Heaviest Meal of Day

rtorres1985
rtorres1985 Posts: 18
edited October 29 in Food and Nutrition
Hi,

I was wondering, has anyone been successful in making their lunchtime meal the heaviest of the day? My body seems to like eating light in the am heavy during lunch and light for dinner. I just dont know if im setting myself up for failure?

Thanks!

Replies

  • Loulady
    Loulady Posts: 511 Member
    Nope, you're good. It doesn't matter when you eat.

    You could down all of your calories for the day right before you went to bed if that makes you happy.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    Yes. That's the way I've eaten for most of my life.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    You are setting yourself up for success by doing things that are effective in a way that you like. In that context, meal timing matters. But it doesn't have any influence on how your body absorbs calories, or your metabolism, or things like that, if that's what you are asking.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Yes it's what I do too!
  • jdwils14
    jdwils14 Posts: 154 Member
    Research shows that if you do not eat a good amount of protein in the morning, it makes it harder to sustain muscle. So, if you eat light in the morning, try to make it consist of protein.

    There is lots of information on this on the interwebs. Just google it.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    jdwils14 wrote: »
    Research shows that if you do not eat a good amount of protein in the morning, it makes it harder to sustain muscle. So, if you eat light in the morning, try to make it consist of protein.

    There is lots of information on this on the interwebs. Just google it.

    Do you have a link to this research? I know many people who don't eat at all until lunch and have done great at maintaining/gaining muscle. Overall protein intake is far more important than nutrient timing when it comes to preserving lean mass.
  • jdwils14
    jdwils14 Posts: 154 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    jdwils14 wrote: »
    Research shows that if you do not eat a good amount of protein in the morning, it makes it harder to sustain muscle. So, if you eat light in the morning, try to make it consist of protein.

    There is lots of information on this on the interwebs. Just google it.

    Do you have a link to this research? I know many people who don't eat at all until lunch and have done great at maintaining/gaining muscle. Overall protein intake is far more important than nutrient timing when it comes to preserving lean mass.

    This review study conducted in 2013 would agree with you:
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3879660/

    This study mentions the importance of Leucine in muscle protein synthesis:
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3529694/

    Also, this article references Dr. Layman's study on protein synthesis thresholds, backing up the 2nd NCBI study:
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-the-muscle-prof-what-are-the-ideal-macros-for-my-breakfast.html

    Many other articles show the effects of morning protein on hunger throughout the day. Also, protein is vitally important at night to resist catabolism while sleeping.

    There is evidence for both cases, and many people succeed both ways. So, it comes down to personal preference and experience.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    jdwils14 wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    jdwils14 wrote: »
    Research shows that if you do not eat a good amount of protein in the morning, it makes it harder to sustain muscle. So, if you eat light in the morning, try to make it consist of protein.

    There is lots of information on this on the interwebs. Just google it.

    Do you have a link to this research? I know many people who don't eat at all until lunch and have done great at maintaining/gaining muscle. Overall protein intake is far more important than nutrient timing when it comes to preserving lean mass.

    This review study conducted in 2013 would agree with you:
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3879660/

    This study mentions the importance of Leucine in muscle protein synthesis:
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3529694/

    Also, this article references Dr. Layman's study on protein synthesis thresholds, backing up the 2nd NCBI study:
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-the-muscle-prof-what-are-the-ideal-macros-for-my-breakfast.html

    Many other articles show the effects of morning protein on hunger throughout the day. Also, protein is vitally important at night to resist catabolism while sleeping.

    There is evidence for both cases, and many people succeed both ways. So, it comes down to personal preference and experience.

    Correct. Personal preference and adherence are the most important factors. Nutrient timing can give competitive athletes a slight edge in their sports, but for the average person it comes down to what they can stick to long term.
  • Wolfena
    Wolfena Posts: 1,570 Member
    Mine varies between lunch and dinner depending on my schedule... if I eat a big meal at lunch I'll have a smaller dinner (or just a snack) but generally speaking I prefer to save my big meal for when I am home, I love to cook and eat it with my husband :)
  • nemo3590
    nemo3590 Posts: 11 Member
    I find that my willpower is at its weakest in the hours directly before bedtime, while I have virtually no appetite in the hours immediately after waking up. This has led to a meal schedule of one meal at around 6pm that is worth about 3 quarters of my calories, followed by a snack/light meal about an hour before bed to deal with last-minute cravings. Not every day is the same, obviously, but this system has really helped keep me on track, where I used to fail because I consumed all my calories my 6pm, which sometimes caused me to binge at night.
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
    dinner is my heaviest because i like dinner so much i want to eat a lot of it haha. Sometimes it is lunch and if we go out for break sometimes its breakfast. you will succeed because you are doing what works for you, meal timing doesnt matter. Also bringing up the slight advantage that bodybuilders get with meal timing is meaningless because A. slight tiny advantage B. 90% of people are not bodybuilders
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    edited July 2016
    Eh, it depends.
    Sometimes I eat 1-2 large meals, and others I eat smaller portions throughout the day. Sometimes I fast after I wake for 6 hours, while others I eat around 1-2 hours after I wake. It's all over the place for me, but I mostly fast and do larger meals. I like to have most of my carbs before and after I lift/work out.

    Has this impacted on my weight loss? Nope.
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