When's the best time to eat?????
AngelbabyJC
Posts: 27 Member
When's the best time to eat Breakfast, lunch and dinner with snacks in between????......trying to stay on track. I've heard people say to not eat after 8pm pm.....How many hours apart before you can think about lunch or dinner?......people make up time frame for these things, do you go with the flow or stay on track?????
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I eat when I'm hungry as long as the calories will allow it (most of the time). Everyone is different you should try different methods see what works for you.6
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Time frames are irrelevant. Eat when you are hungry. Stay within your calories.12
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I don't put much stock in timing of meals/restricting eating to certain times of the day. Most important thing is to make sure you're eating at a calorie deficit while still making sure you're fueling your body enough. I like to plan my meals a day or more in advance, portioning out my meals and snacks, and I usually end up eating every 3-4 hours. It just happens that way, listening to my body. My stomach has been extra grumbly today, but if I make sure I'm hydrating too, I'm usually good. Hope that makes sense! Feel free to add me as a friend.
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Calories dont tell time
stay withing your alotted calories and eat when you please! 6 -
When you're awake. The actual times are personal preference. Unless you have sleeping problems that come from eating late, you don't need a cutoff time.4
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I try to space it out during the day, usually 3 meals and 2 snacks because I find if I get super hungry before a meal (because I skipped a previous meal or a snack) then I am ravenous and overeat. I am never hungry in the morning but I find that if I skip breakfast I'm so hungry by lunch that I eat way too much (over the value of a regular breakfast and lunch should be). My diary is open is you want to take a look. Warning though I eat pretty much the same thing every day, it's boring but it's what I figured out I preferred.
But that's me. You need to figure out what works best for you.0 -
When's the best time? When I'm hungry.
Timing of meals and snacks is irrelevant to weight management. 1 -
When you're hungry.1
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Personal preference. Are you a grazer and like to eat throughout the day or do you like to sit down and eat a nice meal that fills you up?
Eat like you always have. Eat whenever you are hungry or graze all day.. Doesn't matter... And if you want to eat after 8:00 go a head.1 -
If you're gonna EAT big, do it early in the day...2
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When I'm hungry.0
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piggysmalls333 wrote: »If you're gonna EAT big, do it early in the day...
Why?1 -
piggysmalls333 wrote: »If you're gonna EAT big, do it early in the day...
No. It doesn't matter when you eat.
Stay within your calorie goals. Figure out your pattern. For me, I don't eat much early, I save my calories for late afternoon and evening. I do this because I'm not hungry early in the day, and I like a big dinner.1 -
piggysmalls333 wrote: »If you're gonna EAT big, do it early in the day...
And this is why we get hundreds of threads like these every week.4 -
kommodevaran wrote: »piggysmalls333 wrote: »If you're gonna EAT big, do it early in the day...
And this is why we get hundreds of threads like these every week.
And this completely defies all comments that say "eat when ever you want" or "when ever you are hungry"0 -
On my paleo protocol, I rarely get "hungry". I start my day at 5:30 AM with morning coffee, then eat a 500 calorie breakfast when I get to my desk at 8:00; I have a 250 calorie snack between 10:00 and 11:00, then a 500 calorie lunch; another 250 calorie snack between 3:30 and 5:00, then a 500 calorie dinner between 6:30 and 8:00 PM.
I will have to reduce my caloric intake as I lose, but at the moment I am steadily losing an average of about a pound a week. Works for me...good luck to you.1 -
The only thing that matters is to eat when it fits your schedule and you can stick to it. The dieting has no impact on timing of eating. Set your calories and stick to it.4
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Whenever you want. Probably best when you're hungry. Other than that timing makes no difference.1
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I eat breakfast before I go to work. (Mid to late morning on my day off)
I eat lunch on my lunch break ,might skip lunch depending on how late breakfast was and how active I am for the day.
I have a small snack after work aka late lunch on my day off
I eat dinner around 4:30-5:00 pm
I have a second snack in the evening.
Essentially I find that eating on a schedule is helpful. Waiting until I am hungry to make a meal, for me, is going to make me more likely to over eat since then I get more hungry during the preparation process and am much more likely to make the choice for a higher calorie quicker meal over a well planned healthier meal. Also it takes me a while to get the "I'm full" feeling. In general I try to eat enough to hold me until the next meal time and before I start to feel hunger.1 -
piggysmalls333 wrote: »If you're gonna EAT big, do it early in the day...
