Is it okay to save my calories for dinner everyday?

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Replies

  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
    You can get away with a lot when you are young. But when the body begins to age, it does get hurt by this eating regime you are describing. That is, eating this way does not keep blood sugars stable and also it can lead to higher triglycerides; and probably other negative metabolic consequences that I'm not aware of. So, if you are looking for a sustainable healthy eating plan for life, you should consider something different.

    So how did the billions of human beings throughout history, and across the world, survive before made up concepts like "3 meals a day" or the latest "5-6 small meals a day" existed?

    Having one large meal a day isn't new, it isn't revolutionary, and in many parts of the world, and history, it isn't even uncommon.
  • Berkables
    Berkables Posts: 35
    You can get away with a lot when you are young. But when the body begins to age, it does get hurt by this eating regime you are describing. That is, eating this way does not keep blood sugars stable and also it can lead to higher triglycerides; and probably other negative metabolic consequences that I'm not aware of. So, if you are looking for a sustainable healthy eating plan for life, you should consider something different.

    So how did the billions of human beings throughout history, and across the world, survive before made up concepts like "3 meals a day" or the latest "5-6 small meals a day" existed?

    Having one large meal a day isn't new, it isn't revolutionary, and in many parts of the world, and history, it isn't even uncommon.

    I don't actually have an opinion on this particular issue, I just gotta say that arguments likes this drive me insane, lol. The billions of human beings throughout history died by age 30 and did not have access to the same types, variety, and amounts of food we do today. Asking for advice for optimal health or optimal weight loss has nothing to do with how people have survived. It has to do with how people can THRIVE.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
    You can get away with a lot when you are young. But when the body begins to age, it does get hurt by this eating regime you are describing. That is, eating this way does not keep blood sugars stable and also it can lead to higher triglycerides; and probably other negative metabolic consequences that I'm not aware of. So, if you are looking for a sustainable healthy eating plan for life, you should consider something different.

    So how did the billions of human beings throughout history, and across the world, survive before made up concepts like "3 meals a day" or the latest "5-6 small meals a day" existed?

    Having one large meal a day isn't new, it isn't revolutionary, and in many parts of the world, and history, it isn't even uncommon.

    I don't actually have an opinion on this particular issue, I just gotta say that arguments likes this drive me insane, lol. The billions of human beings throughout history died by age 30 and did not have access to the same types, variety, and amounts of food we do today. Asking for advice for optimal health or optimal weight loss has nothing to do with how people have survived. It has to do with how people can THRIVE.

    True, true, but there is something to be said about being cognizant of our evolutionary history. We didn't evolve in a time of ever plentiful food supply -- that is something very modern, in evolutionary terms. What may be optimal for our biology isn't necessarily optimal for the current landscape -- as you see in the incredible amounts of obesity. That's far from thriving.
  • buffywhitney
    buffywhitney Posts: 172 Member
    Calories don't care what time it is.
  • waterboat1956
    waterboat1956 Posts: 8
    No, and why would you want to walk around all day long torturing yourself via food deprivation?

    All the research (legit, that is) tells us that it's:
    1.) unhealthy to skip meals - our blood sugar plummets and there's no fuel in our "engine" to help us think clearly, work, stay focused, etc.
    2.) We need breakfast that focuses on good protein (egg whites, 4 oz steak, fish, chicken, etc.). Protein helps wake us up, fuels our furnace, and helps prevent the crash that comes when we rely on a.) Sugary food, or b.) carbs that quickly convert to sugar in our bodies.
    3.) Depending on who you are, you can eat 3-5 times a day.
    a.) Keep snacks at or under 300 calories. Use protein, vegetables, a few complex carbs.
    4.) When you think you are hungry, drink 8 oz. of good water (not out of a plastic bottle, please!)

    Above all, do your own research, avoid "anger balls" trying to tell you everybody is wrong except them, and remember this, my young friend:

    " If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself!"

    Cheers,

    K (57)

    P.S. Calories DO CARE what time it is - that's why no one suggests you eat a huge meal and then go straight to bed! Food is fuel and we need it when we awaken in the morning because we've just spent 8-9 hours in fasting mode; hence the name of the first meal of the day "BREAK" "FAST".
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    If I don't eat a larger dinner, I'm starved by the end of the day and extremely hungry by the next morning.
    So a lot of the time I will save the majority of my calories for the evening.
    I will have something with 100-150 calories for breakfast, skip lunch (unless I'm really hungry, and then I will have soup or something low in calories), and a snack (100-200 calories).
    Depends on what you're trying to do.
    Having a large breakfast, medium lunch, and small dinner is a good way to lose weight, so it stands to reason that eating most of your calories at dinner would be a good way to maintain your weight, or even gain some. (Witness the gal who commented that she does what you're doing & is bulking up.)
    The deficit is what's important, not when you eat the calories ...
    meal timing is not very important ...
    meal timing is irrelevant
    Not true.
    For those who have been asking to see research, here you go.
    This study compared eating a small breakfast, medium lunch, and large dinner, [200, 500, 700 cal]
    with eating a large breakfast, medium lunch, and small dinner [700, 500, 200 cal].

    "The [large breakfast] group showed greater weight loss and waist circumference reduction ... fasting glucose, insulin [&] triglycerides ... decreased significantly to a greater extent in the [large breakfast] group."
    In addition, hunger was less and satiety was greater.

