Is this Broscience? Or just one of many opinions?

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  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    A friend of mine is a recently qualified personal trainer.
    On her blog she was saying how important it is to have a big breakfast, medium lunch and small dinner with healthy snacks between. Her nutritionist told her that.

    So... the big breakfast, small dinner idea. Is there a basis for this, other than some people don't like a big meal in the evening because it doesn't fit their lifestyle?
    I just worry that she's new to the industry, and might be taking someone's word as gospel because it work for her.

    All comes down to total calories for the day.

    I personally don't eat breakfast.
    I eat between ~1pm - 8pm, and nothing other than coffee in the morning hours.

    And my 1pm meal is usually around 800 - 1200 calories.
    My last meal of the day will prolly be around 800 calories
  • sculli123
    sculli123 Posts: 1,221 Member
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    All comes down to total calories for the day.

    I personally don't eat breakfast.
    I eat between ~1pm - 8pm, and nothing other than coffee in the morning hours.

    And my 1pm meal is usually around 800 - 1200 calories.
    My last meal of the day will prolly be around 800 calories
    Similar to this except my smaller meal is during the day and bigger one is at night.
  • tracydr
    tracydr Posts: 528 Member
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    It does help reflux. I don't think it really helps weight loss.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    All comes down to total calories for the day.

    I personally don't eat breakfast.
    I eat between ~1pm - 8pm, and nothing other than coffee in the morning hours.

    And my 1pm meal is usually around 800 - 1200 calories.
    My last meal of the day will prolly be around 800 calories
    Similar to this except my smaller meal is during the day and bigger one is at night.

    I do my 1pm meal big, cause that is usually right after my workout....
    And I haven't eaten in over 16 hours.....so I want a TON of food. :laugh: :laugh:
  • klinger6395
    klinger6395 Posts: 44 Member
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    Sup bro
  • littlekitty3
    littlekitty3 Posts: 265 Member
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    Depends on your lifestyle and what works for you. I eat 1000 calories for breakfast. And I'll eat ~500 calories somewhere in there. And then another ~500-1000 for dinner.
    So technically I follow similar principles on a typical work day because my job is all over the place and it's hard to work when I just want to relax post eating. But on a non work day I'm usually eating all day.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    It may have been the best way to eat a few generations ago when most people did heavy labor (hence the little saying others have quoted), especially when the majority were farmers. I remember my grandfather eating like that: oatmeal first thing before milking the cows (he was a dairy farmer), second breakfast of eggs and meat, big dinner, then light supper. He was also a tiny man who was as strong as an ox.

    Nowadays, we do not expend the energy like out forefathers did, therefore we do not need to eat like they did. in type, amount, or timing. Many "nutrition experts" have not changed the old traditions.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    Unless you are fuelling specific exercise regimes it's broscience!
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
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    Bro science for sure. It's not a bad idea to have breakfast if your hungry but weight loss is simply calories in vs calories out for the day, the time of the day doesn't matter.

    Eat when your hungry, watch your calories for the day, watch your macros (recommend amounts of protein/fats and carbs)
  • wozkaa
    wozkaa Posts: 224 Member
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    Thanks for the feedback folks, it's good to see a wider range of opinions.

    I have nothing but love and support for this friend, we have known each other for 20+ years now, and have seen her make some massive changes in her life - but I get concerned because she habitually plunges head long 1000mph into new directions, and can be a little naive at times. When she likes something, she LIKES it. But she also gets easily disappointed, probably due to her outrageous enthusiasm at times. (FWIW I am pretty sure this is something she is working on with a Psych.)

    To the poster who suggested the research website - thank you. I'll have a look at that and then suggest it as an interesting 'find'. :smile:
  • soidade
    soidade Posts: 116 Member
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    I do not think there is proof to this saying, but someone following this advice would not suffer. In french we say :

    At breakfast eat like a king
    At lunch eat like a princess
    At supper eat like a butler

    Who says a princess eats less than a king, though? ;)
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    For a lot of people, eating larger meals earlier in the day helps them make better food choices and control calories.

