Eat like a king for breakfast etc...

So I'm watching The Biggest Loser atm and Bob the trainer guy just said that you should downsize your meals throughout the day.

So have a massive breakfast, normal lunch and a light dinner. Does anyone do this? I have heard something along the lines of Eat like and King at breakfast, nobleman at lunch and peasant for dinner (not the exact words obviously) It makes sense though because you will use your breakfast calories throughout the day....and when I wake up and am instantly ravenous and could eat a shire horse!!

And I am so tired from work at the end of the day I really cba to make dinner, so a sandwich or something would be ideal. The more I type the more I like the idea, however it's soooooo different to what I know. If this is correct, then why haven't people been doing this?

Opinions please?
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Replies

  • HealthyGinny
    HealthyGinny Posts: 821 Member
    It is actually a good method, a lot of people I know are doing it. It is very good if you can stick to it; for instance if you're ravenous in the morning and not very hungry at night, it'd be perfect for you.

    Me, on the contrary, I can't really eat in the morning but I'm really hungry for dinner so I can't really apply that method. The other method is to have a small meal several times a day, which I find easier.

    It all depends on your personal preferences and what you can commit to :)
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    I don't think it has any effect on weight loss. Your body uses calories all day and night to carry on the functions it needs to. If you wake up ravenous then eat hearty then but that may also be because you ate like a pauper last night and are very hungry. I wake up not hungry at all and can go without food until 11 am or so. I force myself to eat breakfast so the thought of a large meal at 7 am doesn't sound appealing at all to me and I usually exercise after work so having a big dinner is the time I'm hungry.

    Eat what your want, when you want as long as it stays in your budget.
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,466 Member
    I've tried it in the past, but I don't think it works well for me. I'm not hungry enough to eat a lot first thing. I could eat a big breakfast by mid to late morning, but by then I'm at work and don't have the opportunity! In the end I've found it easy to build the meal size around social and work eating. I have a small breakfast, a larger midday meal, and the biggest meal in the evening (which is when I cook for other people).

    It might be different if I didn't have to cook a meal in the evening.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    So I'm watching The Biggest Loser atm and Bob the trainer guy just said that you should downsize your meals throughout the day.

    So have a massive breakfast, normal lunch and a light dinner. Does anyone do this? I have heard something along the lines of Eat like and King at breakfast, nobleman at lunch and peasant for dinner (not the exact words obviously) It makes sense though because you will use your breakfast calories throughout the day....and when I wake up and am instantly ravenous and could eat a shire horse!!

    And I am so tired from work at the end of the day I really cba to make dinner, so a sandwich or something would be ideal. The more I type the more I like the idea, however it's soooooo different to what I know. If this is correct, then why haven't people been doing this?

    Opinions please?

    Bob the trainer is also a dope, it really doesn't matter. Space out your meals and split your cals however you like, the outcome will be roughly the same assuming same protein and caloric intake
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    So I'm watching The Biggest Loser atm and Bob the trainer guy just said that you should downsize your meals throughout the day.

    So have a massive breakfast, normal lunch and a light dinner. Does anyone do this? I have heard something along the lines of Eat like and King at breakfast, nobleman at lunch and peasant for dinner (not the exact words obviously) It makes sense though because you will use your breakfast calories throughout the day....and when I wake up and am instantly ravenous and could eat a shire horse!!

    And I am so tired from work at the end of the day I really cba to make dinner, so a sandwich or something would be ideal. The more I type the more I like the idea, however it's soooooo different to what I know. If this is correct, then why haven't people been doing this?

    Opinions please?

    Bob the trainer is also a dope, it really doesn't matter. Space out your meals and split your cals however you like, the outcome will be roughly the same assuming same protein and caloric intake

    ^ This.
  • Newf77
    Newf77 Posts: 802 Member
    Yes I have heard the same thing with the thought being that you get your calories in that you are going to burn throughout the day. Eat like a King for breakfast; a Prince at lunch then a Popper at dinner. This was said to me by a medical professioal so I have some faith in it. The key is that you still get your calories.
  • wimeezer
    wimeezer Posts: 404 Member
    I sort of follow this, especially since I work out early every morning. As long as I've had enough calories during the day I'm fine with a light dinner.


    Everyone is different, so if it works for you, continue with it.

    Best wishes on your health journey.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Copying a reply I made in a different thread about avoiding evening calories, since it applies here:

    To go into a bit of detail about this idea:


    Change in fat stores is the difference between acute fat storage and acute fat oxidation. You're essentially going through periods of fat storage and fat oxidation and the difference between the two determines how much fat you gain or lose. If fat oxidation exceeds fat storage, you lose fat. If fat storage exceeds fat oxidation, you gain fat. Looking at this net difference over the course of several weeks or months is what matters. Looking at what happens overnight, or during a few hours, is very misleading and often results in people making decisions for themselves or their clients that simply isn't necessary.


