Eating too much before 12:00 noon?

michlingle

Hello,

I have this habit of eating most of my calories by about noon. Then I go to the gym and earn about 600 more and then eat dinner around 7ish. Does this matter? I am ravenous during the day, especially between 6-10 am. Does anyone eat their cals in a relatively short amount of time? Or does this even matter.

michlingle

Hello,

I have this habit of eating most of my calories by about noon. Then I go to the gym and earn about 600 more and then eat dinner around 7ish. Does this matter? I am ravenous during the day, especially between 6-10 am. Does anyone eat their cals in a relatively short amount of time? Or does this even matter.

Hannah_Banana

I am the exact opposite, unfortunately. :ohwell: I eat fairly skimpy for breakfast and sometimes lunch because I like 'dinner' to be more like a prolonged snack. We aren't a traditional sit down at the table type family, so at about 6:30 I generally go grab small snacks every hour or so and by 9 I've totally my dinner calories.

There is a lot of debate on whether when you eat your calories is important or not. I think a calorie is a calorie, regardless of when you consume it. Here's the way I think about it:

If you have food in your stomach, you metabolism will burn that.
If you don't have food in your stomach, your metabolism will burn icky stuff we don't want anyway.
So, when you eat a lot at one sitting, it might be creating little fat cells, but then it burns them back off again when you aren't eating - but moving around more. God I hope that makes sense. :noway:

Now, I'm not a nutrition specialist so I could be completely wrong! :blushing: However, it works for me. I take the 'consume less calories than you burn' literally, and to mean that you can eat them anytime. :bigsmile:

janiebeth

I am certainly no expert on any of this, and so my advise should be taken with a grain of salt, but I wonder if you would be better off if you spread out your calories throughout the day. I'm wondering if the hunger you feel in the morning is due to the relative lack of calories you take in during the late afternoon and evening.

A while back I was taking 6 small meals a day spread out every 2-4 hours rather than the traditional 3 bigger meals (similar to one of the "Clean Living" strategies). I found I did not get really hungry between the small meals, and could control cravings much easier.

All that said, I still think it is healthier to eat more of your calories in the morning, rather than eating most of your calories in the evening - when you have little chance to work them off.

I'd be interested to see what the more informed folks on the site have to say.

jb

jesskeka11

I do the same. I work out in the mornings and so I am just as hungry. I usually consume about 800 to 1000 calories after lunch at noon. I am a licensed personal trainer and sports nutritionist and here is what I would recommend. 1. Even though you consume most your calories in the morning keep healthy low calorie snacks to snack on for the rest day and evening. Such as carrots, cucumbers, apples... This way you wont be slowing down your metabolism by not eating because you have used all your calories. Remember 6 small meals a day is a perfect senerio because you are always keeping your metabolism working. 2. Examine what you are eating in the mornings. Make sure they are good carbs mixed with proteins and some fat. If all the calories are all carbs most likely you are so hungry because they are only filling you up for a short amount of time! So try eating a spoon of peanut butter, oatmeal with low sugar, eggs or egg whites... These are all things that process slowly in your body and keep you full for a longer time than a bowl of cereal. Lastly dont fill up on lattes or coffee drinks ... I know its hard but those creamers and flavoring kill your calorie count. Hope that helps!

IUChelle423

I am the same way - always hungry in the mornings and starving by lunch. As long as you have the energy to workout in the evenings, I say go for it! No sense in starving yourself you're you're hungry in the morning just so you can eat later when you're not. That's just my opinion, though.

lessertess

Most nutritionists, personal trainers, and weight loss experts recommend that you spread your calories throughout the day to keep your blood sugar levels even, kick start your metabolism, and to help prevent over-eating because you let yourself get too hungry. Most will also tell you to eat heavier in the morning and your lightest meal in the evening. Also, if your body is low on energy when you're working out than it's likely that your not getting as much out of your workouts as you could. I can tell you from personal experience that eating a lot of small meals and snacks throughout the day works better for me. My PT has me eating a minimum of 5 times a day and optimally 6 times, about every three hours, even if it's just a couple hundred calories. I notice a big difference when I don't. I have less energy, and I end up eating more and binging more because I'm hungry.

LynnW52

I am the exact opposite of you. I could (and sometimes do) go all day without eating. I'm not starving myself I'm just not hungry. Then when my husband gets home we have dinner and as soon as I eat it's like I've opened a portal to another universe or something. I feel like a bottomless pit. But, since I started MFP, which hasn't been that long ago, I'm trying to do better. My husband works until late sometimes and I used to wait for him to eat dinner, now if he's working later I'll have something small before we have dinner together, that way I don't go way overboard. Late night eating is my worst habit. I'll eat and then go straight to bed, how terrible is that? Very terrrible I'm sure.

Hannah_Banana

I am the exact opposite of you. I could (and sometimes do) go all day without eating. I'm not starving myself I'm just not hungry. Then when my husband gets home we have dinner and as soon as I eat it's like I've opened a portal to another universe or something. I feel like a bottomless pit. But, since I started MFP, which hasn't been that long ago, I'm trying to do better. My husband works until late sometimes and I used to wait for him to eat dinner, now if he's working later I'll have something small before we have dinner together, that way I don't go way overboard. Late night eating is my worst habit. I'll eat and then go straight to bed, how terrible is that? Very terrrible I'm sure.

I don't know Lynn. Think of it this way, you aren't consuming more calories than you're burning. Could there be things that MIGHT speed up weight loss? Maybe. Could you be getting more out of your workouts? Maybe. But in the end - we just want to slim down and be healthy. I think there are many ways to achieve this, you just need to find out what works for you - and more importantly, what makes it EASY for you. This is a lifestyle change, if you have to force yourself every day to eat in the morning, you will soon get tired of that. So don't beat yourself up, you're doing great! :flowerforyou: