Is this Broscience? Or just one of many opinions?

soidade

I do not think there is proof to this saying, but someone following this advice would not suffer. In french we say :

At breakfast eat like a king
At lunch eat like a princess
At supper eat like a butler

Who says a princess eats less than a king, though?

neandermagnon

For a lot of people, eating larger meals earlier in the day helps them make better food choices and control calories.

If you can control calories regardless of your meal timing, then don't worry about it.

^^^^ this

and there was a scientific study that showed a correlation between skipping breakfast and being fat.... but correlation does not prove causation, and the study was done on people who weren't calorie counting or trying to lose weight - so people who skip breakfast will include people who are doing a bad job of organisation and meal planning generally (who will be more likely to turn to the most easily available food, e.g. fast food, snacks, because they didn't plan their meals) and people who skip breakfast because they're in a big hurry then get hungry around 10am and snack on whatever's available. So there is a correlation but the only relevance it has for people counting calories is that good meal planning helps you to avoid being in situations where you're really hungry and the only food available is food that's going to take you over your calorie goal for the day.

ninerbuff

CICO. I personally skip breakfast consistently (because I eat up to 11:30pm each night) and don't eat till after 12pm. And like Tonya I'm also a certified PT. I just make sure to meet my daily macros and don't exceed my calorie limits.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

kelseyhere

So my take on this, everyone has their opinion of what's best - only eat big meals in the morning, you must eat a big dinner, only eat between 1-5 p.m. , blah blah blah. All comes back to if you overeat, you will gain weight. What you need to think about is not when is the best time to eat, but when is the best time to eat for ME?

Me personally, eating a big breakfast and then smaller meals throughout the day works. I used to eat a small breakfast, and then by the time I got to dinner I was so hungry I would binge and overeat. By eating more calories earlier in the day, I don't binge as often at night.

Don't worry about which is "Best" just what works for you.

SKME2013

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2014/06/04/ajcn.114.089573.abstract

See above scientific study:

"Conclusions: A recommendation to eat or skip breakfast for weight loss was effective at changing self-reported breakfast eating habits, but contrary to widely espoused views this had no discernable effect on weight loss in free-living adults who were attempting to lose weight. This trial was registered at clinicaltrails.gov as NCT01781780."

Stef.

3dogsrunning

I doubt theres any true study on it...or perhaps they are working on the case now lol. But the whole idea is most americans dont eat dinner til 6 pm...then they climb into bed at 8...when there dinner is still digesting...so by consuming a smaller meal, theres less to digest? Lol. My take on it....not to mention...depending on fhe size of breakfast...by dinner...u could have possibly burned off all those breakfast calories....by bedtime again im no personal trainer or anything...but ive seen both sides of the table. In my time ive dond a lot of fasted morninv cardio....before breakfast...and then my breakfast becomes my lunch...lol i love breakfast foods

There actually was a study that I keep seeing linked on those breakfast debate threads. It did compare eating large breakfast, medium lunch and small supper to eating a small breakfast, medium lunch and larger supper.
It showed an advantage to the larger breakfast/smaller supper group in blood sugar levels. Both groups lost weight but I believe the large breakfast group was a little more.
That said, it was a very small study and was done on obese women with metabolic disorders so it is not exactly applicable to all situations.
Unfortunately people grab onto these ideas without context.

meluhneekay

I agree with everyone saying it depends on the person. Here's what my day looks like:

Breakfast: 550 calories
Lunch: 250 calories
Snacks: 250 calories
Dinner: 450 calories

Breakfast is my largest meal of the day simply because I eat it right after my workout, and my workouts always leave me feeling particularly ravenous. I eat a large dinner, too, because I like going to bed with a full tummy. I seem to sleep easier that way, less tossing and turning. Lunch and snacks are sometimes eaten together as one meal, sometimes apart, depending on how hungry I am in the moment.

Edit: also the fact that I do my workouts fasted probably plays into the reason I like a big breakfast. By the time I'm done I've been awake for 2-3 hours.

TrailNurse

Does not matter when you eat.....calories in, calories out.