Going 9-12 hours between breakfast and lunch?

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immahappyhappyhorse
immahappyhappyhorse Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I have breakfast at around 6.20am on weekdays, then I head off to campus. Depending on the day, I'll have lunch at 3+pm and sometimes I'll skip lunch completely and have dinner at 6 or so when I reach home. It's because I can't bring packed lunches out since the lunches I'd normally eat (chicken, eggs, cooked veggies, etc) spoil at room temperature (and lunch time is at 2+pm so I can't be carrying them around for 8 hours without them going bad). Plus it's pretty inconvenient to bring a whole meal there. On weekends I eat at normal timings. It's generally Monday to Wednesday that I may skip lunch, and Thursday that I may have lunch at 3+. Is this safe when I'm trying to lose weight? Like a form of fasting or something? Or will it cause a drop in metabolism or something, to go 9-12 hours between meals, affecting rate of weight loss? I don't really have a choice as the foods that can be left out without spoiling like banana and bread dont really fill me up. And the food at my campus are really bad for weight loss, all either oily or high in sodium and fat, fried, processed, with the only healthy stuff being fruit cups and water.

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  • Enthusiast84
    Enthusiast84 Posts: 171 Member
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    Eating times don't matter for weight loss. As long as you are eating at a defecit you will lose weight. I don't have my first meal until about 1pm most days and it's been working for me where I have continued to lose weight.

    If you are content with your eating routine don't change it.

    Good luck ☺
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Meal schedules don't become more or less safe by formalizing them and calling them intermittent fasting; eating like this is completely safe if you have enough fat on your body and no illnesses that requires eating more often; it might be less than optimal if your goal was weight gain. Your metabolism doesn't drop from not eating for 24 hours, it takes starvation, which is too little food for a long time. And no foods are "bad for weight loss". You lose weight when you over time consistently take in fewer calories than you burn.
  • Tq43
    Tq43 Posts: 85 Member
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    I think you're ok doing what you're doing. It's the calorie deficit that causes weight loss not the timing of your meals.
    I can't go more than 3-4 hours without eating because I've a hiatus hernia and reflux, so small meals at regular intervals suit me.
    If I didn't have tummy trouble, I wouldn't worry about the timing.
    Good luck.
  • Mrs_P_6817
    Mrs_P_6817 Posts: 23 Member
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    If I’m working I have my breakfast at 5.30 and I can get my lunch break anywhere from 12-6pm so I know how you feel. I’m a nurse, working on a busy ward which is why break times are intermittent. Have you tried taking snacks that won’t spoil such as fruit, carrot sticks or even a cereal bar. A sandwich once a day won’t hurt as long as you plan it into your calorie count. I keep a small bag of grapes in my locker so I can stick it in my pocket and eat like sweeties to keep me going till break. Our patients bring us lots of sweets, chocolate and cakes as a thank you and it takes willpower and planning to be able to resist them. That’s not to say I don’t indulge occasionally, but I do count what I have.
  • jefamer2017
    jefamer2017 Posts: 416 Member
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    You can always have at least a snack like almonds or something else that can be kept at room temperature just to keep you from getting too hungry. Also ready to drink protein shakes are pretty good.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    edited March 2018
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    Are you functional on days when you don't eat anything for that long or are you tired, having trouble concentrating, irritable, hungry? Are you eating all your calories and getting enough nutrients at other times of the day or shorting yourself?
    If you feel fine waiting that long and are eating enough at your meals then it doesn't matter much.

    There are foods that don't spoil at room temperature or in a cooler for hours.
    Nuts, seeds, nut butters
    Tuna pouches, canned tuna, canned chicken
    Fresh fruit, canned fruit, fruit cups
    Fresh vegetables, canned vegetables, salad
    Canned beans, hummus
    Rice
    Pasta
    Bread, muffins, bagels
    Granola bars, cereal bars, protein bars
    Canned shakes or meal supplement drinks
    Trail mix, dried fruit
    Beef jerky, pemmican
    Milk alternatives
    Crackers
    popped popcorn
    Cereal

    When I was in college the cafeteria sold sandwiches made to order and had a salad bar. If you didn't like the hot food these were always options.

    Weight loss is about calories not type of food or timing.
  • amberellen12
    amberellen12 Posts: 248 Member
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    I eat only two meals a day. 1st between 11 - 1 and my 2nd between 5 - 7. I generally fast for about 16 hours each day which allows the body to go into the catabolic state which cleans and repairs itself.

    So to the point it won't hurt you to have long breaks between meals.

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