Biggest Meal of the Day????

DturmenD
DturmenD Posts: 30 Member
edited September 28 in Food and Nutrition
Does anyone have any suggestions on which meal I should make my biggest? And what should be the max on calories during that meal?
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Replies

  • AtomicDarling
    AtomicDarling Posts: 42
    I've read several places that breakfast should be the biggest meal of the day consisting of something like 40% of your daily caloric intake.

    I don't know about anyone else but I simply cannot eat that much in the morning. :P

    I do try to have a big breakfast though.
  • Perfectlycrooked
    Perfectlycrooked Posts: 275 Member
    I always make breakfast the biggest(:
  • patio1313
    patio1313 Posts: 169 Member
    I have always tried to make sure that my meals are right about the same size throughout the day. One thing my nutritionist said is that it is better to eat smaller portions throughout the day as opposed to having one big meal.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Whichever you prefer. As long as it is the same number of net calories, when you eat those calories won't make any difference. For me, I eat more than half my daily calories for dinner. This is because I have a sedentary job and just don't do anything during the day that makes me that hungry. But I do Zumba after work so I'm very hungry by dinner time and I like to have wine with dinner. But do you should do what works for you.
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    For me it depends on the day. I am hungry at different times. I try to watch during the day so I can snack at night. Snacking is my biggest problem. Since everyone is different only you can know what is best for you. Also depends on how many calories you have in your goals. I would try to break it even 25-30% for each meat and rest in snacks. See how it works if not you can tweak it to fit your lifestyle better.
  • mapexdrummer69
    mapexdrummer69 Posts: 445
    Meal timing, size, and frequency are irrelevant to weight loss.


    Personally, my largest meal is usually around 6pm and consists of around 65% of my calories (1500-1700).
  • ChristinaRamos
    ChristinaRamos Posts: 226
    Your biggest meal of the day should be breakfast, although you should eat 5-6 small meals a day. I usually eat about 300 calories for breakfast, but that's about the same as the rest of my meals and snacks.
  • strongwoman84
    strongwoman84 Posts: 71 Member
    It mainly depends on if I do my workout in the morning or at night. I try to have the majority of my calories (mainly from protein) be right after my work out. If I am taking the day off I generally try to make the meals about the same and have at least a snack a couple hours after breakfast and lunch to keep the metabolism high, and a very small snack before bed (generally a WW cheese stick since it's only about 50 calories).
  • Mixmode
    Mixmode Posts: 332
    I make my biggest meal the one that right after eating, I will be the most active will be working out.
  • mapexdrummer69
    mapexdrummer69 Posts: 445
    Your biggest meal of the day should be breakfast, although you should eat 5-6 small meals a day. I usually eat about 300 calories for breakfast, but that's about the same as the rest of my meals and snacks.

    Not being rude or trying to start a flaming thread, but why do you think breakfast should be your biggest meal, and why is it important to eat 5-6 small meals a day?
  • mrsfeuer
    mrsfeuer Posts: 69 Member
    I try to keep my 'meals' around 300 cals each and then another 300ish for snacks between them all. My calorie limit is set at 1280. I try to make a good full breakfast and make dinner lighter and better (no pasta and such), but it doesn't always work but I also don't beat myself up about it either.
  • kunibob
    kunibob Posts: 608 Member
    For me, breakfast/lunch/supper ends up being about 20% / 20% / 25% of my daily calories, and then ~4 snacks make up the remaining 35%. Sometimes (particularly on weekends) my supper ends up being a fair bit larger than that.

    As for what's best, there are a bunch of different theories. Some people swear by huge breakfasts, or eating every 3 hours, but really, it does come down to what works for you and leaves you feeling the most energized and satisfied. That might even vary from day to day, too, depending on your exercise and...well...random body chemistry factors for that day.
  • mapexdrummer69
    mapexdrummer69 Posts: 445
    Yep. Meal timing and size come down to nothing but personal preference. There are no advantages or disadvantages to eating small, frequent meals vs. large meals 1-2 times a day in regards to weight loss or gain.
  • milaxx
    milaxx Posts: 1,122 Member
    I don't have a hard and fast rule as to numbers. I try to eat my biggest meals before 2. I also try to have some form of protein for breakfast. How heavy my snacks are depend largely on how heavy my meals are. Sometimes my snack is 15 almonds. Sometimes I have a protein shake. I try to eat 3 meals and 1-2 snacks during the day. The thought is to keep the metabolism burning something throughout the day. I try to have lighter dinners because I am thinking of when I am sleep and at my most inactive so I am not burning off as much.

    If you eat eggs, have them at breakfast.

    http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=50736
    And a traditional breakfast of eggs may be one of the best ways to get your morning protein. While eggs are not always associated with weight loss, they contain some of the highest-quality protein.

