Q: Do you believe that eating late at night causes weight gain?

A: GREAT question - and a lot of confusion about this topic. Eating at night does not cause weight gain - eating too many calories at night (or any other time during your waking hours) is what packs on the pounds. Many people do well with 3 meals, and 2 snacks each day - calorie controlled to keep you around a total of 1400-1600 calories (for weight loss - it varies for each individual). While some people eat dinner, and are "done" for their eating day, many people like an evening snack.

I always advise people to allow for around 200 calories in the evening, if this is a time that you'd like to eat - but pay attention to the calories! Where "night eating" gets a bad rap is that many people skip meals, get overly hungry in the evening, and eat all night. That's not what we're talking about.

If you like to eat in the evening, pre-plan your snack for that time of day. Good luck! Let me know how you're doing!

Ask Madelyn a question and look for her answers every week on HealthBeat

Visit Madelyn's Blog, Health Journal

Get more updates by following us on Twitter

Madelyn H. Fernstrom, PhD, CNS, is the iVillage Health Editor-at-Large, Diet & Nutrition Editor for the Today Show and the Founder and Director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Weight Management Center.