It's Not Always How Much You Eat, But When

An interesting study out of Spain, where the biggest meal of the day is lunch -- typically eaten early to mid afternoon.

Researchers followed more than 400 people for close to six months and monitored how much they ate, and when they ate it.

All were on a healthy, low fat, balanced diet and got regular exercise -- essentially they all did the same thing except at different times.

The good news is all of the people in the study lost weight. But those who took in most of their calories before 3 p.m. lost the most weight compared to later eaters.

Pre 3 o'clock -- 22 lbs. Post 3 o'clock -- 17 lbs.

The thinking is that your body clock shifts as the day goes on, and with that body clock change is a change in metabolism. So the later in the day the body has to deal with calories, the more likely it is to store fat.

It's just one study -- and not a gigantic one. But the message is fairly common sense.

Chow down early rather than later, and your body will help you drop those unwanted pounds.

Also of note: people who ate on an irregular schedule, and those who skipped breakfast also tended to have more trouble losing weight.

So -- listen to your mom. Eat regularly -- without snacks. Eat your breakfast. (And brush after every meal... which I just threw in because my mom always told me that.)