I need advice about Meal times.

1hottwoman
1hottwoman Posts: 18 Member
edited December 2 in Health and Weight Loss
I know everyone has there own thoughts on this topic but I am wanting some advice or just everyone's opinions. I want to know if you think having your bigger meal at lunch or dinner is better and why. I am trying to keep to my 1200 calories and loose weight and just need some help!

Replies

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    edited May 2016
    This content has been removed.
  • StephanieStaffordMead
    StephanieStaffordMead Posts: 15 Member
    Most people think that having breakfast be your biggest meal, lunch smaller and dinner smallest is the way to go. When do you do your exercise or when are you most active? 1200 calories seems a bit low. A lot of people also suggest having 3 main meals with 2 or 3 healthy snacks depending on how long you are awake each day. There are a lot of different opinions on a lot of things related to losing weight. You will have to just try some things and see what works for you. :)
  • mom22dogs
    mom22dogs Posts: 470 Member
    I don't really think it matters what works for everyone else. You need to figure out what works for you.
  • Kingvjackson
    Kingvjackson Posts: 17 Member
    Search up Intermittent Fasting to use as a diet plan. It helps you make a structure for your meals. That, healthy diet, and exercise has been helping me out so far.
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    Kingvjackson wrote: »
    Search up Intermittent Fasting to use as a diet plan. It helps you make a structure for your meals. That, healthy diet, and exercise has been helping me out so far.

    IF is definitely not for everyone. All the OP needs to do is get a caloric deficit to lose weight.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    I like having my bigger meals late in the day. I don't like eating early. I look forward to a big dinner and some substantial snacks at bedtime. Making room in my budget daily for these keeps me on track the rest of the day.
  • akerra27
    akerra27 Posts: 117 Member
    For myself I do 5 small meals per day. I find this paired with a time schedule has worked the best for me. I do a semi big breakfast protein shake for lunch and big dinner then 2 snacks normally high protein.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    I never eat in the morning. My first meal of the day is after work around 6:oo pm. Then I have a snack before bed.
  • ShrinkinMel
    ShrinkinMel Posts: 982 Member
    edited May 2016
    Mine varies. Some days I eat a bigger lunch than dinner, Summer is a big time when I might do that because it's hot in the evening because we had turned our A/C temp up to not have even more outrageous bill than 300+ that already happens. Other times I have a big breakfast little to no lunch and a normal moderate dinner.

    Snacks happen in between sometimes based on activity level that day or hunger levels. most days I work out(5-6 days) so I eat between 1800-2100 calories losing just fine. You appear to have less but are you sure 1200 is the accurate best for you? If you are worried your meal times I'd guess its not really working for you now? If it is working why fix what isn't broken. Try varying the amount and not settling on 1200 exactly or always being UNDER it. Let yourself go over it a bit and most definitely do if you exercise at all.

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    It is better if you like it that way, and that would be the only reason for eating like that. I personally like to eat half of my calories at dinner, and the rest split into three other meals. Because I like it, I have no problems sticking to a good diet. If I were to eat in a way that didn't fit me, I'd rebel and end up eating whatever, and not necessarily well. How I know this? Because I tried for years to adhere to some "imaginary perfect diet", and the end result was terrible eating habits and obesity.
  • Laughter_Girl
    Laughter_Girl Posts: 2,226 Member
    I don't think it matters much. I plan my meals as the day goes along. Sometimes I want a bigger breakfast, but most times I eat a huge dinner instead. Wishing you the best!
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    The evidence on this is inconclusive at this point so we can't really say that one method is arbitrarily superior and even if it were, personal preference and lifestyle factors should still primarily drive your decision about this for adherence purposes.

    That being said, I do think it's a good idea to make sure your first meal has a pretty good chunk of protein in it.
  • sashayoung72
    sashayoung72 Posts: 441 Member
    I just went through this thought process myself. Who made the gotta have breakfast rule? some days i'm not hungry until lunch so i might have a bar with my coffee or eat it a bit later then i have a decent lunch 4-500 calories, when i get home i have a cup of coffee and make dinner and i'll eat 500-600 calories and still have a snack at night. This works for me, others like the huge breakfast. But I had heard these "hard and fast rules" that had NO SCIENTIFIC basis. The diet industry and industrialisation of modern times (i.e. lunch break) are the ones that make people feel like they need to eat at specific times. You do you :smiley:
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    sashayoung72 wrote: »
    I just went through this thought process myself. Who made the gotta have breakfast rule? some days i'm not hungry until lunch so i might have a bar with my coffee or eat it a bit later then i have a decent lunch 4-500 calories, when i get home i have a cup of coffee and make dinner and i'll eat 500-600 calories and still have a snack at night. This works for me, others like the huge breakfast. But I had heard these "hard and fast rules" that had NO SCIENTIFIC basis. The diet industry and industrialisation of modern times (i.e. lunch break) are the ones that make people feel like they need to eat at specific times. You do you :smiley:

    Kellogg's.
  • sashayoung72
    sashayoung72 Posts: 441 Member
    @kommodervaran AND THE MILK INDUSTRY!!! Conspiracy's everywhere!
  • professorhuggins
    professorhuggins Posts: 72 Member
    I have personally found that for me if i don't have a big dinner and after dinner snack, I'm starving. It doesn't matter if I have eaten 600 or 1600 calories I need more food at the end of the day for satiety. But what works for me isn't for everyone!
  • Vegplotter
    Vegplotter Posts: 265 Member
    I think it's not so much about when you eat meals but about what you do afterwards. The logic of a big breakfast is that it gives you ready fuel to work all morning.
    I've taken to having a short walk after dinner, which I feel helps the digestion and walks off any extra calories I might have consumed at dinner.
    My doctor says little and often. So I'd start from the point of attempting to make each meal fairly equal and then modify that to match the energy you plan to consume afterwards.
    Remember sleeping does consume calories!
    Good luck.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    1 - 1200 calories doesn't include exercise, so keep that in mind.
    2 - for me, lunch is the biggest meal.
  • nixxthirteen
    nixxthirteen Posts: 280 Member
    On work days, I have 3 meals. Breakfast is around 300, lunch is closer to 500, and dinner is 300-500. The remaining of my calories goes to a couple snacks (one mid-morning and one before bed). Currently eating 1500-1800 depending on the day.

    When I don't work, I sleep in and eat a very heavy brunch, a snack, reg. size dinner, and another snack :).

    This is the routine that works best for my appetite, and it took a bit of playing around to figure it out. Everyone is different!
  • louisepaul16
    louisepaul16 Posts: 261 Member
    During the week I have my main meal at lunchtime, and a lighter dinner (normally) but at weekends it's reversed. I prefer to have my main meal at lunch and not go to bed on a full stomach, at the weekend I go to bed so much later so it doesn't really matter. Haha.

    I know that if I have a big dinner and weigh myself the next morning, I will likely have gained weight since the previous day (I weigh myself every morning) and as my weigh in recording day is on Mondays, that can demotivate me sometimes but I don't think it really makes a huge amount of difference. Just as long as you are aware of these things.
  • Alarae21
    Alarae21 Posts: 171 Member
    Weekdays, I get up at 6:30am but don't really start to eat anything until 10am, which is a protein shake. Having a shake means I can sip it often throughout the morning which helps my satiety. I got for a 30 minute walk at lunch and then eat at 1:30pm. I may have a small chocolate bar (<100 cals) at some point during the working day. I finish at 4:30pm, drive home, get ready and go to the gym for classes between 6-8pm. Come back, have a shower, make dinner and eventually eat between 9:30-10pm.

    Weekends are different. Saturday I don't eat until around 1pm as I go to the gym in the morning from 9:15am-12pm. Then I'll have a snack around 4ish if hungry then dinner around 7-8.

    Sunday is just whenever. No gym!

    I have no set eating pattern for every single day and I'm losing fine. More importantly, I eat when I'm hungry, not because a certain time says to.

    Find out what works best for you and your satiety. For instance, I would die of starvation from intermittent fasting but some people swear by it.
  • louisepaul16
    louisepaul16 Posts: 261 Member
    sashayoung72 wrote: »
    I just went through this thought process myself. Who made the gotta have breakfast rule? some days i'm not hungry until lunch so i might have a bar with my coffee or eat it a bit later then i have a decent lunch 4-500 calories, when i get home i have a cup of coffee and make dinner and i'll eat 500-600 calories and still have a snack at night. This works for me, others like the huge breakfast. But I had heard these "hard and fast rules" that had NO SCIENTIFIC basis. The diet industry and industrialisation of modern times (i.e. lunch break) are the ones that make people feel like they need to eat at specific times. You do you :smiley:


    And yes I totally agree with you! I've eaten breakfast every day on autopilot for nearly 30 years. Hungry or not. When I start d doing this plan I agreed only to eat when I am hungry, and on day one I pulled a bowl out of the cupboard and stopped and thought "hmmm.....am i actually hungry? No I'm not" so I had a cup of coffee and off I went. I've rarely eaten breakfast since. What I do notice is on the days I eat breakfast (normally at 6am) I am starving by 8:30, then again by 10:30 and I have lunch normally at 12. The days o don't eat breakfast I can easily go until lunchtime without being hungry, so it works for me, I eat less overall during the day and I don't care what the breakfast crew tell me, it's not gonna happen!!!!
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    1hottwoman wrote: »
    I know everyone has there own thoughts on this topic but I am wanting some advice or just everyone's opinions. I want to know if you think having your bigger meal at lunch or dinner is better and why. I am trying to keep to my 1200 calories and loose weight and just need some help!

    Depends on you.
    I get hungrier later in the day. I eat a smaller breakfast (around 200 calories) at 8 AM and the rest of my calories from noon to 10 pm. My dinner is 500-600 calories typically. It has been working for me for over a year. My diary is public.
    Lunch and dinner are the meals I share with other people and when events are likely so it works out having more calories for those times of day.
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