    As it pertains to eating during the day or night, looking at the endpoints for purposes example:


    Suppose you eat all your calories during the day and lets further suppose that most of your intake is in the AM and none of it at night. In this example, you are blunting fat oxidation during the day and increasing fat storage during the day. You eat nothing before bed so fat storage goes down and fat oxidation goes up.


    Suppose you eat all of your calories at night: Fat storage goes up while you sleep because you've got a gut full of food. Fat oxidation drops. However, during the day (prior to you eating all your food at night) fat oxidation goes up (you're fasted) and fat storage goes down.


    The differences in fat loss or fat storage between these two scenarios will be dictated by energy balance (calories in vs calories out).


    I would suggest that people choose whatever method gives them the best:


    1) Dietary adherence (personal preference)

    2) Gym performance


    The above two factors matter a GREAT deal.


    But the other stuff, like "Oh no I'm eating a carb and then not burning off, I'll get fat!" is complete nonsense and you should ignore it.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    Yes I have heard the same thing with the thought being that you get your calories in that you are going to burn throughout the day. Eat like a King for breakfast; a Prince at lunch then a Popper at dinner. This was said to me by a medical professioal so I have some faith in it. The key is that you still get your calories.

    Lol.
  • Mguilmot
    Mguilmot Posts: 232 Member
    90% of my days I do it the other way around: smallish breakfast, bigger lunch, huge dinner.
    Lost all the weight anyway. So does it really matter? I don't think so. As long as you eat right, it doesn't matter if you eat big at 7 am or 7 pm :-)
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    So I'm watching The Biggest Loser atm and Bob the trainer guy just said that you should downsize your meals throughout the day.

    So have a massive breakfast, normal lunch and a light dinner. Does anyone do this? I have heard something along the lines of Eat like and King at breakfast, nobleman at lunch and peasant for dinner (not the exact words obviously) It makes sense though because you will use your breakfast calories throughout the day....and when I wake up and am instantly ravenous and could eat a shire horse!!

    And I am so tired from work at the end of the day I really cba to make dinner, so a sandwich or something would be ideal. The more I type the more I like the idea, however it's soooooo different to what I know. If this is correct, then why haven't people been doing this?

    Opinions please?

    All that matters is calories and personal preference. You can set up your food how ever you like. When I was losing I ate all small meals and stopped anywhere from 3pm-7pm only because I'd had enough calories for the day and lost 40 lbs. I lost the last 17 lbs doing intermittent fasting, eating only one meal at lunchtime some days, and eating normal small meals the other days. Now that I'm maintaining I skip breakfast most of the time and eat all my maintenance calories sometimes all the way up to bedtime.

    All that matters is calories. A calorie deficit to lose weight, and a calorie budget to maintain. The budget does not have to be the same every day, you can say have a weekly budget. You can have some high calorie days and some low calorie days, both for losing and for maintaining.

    For me it's all about a calorie budget. I had less of a budget available when I was losing weight, more to spend now that I'm maintaining and all the tools I used for weight loss come into play for the rest of my life maintaining.

    When you have accumulated excess fat, you have accumulated a debt. It is hard to pay off the debt (you have less calories to spend). If you are sitting next to someone your same gender and height and they are not overweight and you are, they get to eat more than you (have more calories to spend) because they are debt free. You have less calories to spend because you are paying off your debt.
  • I'm still watching it and Jillian has also suggested eating low calorie 2 days, 'moderate' calories for 3 days and then slack off at the weekends!

    I'm starting to think I should stop listening to them :P

    But I think I will try the big breakfast light dinner thing. It makes some kinda sense.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    I'm still watching it and Jillian has also suggested eating low calorie 2 days, 'moderate' calories for 3 days and then slack off at the weekends!

    I'm starting to think I should stop listening to them :P

    But I think I will try the big breakfast light dinner thing. It makes some kinda sense.

    I would do the bold part above, immediately.
  • symkat
    symkat Posts: 70
    I'm not sure it really matters. I've heard eat every 3 to 5 hours and make your meals about the same in calories, fat, carbs and everything at each meal. supposedly that helps your body burn off most everything you eat instead of storing it as fat. obviously you can't eat a whole cake at each meal but if your eating every 3 to 5 hours you shouldn't really be that hungry anyway. this is what I do and It works great for me but everyone is different so try different things until you find what works best for you. Also I stop eating atleast 2 hours before I go to bed. I hope this helps, best of luck on your road to good health.
  • LuccyH
    LuccyH Posts: 266 Member
    So I'm watching The Biggest Loser atm and Bob the trainer guy just said that you should downsize your meals throughout the day.

