Eating more earlier in the day - Europeans have it right?
rosebette
Posts: 1,660 Member
So, I went to an event yesterday where I was served a full luncheon, dessert, etc., and at night, I wasn't hungry and just made myself a salad because i wanted something before bed and didn't have too many calories left. For the first time in a month, I saw a loss, down to 118 lbs. I'm afraid to track it for fear it will go away next time I weigh in!
I'm wondering if the Europeans and other cultures actually have it right -- that it's healthier to eat your big meal early in the day. American style, and the style for many posters is to eat light all day and save up for a huge dinner at night. Any thoughts?
I'm wondering if the Europeans and other cultures actually have it right -- that it's healthier to eat your big meal early in the day. American style, and the style for many posters is to eat light all day and save up for a huge dinner at night. Any thoughts?
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Replies
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I dont believe that meal timing has any relevance to weight loss.
Its all about the daily intake of calories.0 -
What fat bottome girl said! Nice name btw! LOL! I eat largest meal as dinner and post dinner snack is 2nd largest!0
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I think that it is more relevant if you are NOT counting calories.0
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If it "works for you", then go for it.
Not eating early works much better for me - I'll eat as much or more later if I eat early as well as the food eaten earlier.0 -
There is a lot of debate on that subject...
This is how I see it...
Big breakfast, medium lunch, small dinner
Big breakfast to start the day gives you calories that you burn off during the day...if you eat a large dinner you generally don't have enough activity at night to burn it off...
but others say if you eat 1500 calories its 1500 calories regardless of the time of day but I don't agree0 -
I dont believe that meal timing has any relevance to weight loss.
Its all about the daily intake of calories.
^ Bingo!
If eating early in the day helps you eat less, then go for it.
It seems the most popular method though is the opposite. A common intermittent fasting strategy is to skip breakfast, saving calories for later in the day.0 -
So, I went to an event yesterday where I was served a full luncheon, dessert, etc., and at night, I wasn't hungry and just made myself a salad because i wanted something before bed and didn't have too many calories left. For the first time in a month, I saw a loss, down to 118 lbs. I'm afraid to track it for fear it will go away next time I weigh in!
I'm wondering if the Europeans and other cultures actually have it right -- that it's healthier to eat your big meal early in the day. American style, and the style for many posters is to eat light all day and save up for a huge dinner at night. Any thoughts?
Meal time and meal frequency is a personal choice....nothing more. The metabolism does not " burn off " calories early in the day and takes a nap later on. It also has no watch and does not know what time of day it is....:o).
I ( even though I am European ) don't start eating until about 2 pm and have my biggest meal of the day around 9pm and so far have lost 50 pounds. For me it works, for others it might not.
Do what works for you and don't worry about the rest of us !
Good Luck !0 -
I couldn't survive not eating earlier in the day. I definitely don't like going to bed after a heavy meal. i felt much more comfortable with the light supper.0
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I personally find eating small meals throughout the morning. Bigger lunch then smaller meal in the evening. My body prefers it that way and I lose weight. Like others said do what you feel is right for you..Good luck :-)0
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They can have it as right as they want for themselves. It's totally wrong for me. All eating in the morning does is make me sluggish, dull-witted, and hungry.0
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I've been losing plenty of weight having most of my calories in the evening, so I don't think it really makes any difference. I think you should probably eat more in the morning if you do a physically demanding job so you don't get starved and then overeat at night.0
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I didn't realise eating a large lunch was a characteristic of being European!!
That's a bit like saying all Americans wear stetsons.....
Cultures and typical eating patterns in different European countries vary enormously.
Eating the majority of your calories earlier in the day might give you a lower reading next morning if you have a quick digestive transit but otherwise how you distribute your calories is personal preference and how it helps your adherence to your calorie goal.0 -
They can have it as right as they want for themselves. It's totally wrong for me. All eating in the morning does is make me sluggish, dull-witted, and hungry.
Agreed. Eating in the morning for me makes me all ...
and then
Besides, the excuses people use to eat during certain times of the day is mostly
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European here
Yes, we are(were) used to a big breakfast, big lunch, poor dinner. When life was less complicated, and the more common work was agriculture.
You need fuel during the day to work the soil and do all that stuff! And if in the evening you are hungry... who cares, you are going bed!
Now even here things have changed, and our habits are more similar to yours.
For example, since dinner may be the only meal shared in the family, one may want that to be the main one.
And again, the core of weight loss is calories in/out.
BUT, if you find more comfortable for you to shift the amount of calories you have, do it! There is no magic, just find what you prefer 0 -
I dont believe that meal timing has any relevance to weight loss.
Its all about the daily intake of calories.
^^This.
My preferred eating habits involve a light breakfast, slightly larger lunch, much bigger dinner. And snacks. I love snacks! I think I've done pretty well this way. It's all a personal preference kind of thing. Do what works for your eating habits.0 -
They can have it as right as they want for themselves. It's totally wrong for me. All eating in the morning does is make me sluggish, dull-witted, and hungry.
Agreed. Eating in the morning for me makes me all ...
and then
Besides, the excuses people use to eat during certain times of the day is mostly
:laugh: That first guy looks like me right now, but I did just start drinking coffee again. I'll settle down eventually!
Mostly eating in the morning makes me0 -
There is a lot of debate on that subject...
This is how I see it...
