dinner largest meal

hpsnickers1

Dinner is my largest meal of the day. My question is: how much of an impact will this have on losing weight? I'm staying within my calorie range that MFP gave me but I just can't eat heavy during the day. I'm usually sitting at my desk eating. I try to get in plenty of walking while at work. I can easily get in around 4000-5000 steps a day - and it's a desk job! I've never had a big appetite during the day. When I work out it is after work.

Sometimes by dinner time I still need to get around 800 calories in me - after taking into account calories burned in the day. Will this mess things up?

TateFTW

It's not a problem. Stay under but near your calorie goal each day and you're all set.

edit; As long as you're eating breakfast! Most important meal of the day, and usually one of if not my biggest.

amysj303

I think most evidence suggests that a calorie is a calorie no matter when it is consumed. Some people might think being 800 cals below your target intake could be harmful, slowing your metabolism, but I am not sure what you are aiming for, and I think it is pretty common to under-record calories so who knows what the real deficit is.
How are things working for you? Are you losing as planned? If not, and your low cals have slowed your metabolism, you might have to eat maintenance calories for awhile, see this:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/fitness-specialist/fixing-ruined-metabolism.aspx?xid=nl_EverydayHealthWomensHealth_20101126

TateFTW

She didn't say she's running an 800 calorie deficit. She said she still needs 800 calories at dinner time.

suzikelley

They say to eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen, and dinner like a pauper. However, I have a hard time eating a big breakfast. I used to always skip it - since being on MFP I make sure I eat breakfast every day.. but it's usually just a piece of peanut butter toast with a little bit of banana sliced on it. Dinner is also my largest meal - it hasn't hindered my weight loss so far!

Mindful_Trent

I don't think it will hinder your weight loss, but i know for me I find I'm more satisfied if I spread my calories out - I aim for a 300 to 400 calories each for breakfast/lunch/dinner with a few small snacks thrown in. I'm rarely hungry (at least not unreasonably so) and I find that I'm not as uncomfortably full at bed when I keep my dinners smaller.

It was VERY hard for me to eat significant breakfasts, especially since I'm NOT a morning person and usually just skipped it, but I slowly made myself start eating something, and now it's easy to get in a good sized breakfast. I know what I like and I know what breakfast combinations work well and hit my calorie goal.

Floricienta

They say to eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen, and dinner like a pauper. However, I have a hard time eating a big breakfast. I used to always skip it - since being on MFP I make sure I eat breakfast every day.. but it's usually just a piece of peanut butter toast with a little bit of banana sliced on it. Dinner is also my largest meal - it hasn't hindered my weight loss so far!

I was going to say the same thing: "Breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen and dinner like a pauper" :-) I struggle with NOT overeating at night, because I always get the munchies, but when I do accomplish that I wake up feeling lighter and energized in the morning, whereas when I have a big dinner I end up with a bloated feeling that lasts throughout the day...bummer!!!

tristalin

I eat light during the day and heavy at dinner as well. I do it because I know that late afternoons and evenings are my weakest moments for indulging. If I leave extra calories for dinner I can eat until I feel full and have some calories left over. If I eat them, there is no harm done, but if I don't I have a bonus pound or two lost. So far it has not affected my weight loss.

amysj303

sorry, I thought you still had 800 calories left after dinner. Still, if eating a big dinner works for you and doesn't lead to over-eating and hunger throughout the day, I don't think there's a problem. I try to stick to 300 breakfast, 400 lunch, 500 dinner.

hpsnickers1

I eat light during the day and heavy at dinner as well. I do it because I know that late afternoons and evenings are my weakest moments for indulging. If I leave extra calories for dinner I can eat until I feel full and have some calories left over. If I eat them, there is no harm done, but if I don't I have a bonus pound or two lost. So far it has not affected my weight loss.

that is kind of how it has been going. I haven't lost much but I'm only looking to lose maybe 10-15 pounds. I just worry about the 'under 1200 calorie' thing. Most of the time I am slightly under 1200 after taking into account the exercise calories. I can't even do any heavy exercising because of what I burn walking during the day (I try and take two 10-15 minute brisk walks each day).

I'll keep trying though.

goron59

It shouldn't mess anything up. Ultimately do what works best for you and your habits and hunger levels.

Personally, I'm trying to break the three-meal regime and eat when I'm hungry and stop eating when I'm not. I do try to get a reasonable breakfast in though to kick things off and my other meals tend to be smaller.

Niveous

Dinner tends to be my largest meal as well, somewhere around 500-600 calories (when my other meals tend to average 300-400). It has worked well for me, and I also used to struggle with nighttime hunger, so I find that having a larger dinner at night works well for me and satisfies my hunger. It has not seemed to hinder any weight loss efforts for me personally.

Edit: I should also note that I workout in the evenings usually, so I tend to be hungrier during dinnertime. This is another reason why I also have a few more calories in the evening.

hpsnickers1

Dinner tends to be my largest meal as well, somewhere around 500-600 calories (when my other meals tend to average 300-400). It has worked well for me, and I also used to struggle with nighttime hunger, so I find that having a larger dinner at night works well for me and satisfies my hunger. It has not seemed to hinder any weight loss efforts for me personally.

Edit: I should also note that I workout in the evenings usually, so I tend to be hungrier during dinnertime. This is another reason why I also have a few more calories in the evening.

Same here. I work all day so I work out when I come home (between 5pm-6pm). I'm a night owl so even if I eat around 8pm I'm not usually in bed before 11:30pm. I still try to stay away from heavy meals but with a man that loves to eat (and it doesn't show on him...yet) it's hard not to do. Heavy usually consists of venison spaghetti. Unfortunately there is also sausage ground up with the venison to give it some fat.