Light Dinners?

Tinaloren

Hi everyone! I find more easier to lose weight when I do light dinners. In Spain we have a saying that says something like that: "Eat breakfast like a king, eat lunch like a prince and eat dinner like a homeless." What do you think? You agree with that theory?

Muana1005

I strongly disagree. It's not about when you eat but the number of calories you eat. I work 5am - 8pm and been losing 1-2kg a week even though I save up most of my calories so I can eat a big late dinner with my family.

TavistockToad

whatever works for you...

normally i have reasonably small breakfast and lunch and a larger dinner (nearly half my cals), however on holiday i tend to have a large cooked breakfast, no lunch and another large meal for tea. but at home on work days i wouldn't have time to make a full english before work!

kommodevaran

We have that saying in Norway too There are lots of different philosophies, but they can work equally well, they are merely different ways to set some boundaries to your eating. Whatever boundaries you can stick to for the long haul, is great. I have found that deciding for myself how I want to eat - but of course somewhat in line with when others eat, if I eat with others - works best for me. Several setups have worked great. Now I split my intake into approx 1/4 for breakfast, 1/4 for lunch and 1/2 for dinner. This has the additional benefit that I don't worry about getting overly hungry in case I won't hit my meal time exactly. It frees up mental capacity, I am more relaxed, and fewer meals means I don't have to plan in such a detail.

DresdenSinn

I agree with you but I also agree with the other posters. I myself typically have a light dinner with the majority of my calories being eaten earlier in the day, here is tonight's dinner for example:

Bottom Sirloin Steak, 4 oz
Food Club - Baby Broccoli Florets (Freshly Frozen), 1 cup (85g)
Olivio - Light, 1 Tbsp

I've lost 29lbs since March 1st.

malibu927

If it works for you, go for it, but I prefer dinner to be my largest meal

livingleanlivingclean

I've lost weight eating meals at all different combinations of timing, it makes no difference... I'm most satisfied eating most of my calories later in the day though, so I do that.

Seffell

I eat almost all of my calories for dinner.

nosebag1212

I'll pass thanks, eating dinner like a 'homeless person' sounds miserable, I prefer not to feel starving when I go to bed.

Tinaloren

Sorry nosebag1212 I am against of that as well It's just a saying, what I wanted to say with that it is just to split the intake in a way that dinner has the lowest income of calories.

Tinaloren

nosebag1212 wrote: »

I'll pass thanks, eating dinner like a 'homeless person' sounds miserable, I prefer not to feel starving when I go to bed.

Sorry nosebag1212 I am against of that as well It's just a saying, what I wanted to say with that it is just to split the intake in a way that dinner has the lowest income of calories.

T0M_K

I agree with the others that have said that if this works for you then by all means do it. you have to settle into a way of eating that fits your lifestyle. the ISSUE is keeping at your desired calorie deficit so you can lose the weight you wish to. Timing of meals is for us mentally, our body only cares about the quantity we consume in terms of losing or gaining weight.

conseanery

Tinaloren wrote: »

Hi everyone! I find more easier to lose weight when I do light dinners. In Spain we have a saying that says something like that: "Eat breakfast like a king, eat lunch like a prince and eat dinner like a homeless." What do you think? You agree with that theory?

Just remember - at the end of the day (even the week) it's about being in a deficit for calories (gradual deficit). Whether you want to space out your meals throughout the day or eat one meal at the end of the day. Whatever works best for you. Personally, I find eating my calories in the evening for dinner works best for me. I find it easier to track my nutrients within one meal rather than multiple meals throughout the day. It's mostly from a convenience aspect for macro/nutrient documentation - but run with what works for you. It's true - there's more than one way to accomplish a goal.

lemurcat12

During the week I usually get home late and so have a larger lunch and lighter dinner (and then some cheese, so my evening calories end up about the same as my lunch calories), but it's all just personal preference.

On weekends I usually eat dinner at a restaurant before a play or concert, so eat kind of early and skip lunch and have a big dinner. Again, makes no difference, personal preference.

Froggyh

I agree with the above posters that it's not about when you eat, but how much you eat overall. However, I also think that in Spain, where people tend to eat dinner much later (9 or 10pm, IIRC), eating a good-sized breakfast and lunch and a smaller dinner could be a sustainable, straightforward way to keep your overall intake under control, whereas in North America, where dinner is often eaten at 5 or 6pm, a small dinner will likely just leave you snacking through the evening.

Personally? I have a solid breakfast, lunch and dinner, and often an afternoon snack and an evening snack. And I have my dinner between 7 and 10pm.

collectingblues

The pediatric endocrinologist I used to see when I was a tween/teen -- I'm a type 1 diabetic -- used to say something similar. The reality, for me? I can't stand the idea of food in the morning. I'm doing well enough to get down coffee + milk or some cereal. Always have been like that. I can tolerate a heavier brunch, but then I'm also skipping lunch.

I don't necessarily like a *big* dinner, but eating a big breakfast instead is just awful for me. I'd rather base the size of my meals on what I feel like eating, and not what cliched "wisdom" says I should eat.

He was a jerk in many ways, and this was advice of his that I'm glad my parents ignored.

hesn92

I personally don't like eating that way. I like to have a big dinner and go to bed full.