Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince(ss) and dinner like a beggar

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  • charlesmauch
    charlesmauch Posts: 58 Member
    edited April 2015
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    spacequiztime wrote: »
    It's something you have to experiment with. I've been doing pretty well with making lunch my biggest meal.

    I do the same thing. Small breakfast usually consisting of oatmeal mixed with protein powder, and maybe a donut, or a banana, or some other quick carbs (and coffee). 30 minutes later I hit the gym. I'll usually slam a shake after working out, and then absolutely pig out for lunch. I probably eat 50 to 60% of my calories for the day at lunch/post workout. The rest of the day I munch of carrots/veggies or lean meats, and I often skip dinner depending on what my macros look like for the day. But I have no problems blowing my calorie count for the day if I'm especially low on protein.

    I found that even with a severe caloric deficit, by carbing up before working out, It gave me enough juice to survive a hash training session. And since I'm starving afterwords, I figured I might as well eat up afterwords (as a reward). After lunch I'm usually not hungry again until night/evening - and I can ignore that as long I keep out of the kitchen.

    Lost about about 80lbs this way, and been able to retain pretty much all of my lean mass. (Hasn't dropped by more than 4lbs since I first started tracking it).
  • ForeverSunshine09
    ForeverSunshine09 Posts: 966 Member
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    I change it up occasionally but, it is either small breakfast and lunch and a pretty huge dinner. Lately I have a decent breakfast for me which is between 300-500 cals a tiny lunch generally 200-300 cals sometimes skipped altogether depending on timing and size of breakfasT and my dinner is usually between 600-800 cals. This is a sustainable plan for me.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    That's the exact opposite of how I eat. Breakfast doesn't happen until about 10:30 and is under 200 cals. Lunch is usually around 300, dinner usually hits about 700 and after dinner snack and hot drink is about 250.

    55lbs later, I'm happy!
  • earth_echo
    earth_echo Posts: 133 Member
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    I disagree. I've found that a large breakfast increases my appetite all day long. I'll be hungrier all day and definitely eat more all around. A small late breakfast works best for me. And that's the thing, you have to try different things to know what works for you.
  • CherokeeBabe
    CherokeeBabe Posts: 1,704 Member
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    A light, late breakfast, medium lunch (sometimes no lunch) and usually medium dinner. A big meal for breakfast literally makes me puke, my body can't handle large amounts of food after waking up.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    One of the dumber sayings floating around. Right up there with "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels..." and every Marilyn Monroe quote.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    I do it exactly the other way round.

    Whatever works for ya...!
  • lillyrose2020
    lillyrose2020 Posts: 178 Member
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    I like to sleep through breakfast whenever possible.
    Dinner is always my biggest meal as it's when I'm hungriest. I also like to have room for evening snacks or I get grouchy. Nocturnal problems :neutral:
  • MonkeyMel21
    MonkeyMel21 Posts: 2,394 Member
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    My husband makes bomb *kitten* dinners, so........eff that. I'm with the other posters, I'm the opposite.
  • DoneWorking
    DoneWorking Posts: 247 Member
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    I tried that and it left me too hungry at night. I try to make lunch my lightest meal, just enough to tide me over till dinner. But then, that's just what works for me.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    I've been thinking about this, and I couldn't do it for so many reasons:

    On a practical level for me, a large breakfast wouldn't work. I sleep as long as I can in the morning (up at 6:30) and I wouldn't get up earlier just to eat. Plus being "full" and at work first thing would destroy my productivity, I reckon.

    Lunchtimes are my time to go for a big walk, and lunch gets eaten at my desk so I like it to be pretty fast and light. Lunch of weekends is usually on the run.

    I love to cook, it makes me happy. If I was doing light dinners, I wouldn't get to cook elaborate things at the only time of day that I have time to do so.

    So yeah. It's an old saying with no real basis and on a practical level it would drive me bonkers to even try.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Once again, let's add some science to the discussion, instead of relying on opinions & anecdotes.


    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.
    Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23512957
    Full text:
    http://genetics.doctorsonly.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Jakubowicz-at-al-Obesity-2013-oby20460.pdf

    .
    "subjects assigned to high caloric intake during breakfast lost significantly more weight than those assigned to
    high caloric intake during the dinner"
    Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24467926
    Full text: http://www.tradewindsports.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Nutrient-Timing-and-Obesity-2014.pdf

    .
    "data suggest that a low-calorie Mediterranean diet with a higher amount of calories in the first part of the day
    could establish a greater reduction in fat mass and improved insulin sensitivity than a typical daily diet."
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24809437

    .
    "Breakfast is associated with lower body weight ..."
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24898236


    I've tried to follow this advice, often have close to half my calories for breakfast, sometimes it's
    closer to 1/3. And yes, there are days I have a much larger lunch or dinner. But most of the time
    most of my calories are for breakfast, a large chunk of what's left is for lunch, and dinner is really
    more of a snack.

    .
    51637601.png
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    And yes, the text of the OP is obnoxious & difficult to read.
    Please don't do it again.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    edited April 2015
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    MKEgal wrote: »
    Once again, let's add some science to the discussion, instead of relying on opinions & anecdotes.
    You can science all you want, but a big breakfast makes me hungrier all day.

    My opinion is that a smaller breakfast -- or no -- works better for me, regardless of whether it works better for others.

    64078106.png
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
    edited April 2015
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    MKEgal wrote: »
    Once again, let's add some science to the discussion, instead of relying on opinions & anecdotes.


    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.
    Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23512957
    Full text:
    http://genetics.doctorsonly.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Jakubowicz-at-al-Obesity-2013-oby20460.pdf

    .
    "subjects assigned to high caloric intake during breakfast lost significantly more weight than those assigned to
    high caloric intake during the dinner"
    Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24467926
    Full text: http://www.tradewindsports.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Nutrient-Timing-and-Obesity-2014.pdf

    .
    "data suggest that a low-calorie Mediterranean diet with a higher amount of calories in the first part of the day
    could establish a greater reduction in fat mass and improved insulin sensitivity than a typical daily diet."
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24809437

    .
    "Breakfast is associated with lower body weight ..."
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24898236


    I've tried to follow this advice, often have close to half my calories for breakfast, sometimes it's
    closer to 1/3. And yes, there are days I have a much larger lunch or dinner. But most of the time
    most of my calories are for breakfast, a large chunk of what's left is for lunch, and dinner is really
    more of a snack.

    .
    51637601.png

    Hmmm, interesting. I suppose for me the question would be - is potentially better results worth the sheer inconvenience, if what I'm doing already is giving me results I'm happy with? I suppose that's the question for any change in diet regimine. For me, any better weight loss would be quite offset by being unhappy having to eat like that. Plus, "better" weight loss would then put me into the "ehrmagerd, ur losing too fast" category...
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    emily_stew wrote: »
    OdesAngel wrote: »
    One of the dumber sayings floating around. Right up there with "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels..." and every Marilyn Monroe quote.

    If you can't handle me at my worst, you don't deserve me at my best! *Flounces*

    Had0wG1.gif
    It's always the worst drama llamas that love that saying, right?
  • smae1980
    smae1980 Posts: 794 Member
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    I'm not hungry first thing in the morning, I pretty much only eat breakfast so I can make it through work until lunch. Lunch is a little bigger and dinner is my biggest meal of the day- so I guess I'm pretty much opposite of what you (OP) are asking. Oh and I thought your text was pretty. God, people are mean
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    edited April 2015
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    I followed 16:8IF and I usually break my daily fast at around 11am with my largest/highest calorie meal of the day. Then I have a smaller meal usually between 5-6pm. That's usually it, except for a couple evening beers on the weekends. Works well for me and my schedule, but meal/calorie timing is a preference thing and nothing more.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    Hmmm, interesting. I suppose for me the question would be - is potentially better results worth the sheer inconvenience, if what I'm doing already is giving me results I'm happy with? I suppose that's the question for any change in diet regimine. For me, any better weight loss would be quite offset by being unhappy having to eat like that. Plus, "better" weight loss would then put me into the "ehrmagerd, ur losing too fast" category...

    Yep, this is the key. I don't think average results--none of which are all the high, iirc--in a study outweigh what personally works for people. (Actually, looking at it again, it seems to be mostly about women with metabolic syndrome, so even less applicable on average.) For example, I do believe that on average people do better eating breakfast (I personally do), but I don't believe that means that every person does better eating breakfast. Eating 6 mini meals may work for some people, but the thought of it depresses me.

    I tend to eat 3 similarly-sized meals unless I just have lots of calories left over, but dinner is generally my largest because I tend to be most likely to eat it with others, to go out, to have time to really cook something, to not be having it while rushing around in the morning or at my desk. I also eat dinner really late. I easily lost 2 lbs/week until my body weight was low enough that that wasn't realistic, and always did better than MFP predicted. So no, I don't think changing my lifestyle in a way that would make me less happy is likely to help with weight loss. Can't see how it would.

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