Timing matters. More calories in morning?
merekins
Posts: 228 Member
Has anyone looked into the study that showed overweight women lost significantly more weight by having half their calories at breatfast than the women that had half at dinner? Same food and same calories over 12 wks. Assuming it would even out over longer amount of time but is curious if timing could be a quick start method for people.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23512957/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23512957/
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Replies
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Nope, not me.1
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I don’t like eating in morning and am close to my goal so not something I will be trying. But if that was an easy jumpstart for people to start with, that would be amazing. Heard about it on an NPR podcast.
https://www.npr.org/2016/05/31/479754700/food-for-thought-the-subtle-forces-that-affect-your-appetite1 -
I eat the highest amount of calories with breakfast, then less at lunch and even less at dinner.
I have to say that since I've developed this pattern, the weight loss has come faster.5 -
I eat most of my calories at dinner. I typically wake up feeling satisfied and don't eat breakfast. I've lost about 70 pounds.14
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When I was fat I skipped bfast to "cut calories" and then I would stuff my face after dinner because I was famished.
Eating fat in the morning, and a heavier bfast than dinner helps me stay in my calorie goal these days.7 -
I am complete reverse. I don’t see that changing. For 12wks? Sure. I could do it but not long term. What kept me on target was knowing I could fit pretty much whatever I wanted for dinner calorie wise. I focus on the foods I really want so my dinners are where I typically have majority of calories. If I had to have skimpy dinner for a year, I’d never have made it.8
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1) from the full article, it's not clear that eating less than the assigned calories was recorded as noncompliance
2) as I read it, a participant could report eating more than 10% above the assigned calories two days a week on average (with no upper limit to how much above the assigned calories were consumed) and be included in the results
3) calorie intake was self-reported (participants were given a list of food choices, but complying with those food choices and measuring amounts was up to the participants)
4) as I read it (although it's possible details on food choices were omitted), the big breakfast group was asked to eat tuna sandwiches and a salad for breakfast, along with some milk chocolate -- I'm thinking some people might not have been wolfing that down at 6 a.m.
I realize isolating 90+ people in a lab for 12 weeks is costly and a barrier to getting volunteers, but I would think in this day and age of meal delivery services, actually giving them the food and collecting the leftovers wouldn't be such a high hurdle, and would address at least some of the self-reporting issues.
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I eat the most calories at lunch most days. I wonder what they say about that?8
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Thanks for posting the link, I read the abstract only. I do better IF-style with a targeted 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm feeding period. We're all different. Thanks again.1
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Not sure about weight loss but as a diabetic I find my blood glucose control is better when I eat my largest meal at breakfast and gets worse throughout the day. Since insulin does have an effect on both metabolism and hunger it’s reasonable that there might be an effect on weight loss as well.
My main problem with this study is that I’ve read other studies that found the exact opposite, that timing had no effect, and I’m not able to determine why they got different results. Without verification I don’t put much faith in any single study.12 -
You lose weight with a caloric deficit. When you eat the calories makes no difference, as long as you can stick to the deficit.16
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The only impact a higher intake in the morning might have is providing more energy to fuel more vigorous activity like walking faster, lifting heavier loads, etc. Any extra weight loss will depend entirely on how you exert that energy.8
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The only impact a higher intake in the morning might have is providing more energy to fuel more vigorous activity like walking faster, lifting heavier loads, etc. Any extra weight loss will depend entirely on how you exert that energy.
That is possible.
However many of us have daily routines (like going to work for 8 hours) that are not going to change regardless of what we eat when - so moot point for many of us.3 -
I’ve just looked up that old adage ‘Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Prince, Dine like a Pauper’ to discover it is actually attributed to a nutritionist, Adelle Davis, in her 1954 book.
However it’s thought that this was based on a much older publication ‘The Haven of Health’ from 1584 by Thomas Cogan. He stated ‘Butter is gold in the morning, silver at noon and lead in the evening’.
So, clearly the idea that the bulk of energy intake earlier in the day is not a new concept for health! Interesting. 🧐
It makes a lot of sense, logically, that eating the bulk of food intake at a time of day when we’re more likely to be relaxing is not ideal, but it’s also how most people’s lives work in terms of schedule etc.
If there is a benefit I suspect it’s too slight to have a revelatory impact that’s worth the disruption to social scheduling for most.5 -
Did I miss it? How controlled was the study? How many participants?
My calories are equally spread out throughout the day through 3 meals and two snacks. Fasting, except water, for 12 hours between about 6 pm and 6 am, after supper through breakfast the following morning. I’ve lost half my body weight.
Everyone is different. I guess the advice that I received very early on, here on MFP, was right for me. Do what works best for you. As long as you eat at a calorie deficit you will lose weight. What works for one doesn’t necessarily work for all. A lot of great advice on MFP, and a huge data base of successful dieters.
