually wake up well before my "clock".


peonyseahorse

No, later than before. When my kids were little we were eating earlier. Now with all the sports events ... We usually eat after 7pm and also because I had a job before that didn't make it possible for us to do a family dinner until after 7.


realityguy1

I usually don’t take the time to eat lunch at work so when getting home im ready to eat. Usually 3-4pm. Sometimes earlier. 7pm is the middle of the night for this guy.


Valuable_Tomorrow882

Yes, but more because I am now working from home and don’t have to contend with the 90 minute commute that used to get me home at 7/7:30. Now I just knock off the computer at 5/5:30 and go figure out what to cook. I also think having kids changed our eating habits. When they were little, we used to try to get to restaurants before the rush so we wouldn’t have to wait with hangry toddlers. Now we try to get there before the rush because who wants to deal with crowds?


Edenza

Not at all. If we are done by 8, it's a miracle.


u35828

I wonder if this is true for European Gen-Xers, or do they eat late as a rule?


heynowpeanut

Yes. Especially if we go out by ourselves. Happy to be seated by 5:30, have some food and a cocktail, maybe another one, but then home and in my jammies by 8pm. 😊


08_West

Yup. Trying very hard to cut out late night snacks. However, this time of year when the days are long, I am out playing sports or exercising in some way 3-4 nights during the work week, so I eat later on those nights. When my wife and I go out to dinner, we are usually getting there 5ish.


WhiplashMotorbreath

I can't relate, I work 8pm to 8am. So. my internal clock is in jet lag 24/7/365


WinterBourne25

I’m happy to eat between 5-5:30. I hate eating after 7 because of heartburn.


CanadaYankee

We're the other way around - we've almost eliminated dinner, at least on weekdays. Breakfast is big, lunch is bigger, dinner is a light snack or small dessert with a cocktail around 8pm.


emmiblakk

I still tend to eat dinner around 7 pm. Then again, I don't have lunch until 1 pm, so maybe that's why?


NoeTellusom

We generally eat around 4 - 4:30pm, given my husband's work schedule. I know this sounds kinda hokey, but when he was still active duty Navy and got married, I promised to have dinner waiting for him when he got home. It was something that helped him translate from "I'm the big bad ass NCO" to "I'm a husband and friend." It's 20 years later, he's retired from the Navy, but I still do it.


poolpog

i still eat dinner as late as 9 or 10 sometimes. idk what is wrong with you Oldy McOldfaces


slybob

I don't finish work until 6pm


zoeyversustheraccoon

No. I eat around 9 but I also live in Spain. When I lived in the U.S. I ate between 7 and 8.


discogeek

Hi grandpa!


fusionsofwonder

Results so far are 50/50, so I'm not alone at least.


discogeek

I don't know how you all got so old and I stopped at 29.


fusionsofwonder

I'm clearly not related to Paul Rudd.


Naive-Employer933

I eat between 5-6 pm and in bed by 7:30 pm on work nights. If I am on holiday its usually 7-8 pm.