What should be the biggest meal of the day?

2

Replies

  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,046 Member
    edited July 2016
    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
    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
    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
    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
    If you're an adult, eat whenever works for you. For kids, breakfast is a wise move.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    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?

    I don't have a social life, I'm a homebody. If we do go out to dinner with friends the meet up time is always 6-6:30pm, then we eat and leave lol This happens every 2-3 months or so.
    Family get togethers always start at lunch time, we start early so we can spend more time together.
    Kids are grown, only me and hubby at home, but even when they were little dinner time was always between 5-6pm. I have dinner early, my husband doesn't eat his til 7:30ish, i can't remember the last time we ate dinner together at home...

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    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?

    I don't have a social life, I'm a homebody. If we do go out to dinner with friends the meet up time is always 6-6:30pm, then we eat and leave lol This happens every 2-3 months or so.
    Family get togethers always start at lunch time, we start early so we can spend more time together.
    Kids are grown, only me and hubby at home, but even when they were little dinner time was always between 5-6pm. I have dinner early, my husband doesn't eat his til 7:30ish, i can't remember the last time we ate dinner together at home...

    Thanks for sharing! Insight is always a good thing. (Almost always, lol)
  • Dawn410
    Dawn410 Posts: 120 Member
    I tend to eat lunch as my biggest meal. Im usually not very hungry until 11 or 12, so I have a small breakfast like a banana and nuts or a protein shake. I tend to eat a small dinner early (around 5 or 6) and a light snack after evening workout. If I try to push my dinner back, I feel awful and I end up snacking a ton and then eating dinner too, so I decided to just move my dinner up a couple hours. It works well for me
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    It depends on your preferences and lifestyle. My biggest meal is dinner because I work all day and I don't feel comfortable working on a full stomach so I eat light during the day.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,002 Member
    jade097 wrote: »
    Bigger breakfast and lunch or a big dinner?

    Personal preference...
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,002 Member
    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!!)

    Nonsense...
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
    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.

    Weight loss/gain occurs over an extended period of time.. if you're in a deficit you're in a deficit. It doesn't matter if you eat before a marathon or before you pass out for 12 hours.
  • ScreeField
    ScreeField Posts: 180 Member
    edited July 2016
    although my vote's for: life's short, do whatever works for you--I find this an interesting topic that I have followed for some time.

    there is good information to support early eating corresponding to health and improved weight loss. one study* compared mice who were given free access to high fat food (all-day eaters) vs a second group who were only allowed to eat the same high fat food within an 8 hour window during the early part of the day (early eaters). type of food and caloric intake was the same for both groups. this means, the mice that ate early in the day consumed the same number of calories as those who spread their meals throughout the day ate.

    the all-eay eaters developed obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and poor sleep-wake rhythms. the early eaters were significantly healthier: lost body fat, had normal glucose tolerance, reduced serum cholesterol, improved motor function, and normal sleep cycles.

    here's the results of another study**--this time in humans:

    The percentage of late eaters (after 15:00 h) was significantly higher in the primarily poor weight-loss-responders (∼70%) than in both secondarily poor weight-loss-responders (∼42%) and good weight-loss-responders (∼37%) (p = 0.011). Consistently, primarily poor weight-loss-responders had lunch later as compared to good and secondarily poor weight-loss-responders (p = 0.034).

    In the above study, three groups of people trying to lose weight were compared. those with the best results (most weight loss) were those that ate their primary calories earlier in the day as compared to those that ate their primary calories later.



    further reading: *Your brain on food; how chemicals control your thoughts and feelings, G.L. Wenk, departments of psychology and neuroscience and molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics, ohio state university. **Timing of food intake is associated with weight loss evolution in severe obese patients after bariatric surgery, T. Ruiz-Lozanoa, J. Vidalb, c, d, A. de Hollandab, F.A.J.L. Scheere, M. Garauletf, g, 1, M. Izquierdo-Pulidoa, h,
  • Conskill
    Conskill Posts: 29 Member
    Depends. I would say Post-Workout meal.
  • Nachise
    Nachise Posts: 395 Member
    Whatever works for you. My breakfast is usually between 320-400 calories, and always involves nonfat plain yogurt, cereal, banana, and either berries or stone fruits like peaches. My lunches tend to be light and contain protein, and sometimes involves salads with a lot of vegetables. My biggest meal is dinner, which will include a small dessert. My breakfast routine is pretty inflexible. My body likes it and craves it. I always log as soon as I eat, or shortly thereafter.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    ScreeField wrote: »
    although my vote's for: life's short, do whatever works for you--I find this an interesting topic that I have followed for some time.

    there is good information to support early eating corresponding to health and improved weight loss. one study* compared mice who were given free access to high fat food (all-day eaters) vs a second group who were only allowed to eat the same high fat food within an 8 hour window during the early part of the day (early eaters). type of food and caloric intake was the same for both groups. this means, the mice that ate early in the day consumed the same number of calories as those who spread their meals throughout the day ate.

    the all-eay eaters developed obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and poor sleep-wake rhythms. the early eaters were significantly healthier: lost body fat, had normal glucose tolerance, reduced serum cholesterol, improved motor function, and normal sleep cycles.

    here's the results of another study**--this time in humans:

    The percentage of late eaters (after 15:00 h) was significantly higher in the primarily poor weight-loss-responders (∼70%) than in both secondarily poor weight-loss-responders (∼42%) and good weight-loss-responders (∼37%) (p = 0.011). Consistently, primarily poor weight-loss-responders had lunch later as compared to good and secondarily poor weight-loss-responders (p = 0.034).