This is nothing but personal preference. Dinner is almost always my biggest meal of the day.2 -
shadowfax_c11 wrote: »I eat breakfast before I go to work. (Mid to late morning on my day off)
I eat lunch on my lunch break ,might skip lunch depending on how late breakfast was and how active I am for the day.
I have a small snack after work aka late lunch on my day off
I eat dinner around 4:30-5:00 pm
I have a second snack in the evening.
Essentially I find that eating on a schedule is helpful. Waiting until I am hungry to make a meal, for me, is going to make me more likely to over eat since then I get more hungry during the preparation process and am much more likely to make the choice for a higher calorie quicker meal over a well planned healthier meal. Also it takes me a while to get the "I'm full" feeling. In general I try to eat enough to hold me until the next meal time and before I start to feel hunger.
I totally agree with you, the other day I woke up and wasn't feeling hungry so I went shopping for my house and around lunch I still wasn't hungry and then as soon as I got home my tummy was feeling really bad from not eating so I ordered pizza and ate the entire thing. At first it was 3 slices but I was still hungry.....the thing is though I was so full and felt uncomfortable lol but I do realize than when I skip a meal I overeat whenever I do eat0 -
Personal preference. Are you a grazer and like to eat throughout the day or do you like to sit down and eat a nice meal that fills you up?
Eat like you always have. Eat whenever you are hungry or graze all day.. Doesn't matter... And if you want to eat after 8:00 go a head.
I like to sit down and eat a nice meal but only for dinner, as for breakfast and lunch, it's a grab and go situation. I'm thinking of doing meal preps because my grab and go aren't that healthy.0 -
Meal timing is irrelevant as far as weight loss is concerned. Weight loss comes from a calorie deficit . what times you eat come down to preference some eat one big meal. Others find eating 5 small meals keeps them on track. But as far as weight loss is concerned, it makes no difference.
If I decided to eat all my 2300 cals right before bed, I would still lose weight. Weight loss comes from a caloric deficit. Anyone that tells you not to eat after a certian time is clearly misinformed about weight loss.1 -
MissusMoon wrote: »piggysmalls333 wrote: »If you're gonna EAT big, do it early in the day...
No. It doesn't matter when you eat.
Stay within your calorie goals. Figure out your pattern. For me, I don't eat much early, I save my calories for late afternoon and evening. I do this because I'm not hungry early in the day, and I like a big dinner.
@MissusMoon I've been watching you and just wanted to say that you got it right ! Keep fighting to spread the truth about weight loss to newcomers !4 -
thorsmom01 wrote: »MissusMoon wrote: »piggysmalls333 wrote: »If you're gonna EAT big, do it early in the day...
No. It doesn't matter when you eat.
Stay within your calorie goals. Figure out your pattern. For me, I don't eat much early, I save my calories for late afternoon and evening. I do this because I'm not hungry early in the day, and I like a big dinner.
@MissusMoon I've been watching you and just wanted to say that you got it right ! Keep fighting to spread the truth about weight loss to newcomers !
Awww, thank you!0 -
I was told to eat very little at night because I'm less active, so it's best to have your last snack at 8pm......as well as having a balanced meal with snacks in between. I thought I was gaining weight because I wasn't eating on time etc with what I was told but now I know the facts, thank you!thorsmom01 wrote: »Meal timing is irrelevant as far as weight loss is concerned. Weight loss comes from a calorie deficit . what times you eat come down to preference some eat one big meal. Others find eating 5 small meals keeps them on track. But as far as weight loss is concerned, it makes no difference.
If I decided to eat all my 2300 cals right before bed, I would still lose weight. Weight loss comes from a caloric deficit. Anyone that tells you not to eat after a certian time is clearly misinformed about weight loss.0 -
People make it far to difficult, Learn your body, Eat when hungry.
The acception is if you suddenly realize wow i haven't ate all day, Whats up with that? I find i have this alot, My body just doesn't give the signals its hungry, So in my case iv found it much easier to have alarms on my phone, And plenty of healthy snacks around. Aslong as your within your calorie goal your fine to eat whenever.
