Dinner only

JuliahK1987

Hi all! For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been struggling with eating right. I am never hungry in the morning, so I mostly just have tea or coffee in the morning. Lunch depends on how my day is going. Dinner is when I stuff my face. When I try to eat breakfast I feel like my throat is closing up and I need to puke. Anyone else have/had the same problem? How did you overcome this? I know having the main 3 meals is important but I’m just struggling

h1udd

having 3 main meals is not important ..... eating the right amount of calories from a balanced and varied diet is the important bit.

Many people only eat one meal a day (OMAD) .. many people eat in a small time window 5pm - 10pm

so if its better for you to just eat one a day, then thats fine ... just make sure you are getting the correct amount of calories and from a decent diet

AnvilHead

h1udd wrote: »

having 3 main meals is not important ..... eating the right amount of calories from a balanced and varied diet is the important bit...

^ What he said.

Some people do well on one meal per day, some eat 2-3 meals, others like 5-6 small meals per day. Doesn't matter one bit, as long as you're getting adequate nutrition and staying within your calorie goals. The best eating pattern for you is the one that makes it easiest to be satisfied and stick to your calories.

kommodevaran

To lose weight, you just have to eat less than you burn, but consistently, for real, and for a long time. To not regain, you have to not eat too much, for the rest of your life. MFP gives you a calorie target to hit in order to reach your weight goal, you decide whether to stick to it, what to eat, and when.

So maybe you should just let go of ideas like "eating right" and "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" and "you need to eat often to keep your metabolism going"?

That said, maybe not eating breakfast is what makes you overeat at other meals. You can remedy this by eating breakfast, and/or planning/pre-portioning lunch and dinner. You're not going to be ready for breakfast when you're still full from dinner, so maybe the problem can resolve itself when you tweak your habits a bit.

callsitlikeiseeit

you dont have to eat 3 meals. lots of people only eat one or two meals a day.

i rarely eat breakfast, personally.

funjen1972

I agree with other's comments, OMAD doesn't help you lose if you are overeating. I suggest adding a healthy snack about 2 hours before dinner. That will help curb your hunger so you aren't starving by the time you have dinner. Another option is to plan and/or prepare your dinner portions ahead of time so you can control the portion before you're famished.

LivingtheLeanDream

You don't have to eat breakfast if you don't want to. The only thing that matters is the amount of calories you eat in total. If you eat less than you burn you will lose.

You still need to know the calories in what you are eating for that one or two meals a day so you know you are eating at calorie deficit so if you don't already track your food intake, now would be a good time to start.

100_PROOF_

Meal timing is irrelevant for weight loss.
Weight loss comes from creating a caloric deficit.
If you want to eat one meal then that's fine. Just stay within your calorie allotment.

NovusDies

I can eat one meal a day if I eat a large enough lunch. I never have an appetite for breakfast and seldom have one for dinner. The only reason I don't like OMAD is because it just seems like such a VERY long time between meals so I typically eat a small dinner.

amgreenwell

Number of meals, as others have said, has nothing to do with losing weight. It doesn't matter when you eat either, just how much. calorie deficit it what to worry about. My Mother in law cannot eat breakfast, she just doesn't like to eat after waking, so she usually has early lunch then supper. My husband doesn't like to eat immediately after waking so we do smoothies for breakfast every morning just before we walk out the door for work.
I eat at least 5 times a day including breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner. I eat small portions throughout the day with dinner as my largest meal (most caloric) but again, none of that matters. eat a deficit and you'll lose weight.

Lounmoun

As others have said you do not need to eat a certain number of meals per day or have a particular meal timing.
If what you are doing now doesn't work there are probably some things you can try.

Breakfast can be any food or drink. You could have soup or a smoothie for breakfast.
Breakfast can be a small amount of food. Piece of toast, granola bar, piece if fruit.
Breakfast can happen at any point after you wake up for the day.
Skip breakfast in the morning but make your mid-day meal more consistant.
Stick with eating later in the day but watch your calorie intake.
Eat a lighter dinner and spread your calories out more throughout the day. Plan your meals. Prep food in advance or eat low prep foods if time is an issue.