    In the above study, three groups of people trying to lose weight were compared. those with the best results (most weight loss) were those that ate their primary calories earlier in the day as compared to those that ate their primary calories later.



    further reading: *Your brain on food; how chemicals control your thoughts and feelings, G.L. Wenk, departments of psychology and neuroscience and molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics, ohio state university. **Timing of food intake is associated with weight loss evolution in severe obese patients after bariatric surgery, T. Ruiz-Lozanoa, J. Vidalb, c, d, A. de Hollandab, F.A.J.L. Scheere, M. Garauletf, g, 1, M. Izquierdo-Pulidoa, h,

    As a counter to that:
    The entirety of 16:8 intermittent fasting.
  • Eoghan91
    Eoghan91 Posts: 17 Member
    For me, it's dinner. Big proteins at dinner time help me keep full until the next day, without having to worry about snacking later on, since I will be full.
  • ScreeField
    ScreeField Posts: 180 Member
    edited July 2016
    I don't think you can counter a study with its own outcomes. Or in laymans terms, one can't argue that intermittent fasting is the reason that the study showing proof of the effectiveness of intermittent fasting (on health and weight loss) is wrong. Perhaps you typed "counter" when you meant to type "support".

    Regardless, further information demonstrates a daylight hour IF (intermittent fasting) program doesn't interrupt circadiam rhythms, yet a nighttime IF program does. Effect of intermittent fasting on circadian rhythms in mice depends on feeding time. Oren Froya, Nava Chapnika, Ruth Miskinb. And there is a good relationship between quality REM (sleep) and improved health and normal weight. "Furthermore, disruption of circadian rhythms is involved in the development of cancer, metabolic syndrome, and obesity." The relationship between nutrition and circadian rhythms in mammals. Oren Froy.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    ScreeField wrote: »
    I don't think you can counter a study with its own outcomes. Or in laymans terms, one can't argue that intermittent fasting is the reason that the study showing proof of the effectiveness of intermittent fasting (on health and weight loss) is wrong. Perhaps you typed "counter" when you meant to type "support".

    Regardless, further information demonstrates a daylight hour IF (intermittent fasting) program doesn't interrupt circadiam rhythms, yet a nighttime IF program does. Effect of intermittent fasting on circadian rhythms in mice depends on feeding time. Oren Froya, Nava Chapnika, Ruth Miskinb. And there is a good relationship between quality REM (sleep) and improved health and normal weight. "Furthermore, disruption of circadian rhythms is involved in the development of cancer, metabolic syndrome, and obesity." The relationship between nutrition and circadian rhythms in mammals. Oren Froy.

    Sure I can counter this study with the thousands and thousands of people who do IF and are faring exceptionally well because they stick to their calories, as opposed to this very limited subgroup of people observed with nothing but dietary recall to see if they even ate at a deficit.
  • ScreeField
    ScreeField Posts: 180 Member
    edited July 2016
    so, you are saying, the study (showing that IF works in mice) is wrong because IF works in humans? and your reason is: because the study used "a limited subgroup of people observed with nothing but dietary recall". The researchers did not use humans, nor did they ask the mice in the study to recall what they ate.

    A foundation of your theory of intermittent fasting IS the study I cited. You can't counter or you just throw your entire theory (IF) out the door. believe it or not, you are agreeing with me.
  • fitgirldc
    fitgirldc Posts: 55 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    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?

    Well my children are all adults now. Have date lunches/nights with my husband. For those dinners, I have to be flexible of course. I just eat light during the day as always and order salmon or something baked/broiled with veggies. For late functions I will eat a healthy snack before we go out so I won't be tempted to eat...but I will drink a few alcohol calories! LOL! I'm not a formal competitor and I'm not missing a date night with my Boo!
  • xvolution
    xvolution Posts: 721 Member
    For me breakfast is usually the biggest, since there's a 12 hour stretch between dinner and breakfast.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    xvolution wrote: »
    For me breakfast is usually the biggest, since there's a 12 hour stretch between dinner and breakfast.

    Makes sense, but how do you get 12 hours? You must go to bed really early!!
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    TonyB0588 wrote: »
    xvolution wrote: »
    For me breakfast is usually the biggest, since there's a 12 hour stretch between dinner and breakfast.

    Makes sense, but how do you get 12 hours? You must go to bed really early!!

    ....or maybe his last meal is earlier in the evening. :worried:
  • justkris_gettingfit
    justkris_gettingfit Posts: 239 Member
    My biggest meal is usually lunch, because thats when I feel the hungriest. Eating big in the morning makes my stomache upset, and eating big at night makes sleep difficult.

    Plus eating light at those times gives me room to fit in my fruits and veggies.

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