The only thing cut and dried about losing weight is, consuming less calories than your body burns.5 -
On a normal day I eat almost all of my calories from mid-morning to early evening. This works for me because that is when I'm most active and I feel just better overall. Plus at night I mostly just relax, hangout with my family and read.
However, I keep a close eye on my calorie intake everyday. I feel that is more important and also staying consistent with it.3 -
your body does not care what time of day you eat your calories (medical conditions such as diabetes aside)
eat it in 3 equal meals. eat 10 small meals, eat 1 big meal. do what works for you.
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I lost over 90 lbs eating one small meal for my first meal and one large meal at dinner. It is easier for me to comply with my calorie regime if I can eat a more normal-sized dinner with my partner. If my partner was eating a regular sized meal while I was having to eat 300 calories I would not be able to keep it up very long, but eating 300 calories at my desk at work is no loss to me.
Whatever allows you to comply with the deficit that is best for you is what you should do.5 -
BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »I’ve just looked up that old adage ‘Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Prince, Dine like a Pauper’ to discover it is actually attributed to a nutritionist, Adelle Davis, in her 1954 book.
However it’s thought that this was based on a much older publication ‘The Haven of Health’ from 1584 by Thomas Cogan. He stated ‘Butter is gold in the morning, silver at noon and lead in the evening’.
So, clearly the idea that the bulk of energy intake earlier in the day is not a new concept for health! Interesting. 🧐
It makes a lot of sense, logically, that eating the bulk of food intake at a time of day when we’re more likely to be relaxing is not ideal, but it’s also how most people’s lives work in terms of schedule etc.
If there is a benefit I suspect it’s too slight to have a revelatory impact that’s worth the disruption to social scheduling for most.
Yes, people have been trying to convince people there is one preciously true way to eat for a very long time
As to the OP, keep in mind that scientific certainty is not found in one study, even if it is well designed. It takes multiple studies, carried out by different parties, replicating results over and over again, without equal studies failing to replicate those results, to start to arrive at a consensus.6 -
I normally eat half my calories at breakfast, tend to have a larger lunch than dinner, and many days have no dinner at all. My breakfasts look more like other people's lunches, including two or more servings of vegetables. It's a great fit for me because it reduces the likelihood of acid reflux being a problem at bedtime. The downside is that it takes some effort to fit in social dinners.
Despite the fact that I eat the way they are advocating, I doubt that there is much of anything beyond CICO at play.
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »1) from the full article, it's not clear that eating less than the assigned calories was recorded as noncompliance
2) as I read it, a participant could report eating more than 10% above the assigned calories two days a week on average (with no upper limit to how much above the assigned calories were consumed) and be included in the results
3) calorie intake was self-reported (participants were given a list of food choices, but complying with those food choices and measuring amounts was up to the participants)
4) as I read it (although it's possible details on food choices were omitted), the big breakfast group was asked to eat tuna sandwiches and a salad for breakfast, along with some milk chocolate -- I'm thinking some people might not have been wolfing that down at 6 a.m.
I realize isolating 90+ people in a lab for 12 weeks is costly and a barrier to getting volunteers, but I would think in this day and age of meal delivery services, actually giving them the food and collecting the leftovers wouldn't be such a high hurdle, and would address at least some of the self-reporting issues.
I couldn't find the full text but figured something like this almost had to be the case, as the abstract was claiming equal calories, different results.1 -
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BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »I’ve just looked up that old adage ‘Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Prince, Dine like a Pauper’ to discover it is actually attributed to a nutritionist, Adelle Davis, in her 1954 book.
However it’s thought that this was based on a much older publication ‘The Haven of Health’ from 1584 by Thomas Cogan. He stated ‘Butter is gold in the morning, silver at noon and lead in the evening’.
So, clearly the idea that the bulk of energy intake earlier in the day is not a new concept for health! Interesting. 🧐
It makes a lot of sense, logically, that eating the bulk of food intake at a time of day when we’re more likely to be relaxing is not ideal, but it’s also how most people’s lives work in terms of schedule etc.
If there is a benefit I suspect it’s too slight to have a revelatory impact that’s worth the disruption to social scheduling for most.
It made a lot of sense in a world without electricity and where just about everyone had hard labor during the day, even the housewives. Even my Grandpa (a dairy farmer) ate that way. He got up and had a bowl of oatmeal before milking the cows. When that was done, he came in and had a big fry-up breakfast before going back out to do more farm work. The mid day meal was also big and supper was light. The calories fueled the hard work. Fewer calories fueled his leisure in the evening.
These days most people do not work that hard therefore they don't need to eat so much in the morning to fuel their day.5 -
My biggest meal, by far, is in the evening.
A typical day consists of only about 250 calories for breakfast, 250 calories for lunch, and 1200 calories for dinner, wine, dessert.
