Do you eat specific calories at specific times?

DesdemonaRose

Though I've read in a few places that it doesn't really matter, I'm curious if som epeople try to eat more at the begenning of the day verse the end (on purpose) or visa versa. It does seem more logical to eat more at the start of the day when your body is "turning on," and getting ready to move about instead of at the end when your slowing down and getting ready for bed. I was doing the opposite, grabbing a quick smaller calorie breakfast, eating a salad for lunch, and eating more calories for dinner (if I didn't snack them away). So, I am going to try and eat more during the day and less at night.

What do you say? Does it matter? Do you try to eat different calorie amounts based on the time of day?

momzeeee

-I'm in maintenance-

I do 8:16IF with a two meal/no snacking format. I do break my fast at 11am with my highest calorie meal, because I have more time to prepare it. On average it's 1,000-1,200 calories. My second meal is around 6pm and that's also when I'm preparing supper for my family, so a smaller meal is just easier for me to do. Calorie wise it's usually under 1,000 calories. For me this is working out fantastic for maintenance so I'm going to keep going with it

jennagoogles13

The time of day you eat doesn't affect weight loss. It's all about calories in vs calories out. Personally, I consume 70% of my calories after about 4 PM

cwolfman13

Meal timing is irrelevant...you burn XXXX calorie per day just being alive and breathing and then your day to day hum drum and then your exercise...it is irrelevant as to when you consume those calories.

Kr1ptonite

I have a massive calorie intake in the early morning due to weight training. Then the rest of the day is around the same. But i do like to get my carbs in earlier to fuel me though the day and then cut the out towards the latter of the day.

dieselbyte

Meal timing and frequency do not matter. Your body doesn't designate "daytime" to lipolysis (fat oxidation) and "nighttime" to lipogenesis. If it makes more sense in your schedule and you feel better about eating more calories at night, then go ahead. It won't hinder your weight loss or maintenance goals. About 1/3 of my calories and carbs are eaten after 9pm when I finish my workout. This hasn't affected my goals in the least bit.

DesdemonaRose

I was thinking more for, "what makes you feel better," verse, "what will make you loose weight." Though I don't think I put that anywhere in my original post. I get fatigue a lot (I'm far to busy for my own good) so I'm trying to regain energy as well as lose weight!

explosivedonut

I'm in maintenance mode, and I eat 6-7 times a day, smaller meals. I usually have breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, a 3PM snack, dinner, then dessert. I like the "eating every couple hours" thing. Keeps my energy level up, so I stick with that.

Hexahedra

Purely for weight loss meal timing doesn't matter. When you throw exercise into the mix, it matters somewhat if you want to mantain/increase your performance. If I don't work out I can eat a small breakfast, skip lunch, and have a huge dinner while still losing weight. Since I work out at night, skipping lunch would deprive me of the energy necessary for peak performance.

Meal timing can be helpful in weight loss by managing hunger. When I eat smaller meals frequently, I don't give my body a chance to feel starved, so I'm less likely to binge.