I have experienced difficulty eating in the morning in the past where it would kind of make me nauseated. Since I don't function well and do get overly hungry if I wait until lunch to start eating I do eat something. Usually I wait an hour or 2 after getting up in the morning to eat and I feel better about it. I usually choose something small between 100-300 calories.
When my dd has trouble eating sometimes she can sip a smoothie or a glass of milk.

kq1981

I rarely EVER eat breakfast but always have a coffee in the mornings too, some days at work I don’t have time for lunch, some days I eat all my daily calories at night or early evening because of working afternoon shifts. Doesn’t matter when or how you eat your calories, as long as you’re in a deficit you’ll lose weight. Whatever works for you and whatever you can maintain is key I think. Goodluck

briscogun

juliak2010 wrote: »

Hi all! For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been struggling with eating right. I am never hungry in the morning, so I mostly just have tea or coffee in the morning. Lunch depends on how my day is going. Dinner is when I stuff my face. When I try to eat breakfast I feel like my throat is closing up and I need to puke. Anyone else have/had the same problem? How did you overcome this? I know having the main 3 meals is important but I’m just struggling

Lot's of people don't eat breakfast, don't worry about that. The whole "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" and "breakfast kick starts your metabolism" is BS. Eat when you are hungry. If it makes you feel like you are going to earp then don't eat.

As far as the second bolded part, there's nothing wrong with eating all your calories as one big meal, unless you are really pounding it hard and going WAY over your calorie goal? If you have a goal of 2,000/day, eat a 400 calorie lunch and a big 'ol 1,600 calorie dinner, don't sweat it. But if you are super starving and down a 3,000 calorie dinner because your hunger is out of control, that's where you'll have to start planning ahead and maybe have a late day snack to curb your hunger until you can eat or something.

There are literally a million ways to do this, you just have to find the one that's right for you! You've got this!

acorsaut89

As others have said - lots of people don't eat 3 meals a day. I have found eating small meals 5 - 6 times a day helps me because I was a binge eater for years so small amounts of food to keep me feeling full and satisfied helps me to not binge. Essentially it's whatever works for you.

It is important to make sure you're still getting the nutrients and calories you need for your personal goals - there isn't a right or wrong way to set up your eating schedule as long as the content and amount of food matches your needs/goals.

I personally couldn't wait until dinner to eat as I'm normally pretty hungry in the morning but again, it's different for everyone.

toxikon

Meal timing is pretty irrelevant unless you're an athlete who needs regular meals.

I usually eat lunch around 1pm then dinner at 6pm, and that's it. Sometimes I only have a large dinner (also known as One-Meal-a-Day or Warrior Diet). Nothing wrong with that assuming you're able to squeeze enough nutritious foods into your meal.

kimothyschma

I think feeling sick in the morning is different than just not hungry. I’m not sure what you mean by your throat closing up. I used to feel nauseous in the morning until I stopped eating late at night - I’m talking like after 9, not a normal dinner time. If you’re having nausea, indigestion, or heartburn in the morning maybe you do adjust your eating time. Otherwise it’s fine to eat more calories at night.

jefamer2017

3 meals are only important if you feel that is the way you need to eat. Plenty of people I know skip breakfast and are in a healthy weight range. I have to eat 3 times a day plus a snack or 2. I just can't make it on OMAD. Occasionally I will eat only 2x a day, but that is very seldom.

PokeyBug

My body works basically the same way, except I like to have another "meal" right before bed. No struggle, I just eat when I'm hungry and I eat enough to satisfy my nutritional needs. Eating this way didn't make me fat, only my food choices did that. My bedtime meal used to be a dessert of some sort -- cookies, cake, etc. Nowadays, it's oatmeal. You've got to do what works with your body.

emcclure013

I skip breakfast nearly every day, and I've lost about 70lbs. I have similar eating habits with you, so I make them work within my calorie goals. Breakfast is a cup of coffee, I eat a very small lunch, and I let myself have basically whatever I want for supper. I regularly have over 1000 calories left for supper alone, and that's just fine with me! Make it work for you - the calories are what matter, not what time you eat.