I had no issues losing weight this way and it works for me and my life.1 -
paperpudding wrote: »The only impact a higher intake in the morning might have is providing more energy to fuel more vigorous activity like walking faster, lifting heavier loads, etc. Any extra weight loss will depend entirely on how you exert that energy.
That is possible.
However many of us have daily routines (like going to work for 8 hours) that are not going to change regardless of what we eat when - so moot point for many of us.
Respectfully, daily routine is irrelevant. My post was referring specifically to the inevitable physical activity we perform the second we get out of bed. Someone who walks briskly between tasks is going to burn more calories throughout the day than someone who shuffles along an identical routine.2 -
unstableunicorn wrote: »paperpudding wrote: »The only impact a higher intake in the morning might have is providing more energy to fuel more vigorous activity like walking faster, lifting heavier loads, etc. Any extra weight loss will depend entirely on how you exert that energy.
That is possible.
However many of us have daily routines (like going to work for 8 hours) that are not going to change regardless of what we eat when - so moot point for many of us.
Respectfully, daily routine is irrelevant. My post was referring specifically to the inevitable physical activity we perform the second we get out of bed. Someone who walks briskly between tasks is going to burn more calories throughout the day than someone who shuffles along an identical routine.
Not convinced that big breakfasts will make any difference really to how much energy we expend doing the same things as we would be doing without the big breakfast .
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I don’t like eating in morning and am close to my goal so not something I will be trying. But if that was an easy jumpstart for people to start with, that would be amazing. Heard about it on an NPR podcast.
https://www.npr.org/2016/05/31/479754700/food-for-thought-the-subtle-forces-that-affect-your-appetiteNorthCascades wrote: »I eat most of my calories at dinner. I typically wake up feeling satisfied and don't eat breakfast. I've lost about 70 pounds.corinasue1143 wrote: »I eat the most calories at lunch most days. I wonder what they say about that?You lose weight with a caloric deficit. When you eat the calories makes no difference, as long as you can stick to the deficit.unstableunicorn wrote: »The only impact a higher intake in the morning might have is providing more energy to fuel more vigorous activity like walking faster, lifting heavier loads, etc. Any extra weight loss will depend entirely on how you exert that energy.
Please explain to me how anyone can disagree with each one of the above. For instance, NorthCascades, do they disagree that you eat most of calories at dinner? Did they check your diary? Or does someone who lives and works with you have an account here and know better? Or do they disagree with how much you’ve lost? Did they check your scales?
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corinasue1143 wrote: »I don’t like eating in morning and am close to my goal so not something I will be trying. But if that was an easy jumpstart for people to start with, that would be amazing. Heard about it on an NPR podcast.
https://www.npr.org/2016/05/31/479754700/food-for-thought-the-subtle-forces-that-affect-your-appetiteNorthCascades wrote: »I eat most of my calories at dinner. I typically wake up feeling satisfied and don't eat breakfast. I've lost about 70 pounds.corinasue1143 wrote: »I eat the most calories at lunch most days. I wonder what they say about that?You lose weight with a caloric deficit. When you eat the calories makes no difference, as long as you can stick to the deficit.unstableunicorn wrote: »The only impact a higher intake in the morning might have is providing more energy to fuel more vigorous activity like walking faster, lifting heavier loads, etc. Any extra weight loss will depend entirely on how you exert that energy.
Please explain to me how anyone can disagree with each one of the above. For instance, NorthCascades, do they disagree that you eat most of calories at dinner? Did they check your diary? Or does someone who lives and works with you have an account here and know better? Or do they disagree with how much you’ve lost? Did they check your scales?
I was wondering this too lol. Apparently someone doesn't know what "disagree" means.0 -
Don't get lost in one off studies. If you're going to utilize studies to determine your diet you should utilize ones that have had repeated results.
A lot of "diet" science is finally being called out for the bunk it is.
-WHEN- you eat calories should entirely depend on what feels good to you. The important part for weight loss is that you are burning more calories than you consume.
I would suggest using black coffee and your fasting state in the morning to push you further into the day without eating. The further you can push out not eating, the less insulin your body will produce (which inevitably means fat storage if you're consuming a large number of calories earlier).
You should also always break your fast by starting with leafy greens or water vegetables as they cause the lowest insulin response. Then move on to proteins, then to carbs, then to sugar/fruit.
Black coffee and drinking a lot of water will help when you're feeling hungry but it isn't quite time to eat yet.
If this doesn't feel good (and it takes a while to adjust) or if you have blood-sugar issues, you should just try to stick to eating veggies for breakfast first for a month or two, including calorie restricting, and see where you get in like 60 days.
Remember that the chief factors that affect weight loss are insulin sensitivity, and that you are consuming fewer calories than you are burning.0
https://youtu.be/IZCWIUpNIUg
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