Light vs large lunch

alwinter09
alwinter09 Posts: 25 Member
edited November 18 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys, i apologize in advance if this is a repeat question, i haven't found anything on the boards to help me. I tend to eat a moderate caloric breakfast (between 300-400 calories) then a heavier than i should snack, followed by a very light lunch, and usually a very heavy dinner. I have seen research both ways as to the benefits of either light vs heavy lunch/dinner but I'm not sure what's best for weight loss.

I tend to eat breakfast around 7, a snack around 9. Lunch at 12:30 and dinner around 8. I am working on smaller meals, but since i workout straight after work, then commute the hour home, that's why dinner is so late (i go to bed around 10). Any helpful insight is greatly appreciated.
Thank you :)

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    The best eating pattern is the one that makes it easier for you to hit your calorie goal. This will vary according to your preferences and your lifestyle.

    When I was losing weight, I ate the majority of my calories in the evening because I like to have a heavy dinner. It worked really well for me.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    For "weight loss" in general, it really doesn't matter.

    What matters is how it impacts you, and this is where "everyone is different." Some people prefer a small lunch, giving them more calories to eat elsewhere. Others prefer making lunch their largest meal, because it makes them feel full for much of the day.

    You say you're planning to eat multiple small meals, which again is fine if that's what you like, but it's not necessary. Other people eat a few (or even 1!) large meals and are happy with that.
  • Chadxx
    Chadxx Posts: 1,199 Member
    It is all about the calories. Beyond that, it is whatever best keeps you satisfied. Personally, I used to have similar schedule and what I did was have a decent breakfast and lunch, then eat a snack right after work for a little boost before going to the gym as well as help keep me satisfied until dinner. It worked well for me. Now, I work out at home in the evening after dinner but I often work late and have a protein bar and coffee to hold me over and simply adjust my calories at dinner.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    As others have already said, do what works best for you to keep yourself satisfied. Meal timing is a highly personal thing, and eating at one time vs another doesn't really matter.

    I personally like a decent-sized lunch and use a very high percentage of my calories for dinner, so keep breakfast and snacks fairly light.
  • nicolepburgess91
    nicolepburgess91 Posts: 82 Member
    It's a personal preference really. I personally prefer a lighter lunch and a heavier dinner because it keeps me from late night munching. But if you struggle with afternoon munching, a heavier lunch, lighter dinner may work best for you.
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,374 Member
    I eat two meals a day - lunch and after lunch :) I still lose weight.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited April 2017
    Light vs heavy dinner has no practical effect on weight loss beyond personal preference and how you feel it helps your diet. If you were diabetic, there may be some theoretical things to discuss where a light dinner seems to produce more favorable blood glucose results. Even in case of diabetics, if at some point it becomes a binary choice between sticking to the diet and following the light dinner rule, diet always wins because weight loss is one of the most important things they could do for their disease if they are overweight.

    In short, eat however you like to eat and don't get lured into that tendency to overcomplicate thing.

    ETA: for me, lunch is the largest meal and dinner is either light (unless I'm going out) or consists of random snacking, for no reason other than that being how I've always eaten.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    The best eating pattern is the one that makes it easier for you to hit your calorie goal.

    QFT
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    Whatever works best for you.

    What works best for ME is skipping breakfast, having a moderately sized lunch, then a larger dinner. I find that I'm equally hungry by noon if I eat breakfast or not, so I prefer to save my calories for later in the day. I like having a big dinner that keeps me full till bedtime.
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
    It seems like there is some evidence that weight loss is easier when you eat your heaviest meal earlier in the day. After all, think of how the Sumo Wrestlers bulk up - they eat their bulkiest meal at dinner (not junk, but high-calorie).

    Just some 'food' for thought...
    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/104/4/982.abstract

    BUT you gotta do what works for you.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited April 2017
    icimani wrote: »
    It seems like there is some evidence that weight loss is easier when you eat your heaviest meal earlier in the day. After all, think of how the Sumo Wrestlers bulk up - they eat their bulkiest meal at dinner (not junk, but high-calorie).

    Just some 'food' for thought...
    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/104/4/982.abstract

    BUT you gotta do what works for you.

