It doesn't matter, it is all calories in vs out. Many people find it easier if they give themselves a time to stop snacking. and intermittant fasting gives people a set window of eating, but all these are just tricks to help limit calories in portion of the equation

+1. What she said!

I like to wait until after 12, 2pm preferably before I start eating, gives me more calories to play by the end of the night.

It really depends on you. Your calorie intake is more important, but imposing an eating window can make it easier to keep calorie intake in check.

By nature, I'm an evening snacker, and it's been a hard habit to modify. I can't eat early AND late, so I have to choose one or the other. If I eat breakfast soon after I get up, I have to end my food day early. If I want to eat in the evening, I may not eat breakfast (first meal) until 3pm.

Some people do both, eating late and stopping early. This is called "intermittent fasting" (or skipping meals).

I've tried keeping a 9-5 or 8-6, or even noon to nine food schedule. I've also tried eating whenever-the-heck-I-feel-like-it. They all have advantages and disadvantages, but the bottom line is always calorie intake.

Experiment and discover which pattern or patterns work best for you, and not just in terms of which help you lose the most weight, but which pattern is most comfortable.

For me, too small a window and I lose fastest, but feel horrible if I go very long without eating. I enjoy evening snacks, so I'd rather budget one in.

If I don't have a late-ish snack, I tend to wake up starving in the middle of the night. Too awake from hunger to go back to sleep easily, but too asleep/sleepy to make wise choices if I do choose to eat.

Trial and error is the only way to determine your optimal food schedule.

I agree with what the other posters have said. I love to snack at night so I have found that for myself I have to save at least half of my daily allowed calories for the evening. I don't have a set time I have to stop eating. I've found that when I've tried that I end up binging cause it's "off limits." Experiment and see what works best for you!

One tip I have that's pretty simple it breakfast:

Oatmeal such as rolled oats or steel cut, high in fiber and very filling.

Typically if I have rolled oats I mix in something like peanut butter and I'm good until lunch.

The steel cut oats I make more like a stew and throw in carrots, celery and garlic and make it a savory breakfast sometimes to thicken it up I'll also cook in 2 egg whites.

Both of those are low calorie and high in fiber.

Another trick I'll use if I'm finding myself super hungry at lunch is puree some sort of beans and make a bean patty out of them with some egg whites.

Once again high in fiber, low in calories and fills you up since it is relatively low calorie so you can eat more to fill the stomach.

I have hypo thyroid and take armor thyroid for the same so I take my medicine as soon as I wake up and give myself an hour before I eat a banana/apple/orange
Then, another hour or 2 and start the day; I find I am good with diet until 3 to 4 PM and then something consumes me and I binge if I let go.
So, I usually, eat a big supper/dinner around 7 and then brush my teeth right away so I don't feel like eating afterwards

Calories matter - not when you eat them.

I've found success by skipping breakfast. It even has a fancy name. "Intermittent fasting"

Via trail and error one can find the easiest method to restrict calories.

I find it easiest to stop at six- but only because If I go any later, I'll be eating all night- one bowl of evening cereal will turn in two three, undoing all my good of that day.

I stop at 5pm sharp (dinner) but that's because I would mindlessly snack on salty carbs during 7-9pm (my relaxation time once the kids are in bed).

When I was younger and worked 7pm-7am, I didn't even eat my FIRST meal until 5pm and I was a whopping 110lbs, LOL.

I was told 4 hours before bed. So I eat nothing past 6

I think the best time to stop eating is when you've met your calorie goal for the day.

HAHAHA love it!

Ain't that the simple truth!

It's a very individual thing. I wake up hungry and like to eat most of my calories earlier in the day. After supper I may have a very small snack, but at 8 p.m. the shop is generally closed. Evening snacking has never been one of my issues, so it's no skin off my back.

F.