    So have a massive breakfast, normal lunch and a light dinner. Does anyone do this? I have heard something along the lines of Eat like and King at breakfast, nobleman at lunch and peasant for dinner (not the exact words obviously) It makes sense though because you will use your breakfast calories throughout the day....and when I wake up and am instantly ravenous and could eat a shire horse!!

    And I am so tired from work at the end of the day I really cba to make dinner, so a sandwich or something would be ideal. The more I type the more I like the idea, however it's soooooo different to what I know. If this is correct, then why haven't people been doing this?

    Opinions please?

    Yeah I know this, we have the same saying in my country and its so true. However I am not always following but trying my best. Breakfast is the most important, you have energy, u feel full and you don't feel so hungry later on.
    Ok we are saying like this: Have a breakfast as King, share your lunch with your friend and your dinner share with your enemy.
  • ClementineGeorg
    ClementineGeorg Posts: 505 Member
    Me, on the contrary, I can't really eat in the morning but I'm really hungry for dinner so I can't really apply that method. The other method is to have a small meal several times a day, which I find easier.

    It all depends on your personal preferences and what you can commit to :)

    Eating in the morning is a habbit.

    A couple of years ago, I was the kind of person that would be sick if I would eat in the first hour of waking up... usually I would have eaten 3-4 hours after waking up.
    But I started to go more hungry to bed, incorporate bigger and earlier meals and rigth now I could eat the second I wake up.
    This really changed my morning mood and energy.
  • YaGigi
    YaGigi Posts: 817 Member
    So I'm watching The Biggest Loser atm and Bob the trainer guy just said that you should downsize your meals throughout the day.

    So have a massive breakfast, normal lunch and a light dinner. Does anyone do this? I have heard something along the lines of Eat like and King at breakfast, nobleman at lunch and peasant for dinner (not the exact words obviously) It makes sense though because you will use your breakfast calories throughout the day....and when I wake up and am instantly ravenous and could eat a shire horse!!

    And I am so tired from work at the end of the day I really cba to make dinner, so a sandwich or something would be ideal. The more I type the more I like the idea, however it's soooooo different to what I know. If this is correct, then why haven't people been doing this?

    Opinions please?


    In my country we say "eat your breakfast alone, share your lunch with a friend, give your dinner to your enemy".

    That's the way people in my country believe that heavy dinner s your biggest health and weight enemy. It's hard to sleep because your stomach is working on processing the dinner. Something light like a yogurt is ok but definitely no meat or pasta or rice and etc.

    Actually, the most popular diet we have here is no food after 6 pm. It's the main diet of the ballerinas, gymnasts and other professionals who need to keep their weight under control but still having exta heavy physical activities.
    My mom doesn't eat after 6 pm and has been keeping the same weight since she was 16. If I follow the same routine, I tend to lose weight fast and stay fit.
  • coolraul07
    coolraul07 Posts: 1,606 Member
    I truly believe that YMMV applies here. In theory, it make a lot of sense. However, I'm in this for the long haul and I know for a fact that eating a large b'fast will lead me to either nausea or lethargy every single time. Personally, I do best with minimal or no breakfast to bank my calories for dinner. Also, I'm usually up for 3-5 hours after dinner so it must last to sleepy time! If I did morning workouts maybe I'd do different, but the vast majority of mine are after 6p so that where I need more cals.
  • niftyafterfifty
    niftyafterfifty Posts: 338 Member
    Eat when you're hungry! Everybody is different. My largest meal is dinner; sometimes as late as 10:30 p.m.; it has not adversely affected my weight loss at all.
  • bsuew
    bsuew Posts: 628 Member
    I agree. I eat a heavy protein breakfast every morning! I don't get hungry through out the day when I do this.
  • feeny
    feeny Posts: 110 Member
    Yeah I usually do the exact opposite. I don't have a huge dinner or anything, but breakfast is definitely my lightest meal of the day.
  • YaGigi
    YaGigi Posts: 817 Member
    I tend to have big breakfast, and I don't feel tired after that. I wake up hungry because I didn't have anything heavy previous night. If I have a big heavy dinner, I feel tired and can't fall asleep, my tummy is all busy working on that dinner, and obviously next morning I can't eat my breakfast...

    It's the matter of habit to adjust to having nice full breakfast and small dinner. Even when I'm not trying to lose weight and eat after 6 pm, I still try not to eat 3-4 hours before going to bed.
    I'm still watching it and Jillian has also suggested eating low calorie 2 days, 'moderate' calories for 3 days and then slack off at the weekends!