    In a study presented at the 2007 Experimental Biology meeting, researchers at Pennington Biomedical Research Center compared weight loss in women who ate either two eggs or a bagel for breakfast. The two breakfast meals were identical in calories and volume.

    "Compared to the bagel eaters, overweight women who ate two eggs for breakfast five times a week for eight weeks as part of a low-fat, reduced-calorie diet, lost 65% more weight, reduced waist circumference by 83%, reported higher energy levels, and had no significant difference in their ... blood cholesterol or triglyceride levels," reports researcher Nikhil V. Dhurandhar, PhD.

    Another study, reported in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, also substantiates eggs' ability to satisfy hunger.

    "Both these studies show that when people eat eggs at breakfast, they felt more satisfied and consumed fewer calories throughout the day, compared to those who ate a primarily carbohydrate meal like a bagel," explains Dhurandhar.
  • melibea
    melibea Posts: 228
    I find that I do well when I eat around 4-5 small meals of around 250cals each, sometimes a bit more or a bit less, with no one meals being significantly bigger than any other.

    I do think that if you were to make any particular meal bigger, then the earlier the better because you have the rest of the day to burn it off as opposed to having a large meal before bed and having your body store it as fat.
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
    I was getting hot flushes when I ate until I realised I can only eat as much as I'm hungry for at any one time to avoid that happening. I am SUPER hungry from the time I wake up, so I am trying to fit in a huge breakfast. Before I probably had 200 kcals for breakfast, but recently it's been 700 or higher. I tend to be quite hungry at lunch, but had a horrible hot flush when I tried to eat a whole pizza for lunch when I fancied about three quarters of it. By my evening meal I'm really not as hungry, so I eat lighter and use up more calories later as snacks. I snack a lot!
  • mapexdrummer69
    mapexdrummer69 Posts: 445


    I do think that if you were to make any particular meal bigger, then the earlier the better because you have the rest of the day to burn it off as opposed to having a large meal before bed and having your body store it as fat.

    While I respect the fact that you like eating 4/5 meals a day and there is nothing wrong with it, eating a meal right before bed does not mean it's going to be stored as fat. It doesn't matter what time of the day you eat, energy expenditure will be the same.
  • RCKT82
    RCKT82 Posts: 409 Member
    I eat 5 meals a day all around the same amount of cals per meal. I'll time my carbs/protein cals depending on if its a training day or not and when I'm going to train that day. Eating smaller meals frequently has been more beneficial for me than trying to eat fewer big meals or lumping the majority of my cals to a certain meal.
  • sschiano
    sschiano Posts: 48 Member
    you want to make dinner the smallest meal, and ideally breakfast the biggest but like many others i cant have too much for breakfast. what i do is i have a cup of black tea with 1/2 cup of skim milk, and toast with butter or (this is my weird personal guilty pleasure) toast with sour cream. about 2 hours later ill have an apple or some fruit or nuts or something. then 2 hours after the snack i have lunch which is usually my biggest meal. 2 hours after that i have another cup of tea and then 2 hours after that i have dinner (which usually is a light soup like the v8s or progresso and if i need some sweet i have some berries). so a 'meal' every 4 hours, and a snack every 2. if it is a day that i work out my day varies a bit. if you add up your meals it should even out to about 900 cal (if you're consuming 1200 a day) and the rest should be healthy snacks.
  • mapexdrummer69
    mapexdrummer69 Posts: 445
    you want to make dinner the smallest meal, and ideally breakfast the biggest but like many others i cant have too much for breakfast. what i do is i have a cup of black tea with 1/2 cup of skim milk, and toast with butter or (this is my weird personal guilty pleasure) toast with sour cream. about 2 hours later ill have an apple or some fruit or nuts or something. then 2 hours after the snack i have lunch which is usually my biggest meal. 2 hours after that i have another cup of tea and then 2 hours after that i have dinner (which usually is a light soup like the v8s or progresso and if i need some sweet i have some berries). so a 'meal' every 4 hours, and a snack every 2. if it is a day that i work out my day varies a bit. if you add up your meals it should even out to about 900 cal (if you're consuming 1200 a day) and the rest should be healthy snacks.

    Why dinner small and breakfast large?
  • mapexdrummer69
    mapexdrummer69 Posts: 445
    I eat 5 meals a day all around the same amount of cals per meal. I'll time my carbs/protein cals depending on if its a training day or not and when I'm going to train that day. Eating smaller meals frequently has been more beneficial for me than trying to eat fewer big meals or lumping the majority of my cals to a certain meal.