Some people prefer to eat 1 meal a day with all their calories, others 5-6 small ones. You just do you. Only you know what your body needs (i sense someones going to yell at me for this bit XD ) But seriously some people just prefer a big meal that fills them up, They dont get satisfied eating tiny "meals" which i think is totally okay. Our caveman ancestors never had 6 meals a day they ate when they got food and fasted until the next meal. Some studies show that can actually be very beneficial and alot of people swear by it, they get alot of energy not being all groggy (you know how you feel sometimes after eating while you digest?)1 -
AngelbabyJC wrote: »
I was told to eat very little at night because I'm less active, so it's best to have your last snack at 8pm......as well as having a balanced meal with snacks in between. I thought I was gaining weight because I wasn't eating on time etc with what I was told but now I know the facts, thank you!thorsmom01 wrote: »Meal timing is irrelevant as far as weight loss is concerned. Weight loss comes from a calorie deficit . what times you eat come down to preference some eat one big meal. Others find eating 5 small meals keeps them on track. But as far as weight loss is concerned, it makes no difference.
If I decided to eat all my 2300 cals right before bed, I would still lose weight. Weight loss comes from a caloric deficit. Anyone that tells you not to eat after a certian time is clearly misinformed about weight loss.
Nope, whoever told you that was misinformed. That's actually an old wives tale. But you did the right thing by asking people here before believing the myths. Don't ever be afraid to ask, that's how you will learn !
I've lost all my weight and have been kept it off for @3 yrs now. I can tell you this - weight loss comes down to calories. Calories in - calories out. As long as you consistently eat at a caloric deficit, you will lose weight. Get yourself a food scale if you don't already have one. Learn how to weigh all your solids and measure your liquids. Log the items here on mfp accurately. As long as you eat less then you burn, you will lose weight. It makes no difference what time you eat or what foods you ate when it comes to weight loss ( obviously I am not suggesting a diet consisting of only cake. But as far as weight loss is concerned- if I ate 2300 cals of cake right before bed. I would still lose weight because I would still be at a caloric deficit. )
Don't deprive yourself of the foods you love, instead learn how to incorporate them into your diet in the right portions. Let's pretend you like cake, you can still have cake ! Just eat it in moderation and use portion control. Sometimes people think losing weight has to be miserable , they deprive themselves of the foods they love or go on crazy fad diets. They never keep the weight off in the long Run . so ditch any myths that people may have told you and start fresh. Remember that weight loss comes from a calorie deficit and that no special diets or fads are needed. Instead learn portion control and moderation . these tools will set you up for long term success! Best of luck to you !3 -
thorsmom01 wrote: »AngelbabyJC wrote: »
I was told to eat very little at night because I'm less active, so it's best to have your last snack at 8pm......as well as having a balanced meal with snacks in between. I thought I was gaining weight because I wasn't eating on time etc with what I was told but now I know the facts, thank you!thorsmom01 wrote: »Meal timing is irrelevant as far as weight loss is concerned. Weight loss comes from a calorie deficit . what times you eat come down to preference some eat one big meal. Others find eating 5 small meals keeps them on track. But as far as weight loss is concerned, it makes no difference.
If I decided to eat all my 2300 cals right before bed, I would still lose weight. Weight loss comes from a caloric deficit. Anyone that tells you not to eat after a certian time is clearly misinformed about weight loss.
Nope, whoever told you that was misinformed. That's actually an old wives tale. But you did the right thing by asking people here before believing the myths. Don't ever be afraid to ask, that's how you will learn !
I've lost all my weight and have been kept it off for @3 yrs now. I can tell you this - weight loss comes down to calories. Calories in - calories out. As long as you consistently eat at a caloric deficit, you will lose weight. Get yourself a food scale if you don't already have one. Learn how to weigh all your solids and measure your liquids. Log the items here on mfp accurately. As long as you eat less then you burn, you will lose weight. It makes no difference what time you eat or what foods you ate when it comes to weight loss ( obviously I am not suggesting a diet consisting of only cake. But as far as weight loss is concerned- if I ate 2300 cals of cake right before bed. I would still lose weight because I would still be at a caloric deficit. )
Don't deprive yourself of the foods you love, instead learn how to incorporate them into your diet in the right portions. Let's pretend you like cake, you can still have cake ! Just eat it in moderation and use portion control. Sometimes people think losing weight has to be miserable , they deprive themselves of the foods they love or go on crazy fad diets. They never keep the weight off in the long Run . so ditch any myths that people may have told you and start fresh. Remember that weight loss comes from a calorie deficit and that no special diets or fads are needed. Instead learn portion control and moderation . these tools will set you up for long term success! Best of luck to you !
Thank you!....knowledge is power.3 -
Nah, I eat most of my calories for dinner.piggysmalls333 wrote: »If you're gonna EAT big, do it early in the day...
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