Meal Timing

raleighgirl09
raleighgirl09 Posts: 690 Member
edited November 19 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm curious about how others deal with timing meals. I am often not hungry in the morning and have learned over time that for me, I need to be hungry to eat. However - no matter when that is, it will start what I call the "food parade" which is metabolism kicking in; once I eat, I am on the hook for eating at regular intervals. My strategy is to begin the food parade later in the day so that I can eat later at night, which is another aspect specific to me and my eating style (including the parts that are not great). Doing this, getting started later so I can eat later in the day and have the same amount of calories, is my strategy. This suits me and allows me to consume the calories needed to lose weight.

What do *you* do? Why do you do it? What nugget of wisdom or hard-won experience that has worked for you can you share? I love success stories - and they don't need to mirror my style of preferences. But no matter what - I always come away with something useful just for having asked. Thanks in advance to all who choose to share!! =>

Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    I pretty much do what you do. Except I wake up hungry! The hunger is more ignorable if I don't eat though so I wait until later to eat.
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
    Most people will tell you that as far as CICO goes, it doesn't matter what time of day your eat. Most nutritionists will tell you that breakfast is important to kick start your metabolism, and I believe there's something to be said for your body needing fuel in order to burn (like, burn calories). But that's one of the hot topics here and you'll hear some heated opinions about how they don't eat breakfast but are successful at losing or maintaining weight. And you'll hear a lot of opinions about whether or not it's a good/bad thing to eat late at night. At the very least, eating late at night it may keep you from sleeping well, and insufficient sleep impacts those hunger and fullness hormones like ghrelin and leptin, so there's that.

    For me - I do eat a small breakfast (about 200 cals with 4-5 gms of protein) and that seems to keep me awake during the morning without kicking off that "food parade" (love that phrase!). I've also found that it works for me to eat my dinner later, 7-8pm, and that keeps me from wanting to snack on junk food before I go to bed. It also works for me to have just a bit of protein before I go to bed - usually something like an ounce of cheese.

    You'll get lots of advice all over the spectrum. The bottom line is try different things and find something that works for you.
  • vko95
    vko95 Posts: 1 Member
    I'm basically the same way. One semester my classes started at 2:30 and ended at 5:30, so I'd start my day at noon by working out, then having a protein shake and a bunch of carrots and hummus before my 2:30. I'd have a protein bar and half a peanut butter sandwich after my classes until my 8:30 dinner. Finally, I'd conclude the day with more carrots lol. So yeah, I had a shorter time frame to eat but the big thing was that the food I ate was pretty light in calories.

    In retrospect, although I far surpassed my weight goals, my diet was pretty garbage for a 200 lbs. male. I lost A LOT of muscle with that weight and now I'm trying to find a good balance. The good thing, though, was that I never went to sleep hungry.

    Good luck to you in your goals!
  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
    edited June 2017
    So no drinks a bit of coffee with a bit of milk when they wake up? Because that would start the "eating day". Do you drink water only? A diet coke?
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    TheWJordinWJordin wrote: »
    So no one drinks a bit of coffee with a bit of milk when they wake up? Because that would start the "eating day". Do you drink water only? A diet coke?

    Why does it matter? I drink coffee, with milk (A minimal amount) Many people find it to be an appetite suppressant
  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
    edited June 2017
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    TheWJordinWJordin wrote: »
    So no one drinks a bit of coffee with a bit of milk when they wake up? Because that would start the "eating day". Do you drink water only? A diet coke?

    Why does it matter? I drink coffee, with milk (A minimal amount) Many people find it to be an appetite suppressant

    I'm asking how can a person go for a few hours after waking without eating anything at all. And milk is a food. I use 4 ounces of milk in my coffee. That's not skipping breakfast. Just a small breakfast. Do they just drink water?
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    edited June 2017
    TheWJordinWJordin wrote: »
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    TheWJordinWJordin wrote: »
    So no one drinks a bit of coffee with a bit of milk when they wake up? Because that would start the "eating day". Do you drink water only? A diet coke?

    Why does it matter? I drink coffee, with milk (A minimal amount) Many people find it to be an appetite suppressant

    I'm asking how can a person go for a few hours after waking without eating anything at all. And milk is a food. I use 4 ounces of milk in my coffee. That's not skipping breakfast. Just a small breakfast. Do they just drink water?

    A couple of tablespoons of milk is not breakfast.

    And not eating anything for a few hours isn't difficult. This morning I woke up at 5 when my husband got up, I was doing stuff around the house, ran to the shops (2km),bought some groceries, walked home, prepared some meals, sat down for a coffee at 930.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    TheWJordinWJordin wrote: »
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    TheWJordinWJordin wrote: »
    So no one drinks a bit of coffee with a bit of milk when they wake up? Because that would start the "eating day". Do you drink water only? A diet coke?

