What should be the biggest meal of the day?

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  • jennypapage
    jennypapage Posts: 489 Member
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    depends. if i can't help myself and eat most of my calories for breakfast, i cook something very low in calories for dinner. if i'm having a light breakfast, i cook something with more calories for dinner.it changes everyday depending on my hunger .
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    It depends. Do what's working best for you. Doesn't matter. I eat half my calories for dinner. I too think the biggest meal is your "dinner"; timing and what you call it is not relevant.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Whatever works for you. For me, it's lunch.
  • TheRootofGroot
    TheRootofGroot Posts: 118 Member
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    I make sure that my meal with the highest amount of carbs ends up being post workout, and usually it ends up being the largest overall meal as well.
    It's something I adopted when I was cutting and following intermittent fasting.
  • BarbellzNBrotein
    BarbellzNBrotein Posts: 306 Member
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    The answers totally subjective some like a massive breakfast some like no breakfast at all (me). Personally I like my biggest meal to be my last meal for the simiple fact that it puts me in a relaxed mood and I enjoy eating big meals when I know I don't need to be up and about. *There are days when circumstances alter this scenario but this is my preference.
  • TheRootofGroot
    TheRootofGroot Posts: 118 Member
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    Do you guys think it would be more significant to body composition if you're at a significant surplus?
  • BarbellzNBrotein
    BarbellzNBrotein Posts: 306 Member
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    dissentingdude wrote: »
    Do you guys think it would be more significant to body composition if you're at a significant surplus?

    Significant as in effective? Yes for sure. Why wouldn't you.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    TonyB0588 wrote: »
    Alluminati wrote: »
    TonyB0588 wrote: »
    My biggest meal is usually in the middle of the day. For many people, breakfast is small or non-existent due to early morning rush, but this is not a good habit.

    Excuse me?

    Not sure which bit you're questioning but:
    1) It has been suggested that breakfast should be a significant meal because it comes after the longest period of fasting (not eating) in each day. Many people seem not to have the time for it.
    2) Most of my life has been Breakfast, Dinner, Supper, rather than Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Just the way it worked out for me, and I wouldn't change it now. I've also heard its not good to eat a very heavy meal just before going to bed. Some set a 7:00pm limit, some say 9:00pm. (Some are now starting to cook dinner at that time and eating at 10:00pm or later!!)

    1. I skip breakfast because I don't like it. I eat a large meal for dinner with dessert as late as 10pm and have lost 50 lbs this way.
    2. That's your own personal preference and I'm glad it works for you but its not so for everyone.

    You should do your own research before believing everything you hear .
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,527 Member
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    It's all a matter of preference. For me, it also depends on what I'm doing that day. If I'm partying with family, the biggest meal is whatever time we're eating that day.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • TheRootofGroot
    TheRootofGroot Posts: 118 Member
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    BarbellzNBrotein wrote: »
    dissentingdude wrote: »
    Do you guys think it would be more significant to body composition if you're at a significant surplus?

    Significant as in effective? Yes for sure. Why wouldn't you.

    I meant more as in putting on fat since you'd be loading up with the most calories right before not doing anything for 8 or so hours.
  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,045 Member
    edited July 2016
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    dissentingdude wrote: »
    BarbellzNBrotein wrote: »
    dissentingdude wrote: »
    Do you guys think it would be more significant to body composition if you're at a significant surplus?

    Significant as in effective? Yes for sure. Why wouldn't you.

    I meant more as in putting on fat since you'd be loading up with the most calories right before not doing anything for 8 or so hours.

    No. Eating a large amount of food before bed is not, in and of itself, going to cause you to put on fat. I'm not totally sure what you're asking here, but it sounds like you're asking if eating at a calorie surplus, and eating a lot of those calories before bed, is going to cause you to put on more fat than eating at a calorie surplus and eating your calories throughout the day or immediately after a workout.

    Meal timing is not relevant in this way. You might find the "meal patterning" and "around workout nutrition" sections of this article interesting: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/meal-patterning-part-1-book-excerpt.html/
  • roysteri
    roysteri Posts: 5 Member
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    In Spain we have a saying, "Break fast like a king, eat lunch like a peasant, have dinner like a beggar" but we also eat dinner quite late, around 9 or 10 pm so it's easy to not be starving by the time you go to bed and fall into late night snacking.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    roysteri wrote: »
    In Spain we have a saying, "Break fast like a king, eat lunch like a peasant, have dinner like a beggar"but we also eat dinner quite late, around 9 or 10 pm so it's easy to not be starving by the time you go to bed and fall into late night snacking.

    I could not wait that long for dinner, plus i've already been asleep for an hour or two by 9-10pm :open_mouth:

  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    roysteri wrote: »
    In Spain we have a saying, "Break fast like a king, eat lunch like a peasant, have dinner like a beggar" but we also eat dinner quite late, around 9 or 10 pm so it's easy to not be starving by the time you go to bed and fall into late night snacking.

    I despise this saying.
  • ScreeField
    ScreeField Posts: 180 Member
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    If you're an adult, eat whenever works for you. For kids, breakfast is a wise move.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    dissentingdude wrote: »
    BarbellzNBrotein wrote: »
    dissentingdude wrote: »
    Do you guys think it would be more significant to body composition if you're at a significant surplus?

    Significant as in effective? Yes for sure. Why wouldn't you.

    I meant more as in putting on fat since you'd be loading up with the most calories right before not doing anything for 8 or so hours.

    You're breathing, digesting food, continuing brain and heart function, repairing tissues, circulating blood, producing heat and a bunch of other things. Metabolic activity doesn't stop when you go to sleep. Even if you ate 100% of your calories immediately before bed you'd have to pull energy from somewhere to function the other 23 hours of the day. Surplus, deficit, maintenance. Doesn't really matter.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    Does anyone know if our bodies are as efficient at digesting/using our food when at rest/sleep? So nothing slows down or repairs when we're sleeping compared to when we are awake and active?
  • fitgirldc
    fitgirldc Posts: 55 Member
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    Whatever your body needs. I don't believe in eating like a King in the morning if I'm not hungry. Stayed hungry the rest of the day and gained when I tried that. Since I'm not usually hungry in the am. I workout and if I am hungry, I will eat 2 boiled eggs around 11am. I usually eat lunch around 3ish which is typically my version of a "heavy" meal. In any case, I try not to eat after 6:30 pm.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    You guys who have an early cutoff - and have a family and/or social life - how does that work when it comes to eating with friends/family? Aren't the most social meals usually in the evening? Do you not eat/not attend/make exceptions/everybody else has an early cutoff too?

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