HOW MUCH TO EAT AND WHEN

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Tizz
Tizz Posts: 38
in Food and Nutrition
Hey All - First I <3 MFP .. this site keeps me busy all day at work!

My dieting has been going pretty well - I've been on track all week but my weight loss is not that fast - I've decided that I need to adjust my eating habits yet again. Should I be eating more in the mornings and gradually Less into the evening? Generally dinner is my largest meal around 6 pm. I've decided to not eat after 8 pm anymore.. what else can I do? (I only eat 1200 cals a day) I AM JUST DYING TO REACH MY GOAL!

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  • Tizz
    Tizz Posts: 38
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    Hey All - First I <3 MFP .. this site keeps me busy all day at work!

    My dieting has been going pretty well - I've been on track all week but my weight loss is not that fast - I've decided that I need to adjust my eating habits yet again. Should I be eating more in the mornings and gradually Less into the evening? Generally dinner is my largest meal around 6 pm. I've decided to not eat after 8 pm anymore.. what else can I do? (I only eat 1200 cals a day) I AM JUST DYING TO REACH MY GOAL!
  • klikittyklak
    klikittyklak Posts: 144
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    Breakfast should be your largest meal. It keeps you going throughout the day, and a high-calorie breakfast will keep you full longer and actually make you eat less. Also, your body and brain need all that power first thing! Experts say dinner should be your smallest meal. :smile:
  • Starr
    Starr Posts: 45
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    Tizz, according to what I have read, and not what I know to be true, it doesn't matter what time you eat as the body is not aware of time. What does matter is how much is eaten in a day, and how much exercise one gets. On the other hand, eating more during the day when the energy is needed makes sense. How about evening snacks that require more energy to digest than the calories they contain? I know there are several, but the only one that comes to mind is ... celery.
  • smalla
    smalla Posts: 11
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    Smalller meals spaced throughout the day is apparently the best. When you take in more calories in one sitting than your body can use, your body stores it. Similarly, when you eat late at night, you aren't doing anything else except going to bed :yawn:, so you don't need the calories and your body will store it as fat.

    For me - eating 5 to 6 meals (3 meals of about 200 to 400 calories each and 2 snacks of about 100 calories each) spaced throughout the day (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner) worked.

    Good luck!
  • charliesgold
    charliesgold Posts: 235 Member
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    Smaller meals spaced out are best I agree, but, also keep in mind that everyone's bodies are different, some of us can't eat before we work out in the AM so we end up not eating our first meal until a few hours later than others or else we grab a light snack instead, some of us work until 3-4am so obviously we end up on different schedules. I don't think there is a set schedule, just space out your meals so you don't end up getting starving hungry or having 500 calories to pack in an hour before bed lol.
  • Alisha28
    Alisha28 Posts: 406 Member
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    I have never been a morning person or a big meal eater. I have had most success with weight loss by having smaller meals throughout the day. I do like eating dinner so generally that is my largest meal. Do not be afraid to eat at night either its what you eat not what time!!:)


    Alisha
  • mb2bthin
    mb2bthin Posts: 47 Member
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    Breakfast should be your largest meal. It keeps you going throughout the day, and a high-calorie breakfast will keep you full longer and actually make you eat less. Also, your body and brain need all that power first thing! Experts say dinner should be your smallest meal. :smile:

    Well clearly there are many ways to do this. The key is to finding out what we need. I have always eaten light at breakfast and little meals worked. But, not so anymore. As I've gotten older, I think I need to try a bigger breakfast so I'm not hungry as much.

    I'm gonna try this. Can you give me an idea of the breakfasts you eat.
  • kc_lea
    kc_lea Posts: 65 Member
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    This is going to be second hand info, but I was talking to my mum about dieting, and she mentioned an article where they sort of assessed the factors that contribute to ongoing weightloss.

    People who ate bigger breakfasts (including a small amount of chocolate!) lost as much as those who ate small breakfasts for the first 6 months. After that, the big breakfasters continued to lose weight, while the small breakfasters generally started to gain some of it back.

    Sustainable weightloss= big breakfasts? Mmmmmaybe but I just can't eat that much in the mornings. Most of my breakfasts are under 250 cals... usually even under 200. Time to try to get that number up a little bit!
  • Lifeisgood2008
    Lifeisgood2008 Posts: 66 Member
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    HI
    I never used to be much of a "make sure you eat breakfast, it's the most important meal of the day" kind of gal..even though I preached it to my kids.. :wink: What I have noticed oddly enough is, now that I have made it an absolute must to have a carb, protein and a dairy for breakfast, that my energy level is vastly improved. Then a small snack midmorning, then a moderate lunch with lots of veggies and protein then a carb and protein for snack. Dinner is usually low protein, lots of veggies and carb a lot of soup!!. Whenever I don't have breakfast now or rush out the door with only an apple, it is really hard for me to stay on track for the day..I am ravenous.. weird..
    I guess everyone is different, but that's just my two cents worth.
    :smile:
  • Thrust
    Thrust Posts: 63 Member
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    Hey All - First I <3 MFP .. this site keeps me busy all day at work!

    My dieting has been going pretty well - I've been on track all week but my weight loss is not that fast - I've decided that I need to adjust my eating habits yet again. Should I be eating more in the mornings and gradually Less into the evening? Generally dinner is my largest meal around 6 pm. I've decided to not eat after 8 pm anymore.. what else can I do? (I only eat 1200 cals a day) I AM JUST DYING TO REACH MY GOAL!

    It's not only how much and when you're eating but also WHAT you're eating. You really should eat a protein/fat meal ~30mins.-1hr before bed. Assuming you're sleeping 8 hrs, your body needs fuel so it doesn't start to catabolize hard earned muscle you're gaining in the gym (you are doing some form of resistance training, I hope). Breakfast is an optimum time to eat a little in excess and also the only time you want to eat carbs (except pre/post workout). If you've recently noticed your fat loss plateau, trying increasing calories by adding a few extra grams of protein and fat. I recommend 1/2 cup of cottage cheese and 1 tblsp. of natural peanut butter before bed. Good luck!

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