Want to stay trim even with a late-night snack? You can. Here’s how you can eat at night and not gain weight.

This article’s title might sound crazy if you’ve followed well-known diet rules for years. It’s common to hear that you should eat your last meal before 8pm, stop snacking completely, or try the not-so-new trend, intermittent fasting.

But with the right food, you won’t go up a dress size just from snacking at night. Make good choices and you can even improve your fat loss results. Just think about the bodybuilders that promote this trick – usually, they work out for hours each day for years and follow a strict diet plan. All that hard work would go down the drain if they followed fad diets.

(Also read: Stock up on These Healthy Snacks for Your Mid-Day Hunger Pangs)

It’s all about your overall food intake

We’re here to tell you that midnight snacking will not cause you to gain fat, as long as you choose the right food. In order to lose weight, you have to be in a calorie deficit, no matter what workout or diet you follow.

A big reason why late-night snacking can cause weight gain is because it easily leads to mindless eating. At night, most people love to unwind after work by watching TV, chatting with their family, or lazing around in bed. All this causes you to pay less attention to the food you’re eating. You can easily eat double your portion size when you don’t do so mindfully, so it is important to be present when you are eating – even more so when it’s a snack.

(Also read: 10 Healthy Snacks We Honestly Love)

It doesn’t slow down your metabolism

One main reason people advise against eating before you sleep is because they claim your body will be unable to digest the food properly, and store everything as fat instead.

It is true that your digestion and metabolism is slowed down at night, but they are always working – even when you sleep. The discomfort that comes from late-night eating could be due to indigestion from lying down immediately, which you shouldn’t do no matter what time you eat.

(Also read: 5 Proven Ways to Increase Your Metabolism)

So… what can you eat?

Eating large meals at night can cause discomfort, sweating, and insomnia. So, stick to small portions and opt for light, healthy snacks like these. Bodybuilders on online forums say that when they crave a late-night snack, or they just want to see more muscle growth, they eat cottage cheese.

Be careful not to turn this late-night eating into a daily habit. Your body needs sufficient melatonin to develop healthy sleep patterns. and late-night eating might interfere with the release of melatonin. A lack of melatonin will hinder your body from cooling down and inducing deep sleep.

(Also read: This is Why You Have Snack Cravings At Night)