It seems to be a common belief, but is it true? It seems to be BS to me - I know that one needs to burn off food, but if you’re eating less calories than you’re using anyway, how can it make a difference?
Didn’t Scrooge try to explain the first Ghost of Christmas as a “bit of undigested potato,” or something like that? Maybe you won’t gain wait, but you might have some very interesting dreams.
Seriously, I often eat before sleeping (because of work), and I haven’t noticed any weight gain.
If you have problems with reflux, (aka really bad heartburn or GERD) laying down with a stomach full of food is a bad idea.
Insulin sensitivity peaks in the morning and drops off as the day goes by, so there might be something to this. You’re not going to gain more weight than there is matter in the food you take in, of course, but it’s more easily stored as fat when your insulin sensitivity is down.
By the math alone, it does not matter when you eat.
However, eating at the wrong times and poor eating habits can lead to an unstable hunger drive. Eating nutritonally poor foods in the evening would have an indirect cause on weight gain.
If you can eat your proper am’t of cals every day, and you can do this by eating at any hour…then do so. Chances are, if you are eating ‘good foods’ (and this is realtive) you’ll dodge insulin spikes (which tinker with hunger pains) and you’ll be fine.