Meal Balancing

corinne9714
corinne9714 Posts: 16 Member
edited November 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm quite interested in trying switching my meal structure around from eating small breakfast, medium lunch, big dinner to big breakfast, middle lunch, small dinner. I'm not adverse to eating 'strange' things that would traditionally be dinner foods for breakfast. My family are reluctant to try it though.

has anyone tried this? share any advice?

Replies

  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    With what goal in mind?

    Meal timing is pretty immaterial in terms of weight loss...though if your activity level varies throughout the day, you may find some slight benefit into shifting calories around.

    Ultimately, it's just your personal preference...whatever works for you and allows you to maintain your calorie deficit while still fueling your body.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Why not just eat more regular breakfast food and less dinner food?

    I, too, am curious as to what your goal is.
  • corinne9714
    corinne9714 Posts: 16 Member
    I don't think I have a goal really, perhaps just to be able to eat for when I'm using the energy? I'm usually more active in the mornings than evenings
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    me personally, I keep it all about even

    for picky eaters try skinnytaste.com
    good recipes that even skinny eaters might try
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
    I tried this a while back, because i thought it was important to stay fueled all day, especially in the mornings (it's really not important). I made breakfast larger by having oatmeal and a big egg dish-where usually I would have had on or the other. Then simply switch lunch and dinner.

    Doing this made breakfast my largest meal, and I ate less throughout the day. Until I couldn't take it anymore and started overeating at night and struggling to stay within my goal. Now I actually eat little during most days and eat the majority of my calories for dinner and night-time snacking. I am successfully losing weight. Just my experience
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    corinne9714 wrote: »
    I don't think I have a goal really, perhaps just to be able to eat for when I'm using the energy? I'm usually more active in the mornings than evenings

    In that case I'd just eat more food at breakfast in general but wouldn't necessarily try to switch around what my whole family was eating. I tend to eat bigger breakfasts myself, while my husband eats nothing and my daughter eats fairy dust and sparkles or whatever it is that 8 year olds eat that appears to be nothing but gives them insane energy for the day.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited July 2015
    corinne9714 wrote: »
    I don't think I have a goal really, perhaps just to be able to eat for when I'm using the energy? I'm usually more active in the mornings than evenings

    but it all nets out in the end. meal timing, meal size, etc is all pretty irrelevant so long as your total intake is in line. If I need 3000 calories to maintain my weight, I need 2900 calories...it doesn't matter when I get them or how big my meals are or if I eat late at night or whatever. Likewise, I lose pretty easily on 2500 calories...regardless of whether I eat late or have a big dinner, etc...because regardless of all of those things, I'm in a 500 calorie energy deficit at 2500 calories.

    Meal timing can have a much more profound impact in RE to your fitness performance...but not so much for just losing weight.
  • brandyosu
    brandyosu Posts: 257 Member
    I think you should do whatever works best for you. Personally, I no longer eat breakfast. Why? Because I decided that I needed to be retrained to eat when I was hungry and not because the clock said I should eat. So, as time went on I was eating breakfast later and later until I realized it was lunch time. I'm not hungry when I wake up and don't get hungry until around noon...so, that is when I eat my first meal of the day. If I get hungry earlier, though, I'm not opposed to eating a snack. I want to eat when I'm hungry and rational vs. ravenous and willing to eat everything in sight.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    edited July 2015
    If you like eating in the morning, then preare what you like having for dinner: chicken and rice, beans and quinoa, hamburger patty with cheese. . . or whatever you like to cook for yourself. For your late meal of the day, have something low cal like some yogurt and nuts and a piece of fruit.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    edited July 2015
    I love a big breakfast! You can eat whatever you want.

    I usually have 2-3 eggs + either 1/2 cup Greek yogurt OR a 1" square piece of cheese (feta, halloumi, goat cheese) + 1/2 or a full piece of bread (depending - if I waited to eat, I might want the full piece) + a couple of tomatoes or cooked spinach. Sometimes I have a piece of prosciutto or 1/2 an avocado instead of some of the other stuff.

    That - with my coffee/cream/sugar combo - usually gets me to 500-700 calories and keeps me going for a bunch of hours.

    It does make it easier (for me) to have more moderate sized lunches and dinners (like e.g. chicken and salad).

    I don't do well when I try to go super low calorie (for me) on any meal. Like if I make myself just a soup (even adding lentils) for 400 calories, I know I'm going to want to eat something more substantive later, bumping me up in cals. Having as much protein as possible for all meals helps me. From a calorie POV, I need 500 minimum for all meals.
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