    Why does it matter? I drink coffee, with milk (A minimal amount) Many people find it to be an appetite suppressant

    I'm asking how can a person go for a few hours after waking without eating anything at all. And milk is a food. I use 4 ounces of milk in my coffee. That's not skipping breakfast. Just a small breakfast. Do they just drink water?

    That's really semantics and the kind of thing you would only worry about if you were legit fasting for some reason. When people talk about whether to eat breakfast or not, they're talking about a meal.

    I ate breakfast most of my life because that's what you're supposed to do, and I really struggled to eat less calories to lose some weight. Then I started just having a cup of coffee with a little milk in the morning and not eating until noon, and it changed everything. I have no problem (well most of the time) hitting my calorie goal and am hardly ever hungry.

    Meal timing is personal preference. I hate to bring it up, since I don't have a link, so feel free to take this with a grain of salt, but I read recently that there's really only proof that breakfast is important for children, the benefits for adults aren't universal.
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
    TheWJordinWJordin wrote: »
    So no drinks a bit of coffee with a bit of milk when they wake up? Because that would start the "eating day". Do you drink water only? A diet coke?

    On my drive to work, I have a Diet Coke (for the caffeine!) and then usually a packet of Emerald Breakfast on the Go

  • Colt1835
    Colt1835 Posts: 447 Member
    Lately I eat 3 small meals about 3 hours apart. Then I eat dinner and a snack or dessert afterwards. I don't eat when I'm hungry. I eat when I feel like I need energy and I like to go carb heavy early in the day.

    I also have coffee black when I wake up. I jokingly call it my breakfast, but it's really just so I don't yell at people in the morning.
  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
    TheWJordinWJordin wrote: »
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    TheWJordinWJordin wrote: »
    So no one drinks a bit of coffee with a bit of milk when they wake up? Because that would start the "eating day". Do you drink water only? A diet coke?

    Why does it matter? I drink coffee, with milk (A minimal amount) Many people find it to be an appetite suppressant

    I'm asking how can a person go for a few hours after waking without eating anything at all. And milk is a food. I use 4 ounces of milk in my coffee. That's not skipping breakfast. Just a small breakfast. Do they just drink water?

    I wake up, wash my synthroid down with water, work out for ~30 minutes (more water), shower, dress, hustle kids to car (with husband, we carpool), drop kids at daycare, and finally break my fast with a breakfast I made the night before and the coffee my husband makes me while I'm dressing.

    I wake up at 5:30ish and I don't eat until 7:30 or 7:45. I'm usually pretty hungry by then but that's just how it works out.
  • Muana1005
    Muana1005 Posts: 172 Member
    I like to split meals. A bit of breakfast at 5am the rest at 8-9am. A bit of lunch at 12-1pm, rest at 6pm, then dinner at 8pm. It's the only way I feel sane.

    I also work on a weekly average net. So have flexibility if I really need a bit more some days.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited June 2017
    I think this is a great question and that you're really into something. I'm not sure about the "metabolism" thing (to be frank, I think "metabolism" in this sense is nonsense), but I believe it's an appetite thing that makes sense when you think about it.

    We can go for days without eating if we have to. It's not pleasant, and it's not ideal, but we can. Eating regularly is good for us. "Regularly" can be a lot of different things. Eating is important, and we are reminded by our brains (and stomachs) to eat, and that is good. It feels good to eat when you're hungry. But when food is scarce, it makes sense for the brain to shut up a bit. And then instead drive us hard to eat whenever food is actually available.

    This worked like clockwork for millions of years. But then we humans got a bit too clever, or, we were always too clever, but the effects of that need time to really snowball out of control. Too easy access of calorie dense food all the time has to be handled differently than seasonal feast/famine cycles. Luckily, the same brain that made a steady, reliable flow of cheap, safe and tasty food possible, also has the ability to regulate intake of it. We just have to engage it. This is what you are doing by learning to recognize your own preferred eating pattern and implementing something that works for you.

    I have had a lot of meal setups through the years. The most extreme were 1) while rapidly gaining weight: postponing eating until mid-afternoon, and then overeating starch-heavy dinners and grazing on sweets and snack foods until bedtime, and 2) for a while during weight loss: 6-7 meals spread out from first thing in the morning to right before bed. After I hit goal weight, number of meals just gradually adjusted itself, and I've ended up with 3 meals, 3-4 hours apart, which still creates a steady rythm of food intake, but has the amazing effect of reducing obsession with hunger/satiety cues and energy levels/mood. I get up, have water, then coffee, read, check the forums, do some stuff, drink more water, do more stuff, and eat breakfast 3-4 hours after I get up, no problem. I can eat when I'm hungry, I can eat when I want to eat, I can eat when it's time for a meal. It also has the optimal variety:effort ratio. I just can't micromanage with three meals a day. It's so liberating. Food has finally found its proper place.
  • ActionAnnieJXN
    ActionAnnieJXN Posts: 116 Member
    I have lost 90 lbs. whilst eating most of my allotted calories (1350) in the evening. I drink milky coffee upon waking (50 calories), then switch to water as the morning progresses. I have a bit of fruit mid-morning (100 cals.) and my first meal around 1:30 (300 cals.) That leaves me approximately 900 calories for the evening. My second and most substantial meal is around 5:30 (about 600 cals.) and then I have healthy snacks (whatever I have left for the day, usually about 300 cals.) in the evenings as I unwind and relax, stopping at 9:30.

