When do you eat most of your calories?

NLKatherine
NLKatherine Posts: 37 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've heard people say your biggest meal of the day should be Lunch I've also heard Dinner (or Supper depending on where you live) should be.

I'm just wondering if anyone else has found that eating more calories earlier vs later makes a difference? I try to keep my breakfast (green smoothies lately) under 250 calories, I don't (usually) snack much.

Feel free to check out my diary, I haven't been overly consistent lately but I'm trying!!!
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Replies

  • jesskreg
    jesskreg Posts: 75 Member
    I don't think there is a right or wrong answer to this question. I think it all depends on your lifestyle and goals. Personally, I try to keep my breakfast at 250 calories, my lunch at a max. of 300, then allow myself to eat a larger, healthy dinner. That way, if I eat less than the amount of calories I have over for dinner, it leaves room for a late afternoon snack or bedtime snack. My calories are set at 1200 at the moment.
  • NinjaJinja
    NinjaJinja Posts: 147 Member
    I heard that breakfast ought to be the biggest and dinner should be the smallest.

    Of course, that's not what I do. I eat small breakfasts and lunches and big dinners.
  • spade117
    spade117 Posts: 2,466 Member
    Wherever they fall. Majority of the time, it lunch, dinner and alcohol.
  • VivaLaMezzo
    VivaLaMezzo Posts: 11 Member
    I try to space my calories out throughout the day. 100 - 200 for snacks 250 - 350 for meals. I also try to get in 3 meals and 2 or 3 snacks. I find that I'm less hungry and don't have the crashes during the day that I've had on diets. This also keeps me on a pretty steady burn throughout the day. (Balanced protein/carbs and a low glycemic fruit or veg 2 or 3 times a day.) When I am consistent, I see good results with this.
  • pikachuFL
    pikachuFL Posts: 75 Member
    I heard that breakfast ought to be the biggest and dinner should be the smallest.

    Of course, that's not what I do. I eat small breakfasts and lunches and big dinners.
    This is what I've heard, too.

    I admit I've been bad about eating late in the day. I used to skip breakfast, eat lunch, be hungry around 2:00 and eat a snack then, eat supper after work at 5, then eat another small meal (which I called a snack) around 8 while watching my favorite tv shows. Now I eat breakfast and try to eat about the same amount of calories for each meal. I have one healthy snack (usually fruits or vegetables) around 8 because I was getting to be so hungry I had trouble falling asleep.
  • sissiluv
    sissiluv Posts: 2,205 Member
    I try for a large breakfast. Doesn't always pan out.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    There is no such thing as meal frequency.... As long as you are hitting your caloric intake for the day then eat whenever it feels right to you. I eat 3000-3400 calories a day and am a Type 2 Diabetic so I tend to spread my meals out.... 3 main meals and 3 snacks it keeps me from having any low blood sugars episodes and keeps me filled up.... Best of Luck
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,272 Member
    While I'm awake.
  • VeinsAndBones
    VeinsAndBones Posts: 550 Member
    I eat about 70% of my calories before 4pm
  • eangell1992
    eangell1992 Posts: 8 Member
    My mother is a nutritionist of 15 years. She has raised me to always eat a moderate breakfast, a bigger lunch and a small dinner. Since I was a child, my meals were switched...for example, instead of having a spaghetti dinner....we would have that for lunch. And maybe a turkey sandwich for dinner. But for each lifestyle it varies. It all depends really when you are the most active and need the energy. If you eat dinner then go to the gym, sure a bigger dinner might be better for you so you have the energy you need. As for me, my mornings have always been slow so I normally eat a thin whole wheat bagel and an orange. Lunch today was homemade chicken fajita with green and red bell peppers with onions and celery as a snack also a Naked Fruit Juice Smoothie. And dinner will be a turkey breast and cheese sandwich on whole wheat. (since at night I usually just go home and relax) I try to keep most of my carbs during the day and not at dinner since they most likely won't be burned off after that. Of course I drink quite bit of water through out the day (about 48+ oz) which helps keep me full. I find having an actual reusable bottle rather than like a bottle of Deer Park, helps me drink more. Unfortunately, the past few years, I had seem to have forgotten the awesome, healthy lifestyle my mother had raised me in...hence why I'm on here trying to get back on track!

