Will eating before bedtime make me gain weight?

Contrary to popular belief, the snack you have before bedtime won't automatically be stored as fat. "The most important factor affecting your weight is how many total calories you eat each day, not what the clock reads when you eat them," says Suzanne Farrell, R.D., a Denver nutritionist and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. That said, skimping on meals during the day may set you up to overeat at night, which can pack on kilograms. A recent study in the Journal of Nutrition found that the less food people ate for breakfast and lunch, the more they ate after sunset and the higher their total calorie intake was, for the day.
"Our brain's satiation mechanism tends to become weaker as the day progresses," says John de Castro, Ph.D., lead study author and a professor of psychology at Sam Houston State University. "That means you may have to eat more in the evening in order to feel full." His research suggests that have having a larger breakfast, a moderate-size lunch, and a smaller dinner can help you consume fewer calories and reduce the temptation to overeat at night.

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