    I have found that this is the best way for me to schedule my eating because my natural inclination is to eat less in the mornings and more in the evenings. I always had trouble in the past with the old "no eating after dinner rule" when I would try to diet, so I finally decided to work WITH my own body clock instead of trying to fight against it, and it is one of the best changes I've made.

    This way of eating does not affect my ability to exercise - I exercise in 15 minute segments throughout the day, with a goal of one hour total daily. I also have a goal of eating at least 7 fruits and vegetables every day for the health benefits (I'm a cancer survivor), although I lose just as well if I eat crappy food instead - as long as I keep to my calorie limit. But I do have more energy to exercise and feel better overall if I am properly nourished, and the fiber helps keep hunger at bay. Watermelon is particularly helpful in that regard - 10 ounces, which is about 3.5 cups, is only 88 calories and it's very filling and packed with vitamins.

    Anyway, sorry I got off topic a bit - I could talk all day about this, but I try not to bore people too much face to face, haha! I have more to lose, but I am confident that I can do it using this regimen - it really does work! :-)
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    I've been conditioned to 3 meals a day for my entire life...breakfast when I wake up, lunch around noon, dinner at 5. It's so ingrained in me that trying to change it feels nearly impossible. If I go longer than an hour or two in the morning after I wake up without eating, I get shaky, irritable, and usually a migraine at some point.
    I do find that if I go off this schedule (eat dinner too early or too late, usually), I tend to binge eat to fill the space.
    Lately lunch has been my biggest meal of the day, though.
  • SkimpyMrsCarter
    SkimpyMrsCarter Posts: 105 Member
    edited June 2017
    I eat breakfast at 10a lunch at 2p and dinner at 6pm i do this everyday weather im hungry or not because it prevents me from overeating, and It helps me stay within my calorie goal. It helps me stay organized and i also plan my meals in my head of what im going to eat, and i drink plenty of water in between.Water only
  • InkAndApples
    InkAndApples Posts: 201 Member
    TheWJordinWJordin wrote: »
    So no drinks a bit of coffee with a bit of milk when they wake up? Because that would start the "eating day". Do you drink water only? A diet coke?

    I wake up at 5 and start my day with black coffee at around 7:30.... and most days drink only water until lunch. Largely because those are the two reliably available beverages at work. I often don't feel hungry before then, but if I do I grab something snacky at break time, usually with a hot chocolate.

    In response to the original question - I eat the vast majority of my calories at lunch, it's the only meal of the day I really eat. I usually save a couple of hundred calories for wine or chocolate in the evening, or if I have loads of calories from working out I tend to graze unless I'm banking them for something.
  • raleighgirl09
    raleighgirl09 Posts: 690 Member
    Fascinating to see all of the different routines - success comes in such individualized packaging. The best thing I ever did - and what I feel helped me lose 130 pounds over several years - was scrap anything that didn't work for me, work with whatever worked as long as it did and then change to something else when whatever that was stopped working. It was the change that encouraged me to continue and that was what I needed. Where I failed to plan was for maintenance so I am back at the losing, losing at least 50 of the 60 pounds gained over time, more than 30 pounds in the last year but 24 since starting MFP in April. I kept the majority off and this time around I feel more relaxed and I am definitely thinking the maintenance phase through and planning the awareness and logging as lifetime habits, even after I hit a goal and claim maintenance.
  • BarneyRubbleMD
    BarneyRubbleMD Posts: 1,092 Member
    I'm an insulin-dependent diabetic & have found it best to have 4 meals/day with each meal separated by 3 hours. I typically eat at 9am, noon, 3pm & 6pm verses the one-meal-a-day plan I use to follow. The 4 meals/day has greatly improved my diabetes, reduced my insulin requirements and made my post-meal blood sugars much more stable which has also kept my appetite in check making it much easier to stick to my diet & its calorie deficit (2000 calories/day diet with protein & carbs at 30% and fat at 40%). My weight has dropped 72 lbs since New Year's & my A1C dropped from 7.0 % to 5.4 % during that same time frame. With eating this way I'm only mildly hungry when the next meal time comes around. So, for me, "meal timing" (i.e. changing from one-large-meal-a-day to 4 smaller meals a day) has helped tremendously at improving my diabetes & working towards my weight loss goals.
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