    Here's a summary: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23512957

    Here's a PDF of the whole article.
    http://genetics.doctorsonly.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Jakubowicz-at-al-Obesity-2013-oby20460.pdf

    You'd probably be happier, less hungry, if you ate more throughout the day.
    Try maybe 400 / 300 / 700 if you want to keep having a larger evening meal. Or 500 / 900 if you want to skip lunch.
    For reference, I'm a 20 year old female, 5'6'' tall, 146.2 lbs., and am eating around 1,200 calories a day.
    120 (1200 cal) is kinda toward the bottom end of the healthy BMI range for your height. 142 is sort of top of the middle.
    http://www.shapeup.org/bmi/bmi6.pdf
    So you could go up a couple hundred calories and still maintain a healthy weight.
    (10x your goal weight is a decent approximation of the calories you should be eating.)
    I had high triglycerides 10 months ago when i started MFP, now mine are well within normal range
    Do you attribute that to something specific you are doing or eating, or to weight loss in general
    When I was getting a workup in January before seriously starting work on weight loss, my cholesterol was 212, triglycerides were 183, LDL was 124.
    At the end of May: 178, 84, 111.
    In between I ate lower fat, more fruits & veggies, and worked out at least a half hour nearly every day (usually closer to an hour) - cardio & weightlifting.
    My doctor says that consistent exercise and eating lower fat (esp. dairy, which kills me 'cause I love cheese... so I just eat less of it), lower alcohol, and lower carbs has a big effect on triglycerides.
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
    You can get away with a lot when you are young. But when the body begins to age, it does get hurt by this eating regime you are describing. That is, eating this way does not keep blood sugars stable and also it can lead to higher triglycerides; and probably other negative metabolic consequences that I'm not aware of. So, if you are looking for a sustainable healthy eating plan for life, you should consider something different.

    So how did the billions of human beings throughout history, and across the world, survive before made up concepts like "3 meals a day" or the latest "5-6 small meals a day" existed?

    Having one large meal a day isn't new, it isn't revolutionary, and in many parts of the world, and history, it isn't even uncommon.

    I don't actually have an opinion on this particular issue, I just gotta say that arguments likes this drive me insane, lol. The billions of human beings throughout history died by age 30 and did not have access to the same types, variety, and amounts of food we do today. Asking for advice for optimal health or optimal weight loss has nothing to do with how people have survived. It has to do with how people can THRIVE.

    I wasn't referring exclusively to the past.

    You do realize, right, that there are plenty of societies across the contemporary world where the eating pattern is one large meal a day, with light eating throughout the rest of the day? Societies thriving, not merely surviving and dying by 30.
  • Sobus76
    Sobus76 Posts: 242 Member
    That would make more since if you have sugar issues. I had high triglycerides 10 months ago when i started MFP, now mine are well within normal range.

    That's terrific. Do you attribute that to something specific you are doing or eating, or to weight loss in general. Mine are pretty stubborn so I'd like some advice.

    Dropping the weight, and not eating fast food, and other junk all the time is likely why my numbers are all normal now,
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
    So, I'm home during the day and go to my boyfriend's every evening. If I don't eat a larger dinner, I'm starved by the end of the day and extremely hungry by the next morning. So a lot of the time I will save the majority of my calories for the evening. For instance, I will have something with 100-150 calories for breakfast, skip lunch (unless I'm really hungry, and then I will have soup or something low in calories), and a snack (100-200 calories). This way, the majority of my calories are left for dinner. Is this okay to do? I just want to make sure that it isn't somehow hurting my body by saving my calories for later in the day instead of evenly spacing them throughout the day.

    For reference, I'm a 20 year old female, 5'6'' tall, 146.2 lbs., and am eating around 1,200 calories a day.

    Check out FASTING and its benefits. If you are saving all for one meal a day and not much else in between you may also see the great benefits that fasting brings to the table.
  • nomorebingesgirl2014
    nomorebingesgirl2014 Posts: 378 Member
    Ohhhh great post
  • nomorebingesgirl2014
    nomorebingesgirl2014 Posts: 378 Member
    Xxxxxcc So, I'm home during the day and go to my boyfriend's every evening. If I don't eat a larger dinner, I'm starved by the end of the day and extremely hungry by the next morning. So a lot of the time I will save the majority of my calories for the evening. For instance, I will have something with 100-150 calories for breakfast, skip lunch (unless I'm really hungry, and then I will have soup or something low in calories), and a snack (100-200 calories). This way, the majority of my calories are left for dinner. Is this okay to do? I just want to make sure that it isn't somehow hurting my body by saving my calories for later in the day instead of evenly spacing them throughout the day. Xxxxxxxxxx


    Very similar to me
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    That would make more since if you have sugar issues. I had high triglycerides 10 months ago when i started MFP, now mine are well within normal range.

    That's terrific. Do you attribute that to something specific you are doing or eating, or to weight loss in general. Mine are pretty stubborn so I'd like some advice.

    I had high triglycerides as well but now my levels are within normal range. Weight loss helped quite a lot, but the final push into normal range came from exercising almost every day and lowering my carbs to moderate 100-250 grams instead of the HUGE amounts I used to consume (500+ grams a day).

    Edit to add: you may want to invest in high dosage fish oil. My doctor has me on them and I'm maintaining a 90-120 triglycerides level without needing medication. I'm doing 1500 mg omega 3 a day.

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