    I'm starting to think I should stop listening to them :P

    But I think I will try the big breakfast light dinner thing. It makes some kinda sense.

    Read my post above. Eating triggers the parasympathetic nervous system. Which causes people to feel tired and fatigued. Your best bet is to do the complete opposite of what you're thinking.
  • chelovik
    chelovik Posts: 200 Member
    I'm still watching it and Jillian has also suggested eating low calorie 2 days, 'moderate' calories for 3 days and then slack off at the weekends!

    I'm starting to think I should stop listening to them :P

    But I think I will try the big breakfast light dinner thing. It makes some kinda sense.

    I would do the bold part above, immediately.
    You have to do what is right for you. If you eat clean all your meals it really shouldn't matter all that much
  • Love_flowers
    Love_flowers Posts: 365 Member
    Sounds good to me ;)
  • I've tried this. Doesn't work for me. What it does is make me hungry and night and therefore eating too much, too late, and incorrect foods. Everyones work day, life is different. If you eat a mega breakfast, then don't burn it off...what do you think happens .....it stores as fat ! Best for the body, pancreas/insulin, to eat small amounts throughout the day...and it helps not go over your daily calories ( 1200 a day if a woman) Think "snacks", not "meals". What has worked for me to make me not hungry and lose weight is BREAKFAST : either 1/2 cup oatmeal, or 2 egg whites, or 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt. 8oz orange juice and sometimes fresh fruit. 10am Snack: 1 brazil nut and 6 almonds. LUNCH: salmon, chicken, or turkey patty. a veggie. 3pm Snack: raw veggies like snow peas, baby bell peppers, celery. DINNER: apple and protein shake . Premiere protein shakes from Costco are Great, low sugar/fats/carbs.
  • Katbody10
    Katbody10 Posts: 369 Member
    So I'm watching The Biggest Loser atm and Bob the trainer guy just said that you should downsize your meals throughout the day.

    So have a massive breakfast, normal lunch and a light dinner. Does anyone do this? I have heard something along the lines of Eat like and King at breakfast, nobleman at lunch and peasant for dinner (not the exact words obviously) It makes sense though because you will use your breakfast calories throughout the day....and when I wake up and am instantly ravenous and could eat a shire horse!!

    And I am so tired from work at the end of the day I really cba to make dinner, so a sandwich or something would be ideal. The more I type the more I like the idea, however it's soooooo different to what I know. If this is correct, then why haven't people been doing this?

    Opinions please?

    Many Europeans eat similarly .. only their mid day meal tends to be the big meal of the day while the evening meal is the smallest .. .. that's how I was raised . (my mother is German and my father is Norwegian) .. our big meals were frequently mid day.. (especially on weekends) and we had something very light for dinner .. toast and cheese or a salad or porridge
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    There's some evidence suggesting that frequent feeding does not necessarily promote better blood glucose levels:

    http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751499110000545


    This certainly isn't conclusive but it challenges the notion that eating frequently regulates blood glucose AUC.
  • NeverGivesUp
    NeverGivesUp Posts: 960 Member
    Try and stop listening to all the advice out there. Even though it is well intentioned. You have to experiment to figure out what works for you. I tried experimenting with timesI was eating. At one point I was drinking only juice for dinner. Nothing really worked for me. I eat healthy but overeat healthy food. So limiting the times that I ate was the key for me. Now I am doing intermittent fasting so in essence I eat only one large meal daily. I would rather feel a bit hungry during the day in order to get full in the evening. The evening is my hungry time and I am always hungry in the evening regardless if I have eaten a big breakfast or not. Breakfast makes a lot of people more hungry throughout the day for some odd reason. I am never hungry in the morning when I wake up. Some people it is the opposite. Experimenting is key and whatever you figure out, make sure you can live with it forever so this will be a permanent loss and not a temporary one. Good luck on your journey!!
  • My doctor told me to eat "many mini meals". Weight watchers has a similar strategy. Eat a light portion every two hours. Before getting dressed drink at least 8 0z of water to flush your system from the processing of foods the night before. I also drink hot water and lemon as a diuretic. This process works well for me if I stay away from alot of processed foods and eat more fresh foods. Good luck with your journey!
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    I don't think it has any effect on weight loss. Your body uses calories all day and night to carry on the functions it needs to. If you wake up ravenous then eat hearty then but that may also be because you ate like a pauper last night and are very hungry. I wake up not hungry at all and can go without food until 11 am or so. I force myself to eat breakfast so the thought of a large meal at 7 am doesn't sound appealing at all to me and I usually exercise after work so having a big dinner is the time I'm hungry.

    Eat what your want, when you want as long as it stays in your budget.


    Repeat the last line with me: Eat what you want, when you want as long as it stays in your budget.

    That's all you need to know.