Q. Is it true that eating before bed makes you gain weight?

A. Overall, it doesn’t really matter what time of the day you eat. The important factor is how many kilojoules (Calories) you take over the whole day (and how much you burn off). For instance, if you eat a bowl of pasta with tomato pasta sauce for lunch or the exact same thing before bed, it’s still going to contain the same kilojoules, irrespective of which time you eat it.

However, having said that, there is research that shows that people are more likely to burn off kilojoules in the morning and less likely in the afternoon and evening.

The usual practice of eating a big meal late at night, which is common in Western societies, is not conducive to weight loss – simply because most people are sedentary at night. They sit and watch TV or do some reading and don’t burn off the kilojoules from the dinner which then goes into fat stores.

If you’re serious about shedding weight, you still need to eat less food and do more exercise. But having a lighter evening meal and increasing the size of your breakfast or lunch might make a difference for you.