Does what time you eat matter?

know_your_worth

This is going to sound like a stupid question, but I would like your opinion.

Does timing matter when it comes to eating?
For example, some people say its bad to skip breakfast. What about skipping lunch? What about eating all of your calories in one meal? (Just giving random examples)

As long as your meeting your calorie goal, your results should be the same, right? You're still eating at that calorie deflect and it's basically all about the numbers?

pullipgirl

meal timing doesn't matter with weight loss goals, just use whatever meal timing that helps you stay on track and keep within your calorie goals

cr8zyamy

Meal timing is always dicey for me. I am a shift worker and when I work just getting time to eat anything becomes a trial. I have started to bring Kind bars and protein drinks that I can just pound and keep working. I allow for one "bad" day a week. Today it was comfort food. Greasy cheese enchilada from a local place that reminds me of dinner out with the family as a child. The one thing that I attempt to stick with is no food within 2 hours of sleep unless it's light and easy to digest.

Brendajo510

I don't really think time of day is that big of a deal.

But, I have heard that spacing the meals all day (eating small amounts of food all day) is much better for you then one large meal. If you eat all day, then you are less hungry and less likely to eat too much. If you just eat one meal a day, I've always heard that will slow down your metabolism.

minizebu

Yes, what time you eat matters in that you want your energy intake to match your energy output.

Let's say you always workout in the morning. If that's the case, then you want to eat more calories in the morning than you do later in the day.

That was one of the big takeaways I had from my visit with a dietician. She asked me a bunch of questions about what and how much I eat, when I eat, when and how I exercise and for how long, etc. I was expecting that she was going to give me a very specific prescription for eating. But what she did after listening to me is to draw a graph that showed me when I was taking in most of my calories and when I was using most of those calories during the day. It turns out I was eating the vast majority of my calories in the second half of the day, but I was expending the vast majority of my energy in the first half of the day. This mean that I was in a calorie deficit during the first part of the day, but in a energy storage (read FAT storage) in the later half of the day. My failure to eat enough in the early part of the day was what was actually driving my non-stop grazing in the afternoon and evening.

So now I always have something to eat in the morning. It might not be first thing, but always eat before I ask my body to expend energy exercising.

I no longer binge or graze all afternoon. If I get hungry and want a snack I have one, but it is a protein + carb snack. And I factor that into my overall eating plan for the day.

My big three takeaways from the dietician visit:

1) Match energy intake to energy output.
2) Always pair protein with carbohydrates when snacking. (Example, if you are hungry for a snack and your vice is crackers, then go ahead and have some crackers, but eat them with cheese, or spread peanut butter on them or have some almonds at the same time, etc.)
3) Use the plate method for lunch and dinner: 1/4 meat or meat alternative, 1/4 starch (bread, rice, potatoes, corn, beans, etc), and 1/2 non-starchy vegetables. (The veggies fill you up and are not calorie heavy, and matching the protein with the starch keeps you from having a blood sugar spike.)

(I'm not a diabetic, by the way, but these rules apply to everyone. It's just that non-diabetics bodies are better able to handle those blood sugar spikes. But if you abuse that mechanism, then over time that is what causes some people to eventually become type 2 diabetics.)

savageman69

Dont listen to this non sense ^^^^^^^^

Meal timming does not matter what so ever.... it does NOT slow down your system by not eating in the morning dont listen to the bull crap....I do IF and i fast for 16 hours and eat in a 8 hour window, not only does this help me eat larger meals it keeps me sane and leaning out better then ever.

So in short eat when you want just hit your macros and come in on calorie goal

bradphil87

Dont listen to this non sense ^^^^^^^^

Meal timming does not matter what so ever.... it does NOT slow down your system by not eating in the morning dont listen to the bull crap....I do IF and i fast for 16 hours and eat in a 8 hour window, not only does this help me eat larger meals it keeps me sane and leaning out better then ever.

So in short eat when you want just hit your macros and come in on calorie goal

^^^^this

minizebu

I would agree that on an aggregate basis the important thing for weight loss is to generate a negative energy balance (more energy expended than calories ingested). However, for your health, the timing of your meals DOES matter. It's best not to have your blood sugar levels fluctuating dramatically and repeatedly, day in and day out. It is better to roughly match the time of energy intake to the time of energy output. This will help you to avoid hunger pangs and to avoid the overeating that sometimes occurs after long periods without food.