So I remember hearing stuff like this, the idea being that your metabolism slows down at night so if you eat before bed you’ll get fat because you won’t use the calories. But if you think about it a little longer it’s doesn’t hold up that well.
For starters, the body is actually still pretty active when we’re sleeping. Obviously you’re not up and moving around, but you’re still more or less burning your baseline metabolism throughout the night. Also, the body isn’t some kind of closed system that only operates day to day. Your energy during the next day has to come from somewhere. Like if you think about calories in calories out over the course of a week or longer it matters much less about when exactly those came in.
However, you may want to avoid eating too close to going to sleep if it messes with your sleep itself. That does actually have a bunch of negative repercussions including on weight loss. I believe the general rule is at least two hours between eating and sleeping.
I also start at 5 and stop at about 10:30. I only eat keto, so not sure if that matters as long as I keep at a calorie deficit. So hard to stop the snacking after dinner habit! I am steadily losing weight. I try to keep the snacks small, like a handful of nuts or a 1/4 cup of blueberries with heavy cream.
Just be in a calorie deficit. Doesn’t matter what time. Only “logic” here is that most people weight themselves in the mornings. So if you’re eating late at night, the food is less digested than later in the day. But, it’s not real weight gain.