    For something with such a large personal variance as weight loss, these studies can't be generalized, especially through abstracts. So more people got an appetite reduction with a larger lunch than not, this says nothing about what individual data looked like. For all we know, that appetite reduction may have not been observed in many people in the large lunch group. It's best to take these things into consideration and then decide for yourself from your own personal experience if it applies to you or not. I've always had a large lunch because that's what we culturally do, it did not prevent me from becoming morbidly obese.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    edited April 2017
    I do 0-200 cals for breakfast, 500 for lunch, the rest for dinner. I like big dinners and eat them at like 4:30 pm. Meal timing doesn't matter for weight loss unless you're too hungry and go over your calories.
  • brznhabits
    brznhabits Posts: 126 Member
    I spread out pretty evenly. 400 Cals breakfast, 400 Cals lunch, 400 cals dinner. It took a lot of trial and error to figure out what works for me. I moved my lunch to earlier and have a heavy snack mid-late afternoon, 300 cals. I found that if I snack mid morning I eat lunch too late and if I don't snack mid afternoon I overeat at dinner. A moderate (vs. large) dinner helps with my insomnia.

    When my schedule changes, early morning meetings, travel, etc. I still try to eat every 4 hours.

    What works for you could be drastically different.

    Physiologically (?) it makes no difference when you eat, whatever helps you stay on target.
  • alwinter09
    alwinter09 Posts: 25 Member
    Thanks so much everyone, you've all been super helpful!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    icimani wrote: »
    It seems like there is some evidence that weight loss is easier when you eat your heaviest meal earlier in the day. After all, think of how the Sumo Wrestlers bulk up - they eat their bulkiest meal at dinner (not junk, but high-calorie).

    Just some 'food' for thought...
    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/104/4/982.abstract

    BUT you gotta do what works for you.

    Their training is very intense. It could be they eat so much in the evening because many people find it hard to train after eating a heavy meal.
  • Sp1tfire
    Sp1tfire Posts: 1,120 Member
    I eat at night almost every night and have had no ill effects. In fact, I wake up feeling better if I have a bedtime snack. Overall calorie amounts for the day is all that matters. I've heard that meal timing and amounts only matter if you're a high performance athlete doing multiple workouts per day.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    I eat my biggest meal at night, right before bed... sometimes in bed. My weight loss has been exactly as expected no better, no worse. For lunch I usually have leftover chicken from dinner and a salad w/english muffin and cheese. About 380 cals
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    katadx wrote: »
    I eat at night almost every night and have had no ill effects. In fact, I wake up feeling better if I have a bedtime snack. Overall calorie amounts for the day is all that matters. I've heard that meal timing and amounts only matter if you're a high performance athlete doing multiple workouts per day.

    I sit at a desk all day, and I train at night so I find a similar schedule works for me.
  • __TMac__
    __TMac__ Posts: 1,669 Member
    My danger zone for overeating is at night, so I typically spread my calories thusly.

    Breakfast: 250
    2nd Breakfast: 250
    Late lunch: 250
    Dinner: 750
    Evening snack: 250

    Extra exercise calories get loaded into the evening snack.

    54 lbs down. 24 to go.
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,246 Member
    edited April 2017
    Everyone is different, that's for sure! My calorie spread is usually something like this:

    300 breakfast
    200 second breakfast
    300 lunch
    300-400 dinner
    200-250 snacks

    Due to the husband's work schedule (late lunch) we normally eat dinner around 8:00 pm, so the timing doesn't seem to matter. I try to not go over 1500 for the day WITH exercise and I'm losing at a slow but steady pace - 25 pounds down and about 10 yet to go.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    edited April 2017
    My calorie spread is

    Breakfast: 50 (coffee)
    Lunch: 400
    Dinner: 400
    After Dinner Snacks: 650

    Do what you feel most natural doing, it doesn't make a difference.
  • allisonl6
    allisonl6 Posts: 37 Member
    I tend to eat when I am hungry. For example, I ate 663 calories for breakfast today. Some days I skip breakfast completely. As long as finish the day around my calorie goal, I don't worry about the when :)
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