When should you eat is just as important as what you eat

The article seems to be doing that most common journalistic trope: misinterpreting data and selling you a false narrative. Most of it is about when you gain more weight, not what is more or less healthy (it's not like you're getting sick).

  On the other hand, animals are normally the most insulin resistant during their typical sleeping hours.
  Studies suggest the same phenomena occur in humans. It turns out that mealtime has a big effect on what
  happens to your blood sugar levels. If you eat the same meal in the morning and at night, your blood
  sugar will increase more in the evening than in the morning. Eating the same meal early, like for 
  breakfast, and at night can affect blood sugar levels differently.

So the time will change your blood sugar levels. If your blood sugar levels are fine, and the foods you eat don't skyrocket your blood sugar (low-GI for example), this isn't an issue. Eat low-GI foods at night to prevent insulin from increasing your blood sugar and stopping fat burning. (Some cardio before bed and before your meal might be helpful too, for a number of reasons)

  Fat cells also appear the most insulin sensitive early in the day, with a peak at noon; they are about
  50 percent more sensitive midday than they are at midnight. This means that your body is primed to eat
  at certain times. In fact, eating at the “wrong” time can throw off everything. In a study of mice,
  those given access to food at the “wrong” time, when they typically sleep, ate more when food first
  became available—10 percent more total calories during a day—and gained more weight.

So watch your portions, and change the proportion of fat you eat so 50% of it from a night-time meal is eaten in the morning.

  Research is starting to show the same effects in humans. One study on weight loss that compared the
  times of eating among participants over a 20-week period revealed that those who ate lunch earlier lost
  more weight than those who ate it later. A related study found that those who ate later burned less
  energy than those who ate earlier.

So eat your least-caloric-intense meal at night, like a salad.

The whole article seems to send the wrong signals. What you eat actually seems more important than when you eat it, based on this article. IMHO, you should focus on your nutrition first, weight loss second. Keeping weight off requires habit-forming. If eating later at night is more convenient for you, do it! Just do it smart.

> A related study found that those who ate later burned less energy than those who ate earlier.

Big question on this one: Was it testing the same people, or was it observational / correlation-seeking? Because I can imagine people who burn less energy in general eat later because they're not hungry, rather than the other way around.

Notwithstanding that a specific hour doesn't mean much without knowing one's schedule, I believe avoiding food within approx 5 hours of bedtime is the guideline I usually come across in studies.

Intermittent fasters should take note rather than discounting a reproducible body of evidence as "propaganda". Its possible to do IF on an early schedule.

Pretty junky article, because it doesn't define the goal, and therefore cannot give any recommendations either. Is the goal weight loss? Is the goal sleep quality? Is the goal how to maximize muscle protein synthesis (and add weight)?

When it comes to weight loss (and when the right muscle sparing tools are in place, also fat loss) total Calories in vs Calories out dominates. Don't get fooled, both sides of the equation are moving targets so it's been extremely difficult to be precise with it even in research. and water weight changes add further confusion.

When it comes to other hormonal aspects though? meal timing matters, obviously. An extreme example that makes it obvious -- If you eat ~1500 calories from fats/carbs in one sitting, you're likely gonna want a nap in short order as your blood sugar and insulin excreted rise. Does that mean you'll gain weight? Depends on your caloric needs.

Another example -- Eating even 3 hours before bed time can affect sleep. So, for sleep quality, it's best to eat earlier and then stop.

Another example -- taking in caffeine blocks the clearing of adenosine (the feel tired hormone). So if you drink caffeine in the first ~90minutes of waking then you dont actually clear the adenosine as well, and then when the caffeine hits it's half life (about 6 hours later) you'll feel tired again. Solution: let your body clear adenosine naturally before you consume caffeine.

Yes, fasting is just not eating.