In the weight-loss studies, participants either front-loaded calories (ate most of their food before 3 pm and only small amounts later) or back-loaded (ate most of their calories in the evening, up until going to bed). The front-loading groups lost 20% more weight. Hence the conclusion to not eat much in the afternoon and 7pm fits with most people’s schedules, so, why not?
Diagram of a DEXA scanner.

Most nutrition writers know what sells and the number-on-the-scale is all important for marketing. I want results, not hype, and researchers want more information than comes from a digital bathroom scale. Besides examining body weight, researchers also perform DEXA measurements—dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is a precise, accurate and non-invasive way to determine body composition. Body composition results tell a different story. The front loaders did lose 20% more weight, but the back-loaders lost 15% more fat. Starving the body through the night of calories ignites muscle wasting. If you eat in the morning, the body tries to maintain energy balance by keeping fat and burning muscle. If you eat at night, the body burns fat and preserves muscle. Back-loading calories—and definitely eating after 7pm—makes you leaner and healthier.
http://dangerouslyhardcore.com/303/f...2-backloading/