One thing I’d like to add is that eating carbs at night seems to help me sleep better. That is the reason I don’t eat carbs in the morning. I like the combination of protein and coffee to wake me up. The Carbohydrate Addict Diet, which is marketed as the non-keto alternative to the Atkins diet, allows one carb meal in the evening, and people seem to do well on it. As for me, eating carbs the first thing in the morning starts the evil cycle of cravings. By the time I cut off carbs in the evening, my craving is at its highest. So, while cutting carbs after 6 might work better for fat loss for a given total daily caloric intake, it may be more difficult to avoid overeating.
In contrast to what a lot of posters are saying here, I am pretty certain that the SCIENTIFIC STUDIES comparing timing of calorie/carb intake relative to sleep/inactivity has NO effect on long term body composition- it is simply a matter of calories. I don’t have the ref’s now, but I think the work was done at the Dunn nutrition unit in England.
To me, Timbo’s post about workout timing makes a lot of sense. The body in a state of deficit wrt muscle glycogen and protein, will obviously replenish this avenue first, before going to fat storage. So what if you train earlier in the day? My reasoning to explain the science would be: if we expend the SAME amount of calories in a day (and eat the SAME amount), then the muscles will still need the same amount of substrate for replenishment, whether this is provided immediately, or during the course of the next 12-24 hours. I would guess for most people on this forum, training regularly, will provide enough of a metabolic boost for the next 12-24 hours that calorie intakes at different times (total calories equal) should not make a difference.
However I haven’t even gone into the Insulin sensitivity thing that Boxer Al brought up. I wonder does this make enough of a difference??
So then what I need to do now, is maintain carbs, even at evening AND have marathon sex? M’okay…geez, the things I do for science. 
So, uh, Patty Cake, it takes Two to Tango, no? 
Char-Dawg…man, you got me pondering this damn thing over all stinkin’ day long. Can’t a guy watch some Foosball in peace!!! Seriously, I’ve been trying to come up with some logical explanations, but I think it all really comes down to maintaining that caloric deficit. That said, however, if you’re eating too many damn carbs, then I really do not think that fat loss will be optimal. Reason being is that there is so much involved in fatty acid metabolism that has to do with substrate availability, insuiln and the insulin/glucagon ratio. And as much as we stress the evil carbohydrate in being the culprit of unwanted insulin release, if you look up that 1997 study by Holt on the Insulin Index of Foods (the only one we have to go by), you’ll see that both protein-rich and fat-rich foods impact insulin levels as well. Which leads me to my next point: substrate availability. As long as carbohydrate is adequately present, it will be the preferred source of fuel for the body.
Sorry, Char-Dawg, as I know that I’ve totally abandoned the integrity of your post. But this is what they teach me to do, my man. Theorize.
Ahh, damn it, Patricia. Now you’ve gone and made it IMPOSSIBLE for me to think about this topic with anything like a coherent reasoning process!
'scuze me for a moment while I, uh, well… I think I have to go and check my snail mail or something. I’ll be back in a few minutes…