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Question: I keep hearing that to lose weight, you shouldn't eat anything after 7:00 p.m. Is this true?

Answer: No. If you eat more calories than your body burns in a day – no matter what time you eat them – the excess calories will be stored as fat. On the other hand, if you eat fewer calories than your body burns – even if some of those calories are consumed during "The Tonight Show" – you'll lose weight. There's no intrinsic connection between calories and the clock.

Still, nighttime eating can sabotage your weight-loss plan. If you skip meals or eat lightly throughout the day, you may be more likely to stage an 11:00 p.m. refrigerator raid. Also, many people tend to unwind at night in front of the television, a scenario that promotes mindless munching. As you flip channels, you may not even realize you're inhaling an entire bag of chips. If you're prone to mindless munching in the evenings, try closing down the kitchen and brushing your teeth.

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About Our Expert: Suzanne Schlosberg is the author of The Ultimate Workout Log and The Essential Fertility Log and coauthor of Fitness for Dummies and The Fat-Free Truth. She's a health and fitness writer living in Bend, Oregon.