    Hope this helps!
  • Molly_Maguire
    Molly_Maguire Posts: 1,103 Member
    I eat very very light throughout the beginning of the day, then eat whatever I want for dinner. It usually balances out. I don't think it matters when you eat your calories, at least not for me.
  • Bakkasan
    Bakkasan Posts: 1,027 Member
    Evening grazing is my evil.
  • cecyvaquero
    cecyvaquero Posts: 154 Member
    Most of my calories are eaten at lunch and dinner.
  • alexbusnello
    alexbusnello Posts: 1,010 Member
    Morning or dinner
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    from 8:30 am to 9pm. My meals are pretty equal, but supper is bigger than the rest
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    I probably eat 40-50% of my calories at supper on most days. Just how it seems to work out for me.
  • Weebs628
    Weebs628 Posts: 574 Member
    Tonight: 1,200 calorie dinner. I don't eat that much for dinner all the time though, but dinner is usually my largest meal.
  • nack_3
    nack_3 Posts: 9
    Post workout
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    Pretty even--I eat ~50-60% of my calories by 2pm.
  • kylee_marie
    kylee_marie Posts: 299 Member
    i have 1,750 calories i day.. i *try* and break it up like this:

    breakfast- 350
    snack- 100
    lunch- 550
    snack- 100
    dinner- 500
    dessert- 150
  • WelshMaid
    WelshMaid Posts: 52
    I have heard the saying 'eat like a king at breakfast and a pauper at dinner'
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Breakfast; I eat a third of my daily calories. By lunch, it's over half.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Pretty steadily throughout the day. I've tried other approaches, all lead to similar weight loss, but eating throughout the day is easier for me to manage... so it's about preference for me, not effectiveness.
  • adam1885282
    adam1885282 Posts: 135 Member
    About half of my calories are between 5 pm and 8 pm. I don't want to "run out" so I stay light during the day and let dinner turn into evening snacks. I've done this most of the time I've been on MFP and haven't had any negative consequences I can tell.
  • sheppeyescapee
    sheppeyescapee Posts: 329 Member
    I try to balance it between all the meals and leave room for 3 snacks. I'm on about 1500 and any exercise cals on top. I'm not a big eater in the morning just can't stomach a big meal that soon after waking up.
  • victoriannsays
    victoriannsays Posts: 568 Member
    For me - it depends on my workouts. If I have to work a later shift and plan my exercise for the morning, I'm not going to eat a big breakfast then work out. Nor am I going to eat a massive dinner and then do an hour session. Again, I'd puke.

    I usually try to keep my dinner within 500 calories. and spread the rest throughout the day.
  • AmandaReimer1
    AmandaReimer1 Posts: 235 Member
    Dinner is usually my biggest meal. When I have a light dinner I'm usually starving all night and end up eating more than I should.
  • Esther50
    Esther50 Posts: 252
    My big meals are breakfast and lunch.
    I drive an hour to work, so I leave at 4pm, get to the gym at 5, don't get home until 7pm, so it is pretty late for me to have a big dinner (you know prepare it, eat it and then clean up).
    So it just works better this way for me.
  • kimchaneygriffin
    kimchaneygriffin Posts: 7 Member
    dinner for sure and i am trying to change!
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
    Overall, mine tends to break down into Breakfast, a morning snack (which may just be items saved from Breakfast), lunch, an afternoon snack, dinner, and evening snack(s) as appropriate.

    My general approach is to have about 2/3 of my daily calories before I go home from work. Because I eat everything from breakfast through my afternoon snack at work, it's easier to prepare these foods over the weekend and ration them out through the week.

    Having 1/3 of my calories available for the whole evening leaves me with some flexibility and extra wiggle room built in for dinner, which helps to compensate for the fact dinner is prepared for the family, not for my specific goals. If dinner's big, I avoid snacking. But if dinner's small, it's easier for me to get a healthy snack from my kitchen than from the office snack bar.

    It also lets me adjust for my workouts, which I usually do right after work. If I work out hard enough (and I often do), I may be able to do two small meals after work, rather than trying to play caloric Blackjack with just one meal.

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