    If you can control calories regardless of your meal timing, then don't worry about it.

    ^^^^ this

    and there was a scientific study that showed a correlation between skipping breakfast and being fat.... but correlation does not prove causation, and the study was done on people who weren't calorie counting or trying to lose weight - so people who skip breakfast will include people who are doing a bad job of organisation and meal planning generally (who will be more likely to turn to the most easily available food, e.g. fast food, snacks, because they didn't plan their meals) and people who skip breakfast because they're in a big hurry then get hungry around 10am and snack on whatever's available. So there is a correlation but the only relevance it has for people counting calories is that good meal planning helps you to avoid being in situations where you're really hungry and the only food available is food that's going to take you over your calorie goal for the day.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,668 Member
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    CICO. I personally skip breakfast consistently (because I eat up to 11:30pm each night) and don't eat till after 12pm. And like Tonya I'm also a certified PT. I just make sure to meet my daily macros and don't exceed my calorie limits.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • kelseyhere
    kelseyhere Posts: 1,123 Member
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    So my take on this, everyone has their opinion of what's best - only eat big meals in the morning, you must eat a big dinner, only eat between 1-5 p.m. , blah blah blah. All comes back to if you overeat, you will gain weight. What you need to think about is not when is the best time to eat, but when is the best time to eat for ME?

    Me personally, eating a big breakfast and then smaller meals throughout the day works. I used to eat a small breakfast, and then by the time I got to dinner I was so hungry I would binge and overeat. By eating more calories earlier in the day, I don't binge as often at night.

    Don't worry about which is "Best" just what works for you.
  • SKME2013
    SKME2013 Posts: 704 Member
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    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2014/06/04/ajcn.114.089573.abstract

    See above scientific study:

    "Conclusions: A recommendation to eat or skip breakfast for weight loss was effective at changing self-reported breakfast eating habits, but contrary to widely espoused views this had no discernable effect on weight loss in free-living adults who were attempting to lose weight. This trial was registered at clinicaltrails.gov as NCT01781780."

    Stef.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I doubt theres any true study on it...or perhaps they are working on the case now lol. But the whole idea is most americans dont eat dinner til 6 pm...then they climb into bed at 8...when there dinner is still digesting...so by consuming a smaller meal, theres less to digest? Lol. My take on it....not to mention...depending on fhe size of breakfast...by dinner...u could have possibly burned off all those breakfast calories....by bedtime :) again im no personal trainer or anything...but ive seen both sides of the table. In my time ive dond a lot of fasted morninv cardio....before breakfast...and then my breakfast becomes my lunch...lol i love breakfast foods

    There actually was a study that I keep seeing linked on those breakfast debate threads. It did compare eating large breakfast, medium lunch and small supper to eating a small breakfast, medium lunch and larger supper.
    It showed an advantage to the larger breakfast/smaller supper group in blood sugar levels. Both groups lost weight but I believe the large breakfast group was a little more.
    That said, it was a very small study and was done on obese women with metabolic disorders so it is not exactly applicable to all situations.
    Unfortunately people grab onto these ideas without context.
  • meluhneekay
    meluhneekay Posts: 82
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    I agree with everyone saying it depends on the person. Here's what my day looks like:

    Breakfast: 550 calories
    Lunch: 250 calories
    Snacks: 250 calories
    Dinner: 450 calories

    Breakfast is my largest meal of the day simply because I eat it right after my workout, and my workouts always leave me feeling particularly ravenous. I eat a large dinner, too, because I like going to bed with a full tummy. I seem to sleep easier that way, less tossing and turning. Lunch and snacks are sometimes eaten together as one meal, sometimes apart, depending on how hungry I am in the moment.

    Edit: also the fact that I do my workouts fasted probably plays into the reason I like a big breakfast. By the time I'm done I've been awake for 2-3 hours.
  • TrailNurse
    TrailNurse Posts: 359 Member
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    Does not matter when you eat.....calories in, calories out.

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