    Epic progress is epic, sir. Well done.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    you want to make dinner the smallest meal, and ideally breakfast the biggest but like many others i cant have too much for breakfast. what i do is i have a cup of black tea with 1/2 cup of skim milk, and toast with butter or (this is my weird personal guilty pleasure) toast with sour cream. about 2 hours later ill have an apple or some fruit or nuts or something. then 2 hours after the snack i have lunch which is usually my biggest meal. 2 hours after that i have another cup of tea and then 2 hours after that i have dinner (which usually is a light soup like the v8s or progresso and if i need some sweet i have some berries). so a 'meal' every 4 hours, and a snack every 2. if it is a day that i work out my day varies a bit. if you add up your meals it should even out to about 900 cal (if you're consuming 1200 a day) and the rest should be healthy snacks.

    Why dinner small and breakfast large?

    I was wondering the same thing. Well, not really since I know that as a general rule it doesn't make any difference when you eat. I realize, however, that it can make a big difference on an individual level. I would never go for the start with a big breakfast plan, because I'm not a morning person and I simply am not hungry when in the mornings. And, for me, eating when I'm not hungry makes me gain weight.
  • iAMaPhoenix
    iAMaPhoenix Posts: 1,038 Member
    I am not sure what is right, but this is a phrase I once heard. "Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Prince, and Dinner like a Pauper." I am sure there are many ways to look at it, but as long as you do not go over your caloric requirement, and try not to eat late in the evening.

    E.
  • Mixmode
    Mixmode Posts: 332
    Eating 5-6 small meals a day is much more beneficial to your health and weight maintenance than gourging at 2-3 meals. FACT.

    I too have heard have a big breakfast but I think that is with the understanding that you will be ACTIVE shortly after. Not going to an office to sit on your bum.
  • mapexdrummer69
    mapexdrummer69 Posts: 445
    Eating 5-6 small meals a day is much more beneficial to your health and weight maintenance than gourging at 2-3 meals. FACT.

    I too have heard have a big breakfast but I think that is with the understanding that you will be ACTIVE shortly after. Not going to an office to sit on your bum.


    False.




    Please explain your view.
  • loopylis
    loopylis Posts: 116 Member
    I tend to eat my biggest meal at dinner time, having a family we all sit down together to eat our main meal. But I am going to start eating my main meal at lunch time. I cant handle a large breakfast, its enough for me having cereal and juice! I have heard its better to eat your main meal at lunch time, I assume this is because there are more hours in the day to burn those calories off!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Eating 5-6 small meals a day is much more beneficial to your health and weight maintenance than gourging at 2-3 meals. FACT.

    I too have heard have a big breakfast but I think that is with the understanding that you will be ACTIVE shortly after. Not going to an office to sit on your bum.

    FACT? Do you have any reputible supporting documentation of that "fact"?

    "Gary Schwartz, a researcher with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, answered, "There's no strong data supporting either [three meals a day or six meals a day] as being more effective" for losing weight or maintaining lost weight. "Clearly there is an emphasis on reducing caloric intake overall, whether it be by decreasing meal size and/or decreasing meal frequency." (http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=56254)

    "March 31, 2011--Eating small meals frequently throughout the day may not help take the bite out of your hunger while you are dieting, according to a new study" (http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20110331/best-diet-plan-6-mini-meals-or-3-squares-a-day)
  • mapexdrummer69
    mapexdrummer69 Posts: 445
    Your body doesn't just stop burning calories when you sleep. I burn 800 calories a night in my sleep.
  • TK421NotAtPost
    TK421NotAtPost Posts: 512 Member
    I would make my largest meal occur right after my workout. However, you'd be really splitting hairs and are getting into areas like calorie partitioning.

    As for the people arguing over meal frequency, my take on that is that splitting your total food intake over 6 meals per day can be beneficial in certain situations. As with most areas of nutrition, it really isn't a yes or no answer, but more of an "it depends" type of situation where you need to know the context in which you are answering the question.
  • mapexdrummer69
    mapexdrummer69 Posts: 445
    I would make my largest meal occur right after my workout. However, you'd be really splitting hairs and are getting into areas like calorie partitioning.

    As for the people arguing over meal frequency, my take on that is that splitting your total food intake over 6 meals per day can be beneficial in certain situations. As with most areas of nutrition, it really isn't a yes or no answer, but more of an "it depends" type of situation where you need to know the context in which you are answering the question.


    In a sense, yes. But claiming that it has relevance to anything outside of personal preference is just not true.


    Telling someone they have to eat 5-6 meals a day to lose and maintain weight, or even telling them they'll get better results doing that could lead to them doing it out of the feeling of necessity instead of preference. That's my biggest issue with the misinformation being spread about meal frequency/timing/size.


    Edit: I'm aware you haven't made such claims.
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