Does it matter when you eat your food?

jessicah36
jessicah36 Posts: 11
in Health and Weight Loss
Does it matter say, if I had 1000 calories in the morning or 1000 calories in the night, would this affect how much would be burnt off etc. ?? Because everyone says you should have a big breakfast but I know that I eat mostly in the evening and I normally do have a big breakfast and having a smaller breakfast wouldn't change how much I ate later on. Would it matter if I ate more in the night??

Replies

  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    No, meal timing has no relevance to weight loss.
  • jodyellen99
    jodyellen99 Posts: 5
    I know a lot of people swear that the time of day matters but I don't logically see why. I think you have a better chance of burning off the consumed calories if they are eaten earlier in the day. Personally, if I eat in the morning, I tend to be hungry all day long and I tend to eat more calories. I know a few people like this.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    I know a lot of people swear that the time of day matters but I don't logically see why. I think you have a better chance of burning off the consumed calories if they are eaten earlier in the day. Personally, if I eat in the morning, I tend to be hungry all day long and I tend to eat more calories. I know a few people like this.

    Your body is always burning calories, whether you are asleep or awake. That is what a person BMR is, the calories they burn doing nothing at all. Those calories are simply needed to keep your heart pumping, lungs breathing, brain functioning, and all the other functions that keep a person alive. For a sedentary person that amount (BMR) is 80% of the calories they burn in a day. Hence, the whole, you have a better chance burning it off, is simply an incorrect way of thinking. If you are in a calorie deficit, you are burning fat off no matter when you eat your calories.

    The only part of when you eat, in terms of weight loss, that is important, is what will keep you on the plan. If eating more in the morning helps with compliance to your goals long term, eat more in the morning. If eating more in the evening does, eat more then. If 2 meals a day works best for you or 6 do that. There is not a right timing in terms of weight loss assuming calories are the same, the weight loss will be the same over time.
  • jessicah36
    jessicah36 Posts: 11
    Thankyou
  • jessicah36
    jessicah36 Posts: 11
    I know a lot of people swear that the time of day matters but I don't logically see why. I think you have a better chance of burning off the consumed calories if they are eaten earlier in the day. Personally, if I eat in the morning, I tend to be hungry all day long and I tend to eat more calories. I know a few people like this.

    Same! this is exactly how I am, why I asked the question
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    No
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    It doesn't matter. Enjoy your late night snacking!
  • KateK8LoseW8
    KateK8LoseW8 Posts: 824 Member
    No. I eat all of my calories, barring coffee, tea, and soda, after 6 PM every night. Enjoy your night time snacks. :)
  • thehealthyf00die
    thehealthyf00die Posts: 25 Member
    I have heard that it is better to have a larger breakfast but I have not heard good reasons as to why. What you might want to avoid is having a large meal & then going to bed soon after; give your body time to digest your meal. However, I don't think that it matters too much. I try to listen to what my body wants and eat accordingly, regardless of time of day.
  • czechwolf52
    czechwolf52 Posts: 194 Member
    Nope. Do what works for you. I'm not very hungry in the mornings and I keep my breakfast to around 200 calories and my meals get progressively larger throughout the day. And if I have a really good workout at night and I need to eat a lot more I'll easily consume a few hundred calories to get my net up to a certain point.

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