Big breakfast, medium lunch, small dinner
Big breakfast to start the day gives you calories that you burn off during the day...if you eat a large dinner you generally don't have enough activity at night to burn it off...
but others say if you eat 1500 calories its 1500 calories regardless of the time of day but I don't agree
The more you eat in a given time period, the more you increase fat storage and decrease fat oxidation. If you eat more at night then during that time period after your meal you increase fat storage and decrease fat oxidation. However, the more you eat at night, the less you eat during the day (assuming we are talking about the same total calories for 24 hours). So fat oxidation goes UP during the day, and fat storage goes DOWN.
All that matters is that collectively, fat oxidation is greater than fat storage (if your goal is fat loss). This happens in a calorie deficit regardless of whether you eat more at night vs in the day.
This is why you cannot look at the time period a few hours after a meal and assume that it indicates what happens over several days/weeks.0 -
Regarding the original post:
I think there's going to be a fair amount of individual variability in terms of distributing calories throughout the day and how that effects satiety. Lifestyle and training schedule will play a role in that as well.
The individual should find a method that best maximizes adherence, performance, and lifestyle factors and go with that, whether that's skipping breakfast or eating 3 meals per day or eating 5 meals per day or whatever.0 -
Eh, I see where you're coming from but it's not totally accurate. Meal timing is pretty much irrelevant.There is a lot of debate on that subject...
This is how I see it...
Big breakfast, medium lunch, small dinner
Big breakfast to start the day gives you calories that you burn off during the day...if you eat a large dinner you generally don't have enough activity at night to burn it off...
but others say if you eat 1500 calories its 1500 calories regardless of the time of day but I don't agree0 -
I absolutely believe it. When I eat a big breakfast, I'm not as hungry and snack less later in the day.0
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There is a lot of debate on that subject...
This is how I see it...
Big breakfast, medium lunch, small dinner
Big breakfast to start the day gives you calories that you burn off during the day...if you eat a large dinner you generally don't have enough activity at night to burn it off...
but others say if you eat 1500 calories its 1500 calories regardless of the time of day but I don't agree
Assuming the calories are the same all the research done shows that a person will lose the same amount of weight no matter what their eating pattern. Your body burns calories all the time, and when you eat at a deficit for the day you burn fat, whether you eat one huge meal or 6 small meals, eat big in the morning or eat smaller in the morning. You may disagree all you want, but there have been a good number of studies that keep calories the same with different eating patterns and they all show no statistically significant difference in fat loss.
Where eating patterns make a difference is in terms of compliance to a calorie goal. Some people do well eating a big breakfast and smaller meals following. Others do better eating a small breakfast and a large supper. If it helps you stick to your calorie goal, then do it, but don't think that it is something other than the overall calorie deficit that results in the fat loss.0 -
It doesn't really matter, eat whenever you're hungry. Even Europeans vary how they space their meals. In Poland there is breakfast, then big dinner around 1-2 pm, then supper in the evening. In Ireland there is breakfast, lunch and then big dinner around 7-8pm.0
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I absolutely believe it. When I eat a big breakfast, I'm not as hungry and snack less later in the day.
I absolutely don't believe it because when I have a big breakfast I am hungry and want to eat all day.0 -
yeah, everyone is different.
We have had exchange students from Europe and they were surprised how EARLY we ate dinner. The 4 we had over the years said they ate dinner much later than we usually di (6pm) and they also were amazed how early we went out, and got home, on the weekends!0 -
It depends where in Europe too - Mediterranean countries tend to do stuff later, often with a midday 'siesta' during the hottest hours.0
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I think labelling it as a European thing is way off.
In Spain it's normal not to have dinner till 9pm. Same in France. In the UK it varies according to work, anything between 5 and 9 pm.
In Ireland its 5 and 7 more typically.
In the UK dinner on the table at 6 was in a bygone era of 9-5 working patterns and Wednesday half days coupled with no such thing as 24 he stores and no Sunday trading.... we've moved on a bit from that!0 -
It depends where in Europe too - Mediterranean countries tend to do stuff later, often with a midday 'siesta' during the hottest hours.
Sadly Americans haven't figured out that we should adopt this whole siesta thing.0 -
I think labelling it as a European thing is way off.
In Spain it's normal not to have dinner till 9pm. Same in France. In the UK it varies according to work, anything between 5 and 9 pm.
In Ireland its 5 and 7 more typically.
In the UK dinner on the table at 6 was in a bygone era of 9-5 working patterns and Wednesday half days coupled with no such thing as 24 he stores and no Sunday trading.... we've moved on a bit from that!
^^ This. Labelling it as a "European" thing is definitely way off! Europe is made up of 50+ different countries and covers over 3 million square miles. Each of these areas have different cultures and styles of eating and you can't confuse us all as being the same given that we are all so different.
It's a personal preference when you eat and if that works for you - please don't try and name it as a style for a whole continent.0 -
Nope, *when* you eat does not make a difference and it's purely a personal preference. Calories in < calories out is all that matters.
I have a very "unusual" eating pattern, don't eat anything until late in the day and then keep eating until I go to bed because that is when I get hungry no matter how much (or little) I eat during the day.
<--- I think my profile pic speaks for itself :happy:0 -
So are you saying there are no Fat Europeans? Err I'd come over here and have a good look because there areSo, I went to an event yesterday where I was served a full luncheon, dessert, etc., and at night, I wasn't hungry and just made myself a salad because i wanted something before bed and didn't have too many calories left. For the first time in a month, I saw a loss, down to 118 lbs. I'm afraid to track it for fear it will go away next time I weigh in!
I'm wondering if the Europeans and other cultures actually have it right -- that it's healthier to eat your big meal early in the day. American style, and the style for many posters is to eat light all day and save up for a huge dinner at night. Any thoughts?0
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