Does it matter when you eat ?
weedspot
Posts: 29 Member
Hi,
I’ve been tracking my macros for a few weeks now. And I have a question.
Does it matter when you eat ? What I mean is, should the calories be evenly spread out through the day or can you have 2 large meals and no 3rd or only a small 3rd meal.
For years I’ve read that you can only digeste a small amount of protein at once. So is it a waste to have a leak with 40-50g of proteins ?
I’ve been tracking my macros for a few weeks now. And I have a question.
Does it matter when you eat ? What I mean is, should the calories be evenly spread out through the day or can you have 2 large meals and no 3rd or only a small 3rd meal.
For years I’ve read that you can only digeste a small amount of protein at once. So is it a waste to have a leak with 40-50g of proteins ?
2
Replies
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For weight loss, meal timing is really low on the importance scale. It's mostly about what makes you feel satisfied. Some people prefer one meal a day, others six small meals. Personally, I'm a three meals a day kind of gal. Hasn't affected my loss one bit and never has. The most important thing for weight loss is making sure you're eating your calorie goal and you're in a calorie deficit. You havent mentioned tracking calories here,, but thats certainly something you'll want to do. Fasting is absolutely not necessary.. Nutritionally speaking, of course, you want a good variety of foods, get enough protein, and get plenty of exercise if you're able.
Good luck!4 -
The timing of your meals is extremely important.
The best way to lose body fat is to not eat. It's called fasting. "Stop running and eat fat" is the way to go.
When you are fasting your insulin levels are low. Assuming you are not insulin resistant. Your body is eating itself. 90% fat loss and 10% muscle mass loss. You are in fat burning mode. Bodybuildrrs would say you are "cutting".
When you eat your insulin level goes up. Your body is in fat and muscle storage mode. Bodybuilders call this "bulking".
OP, none of this is necessary for weight loss. Plenty of folks lose without the need to fast. If its something you want to do, that is great, but it is unnecessary.12 -
It doesn't matter at all as long as you are meeting your calorie goal.
You have to find what works best for you and keeps you happy and satisfied...some people find that eating small meals throughout the day is better for them. For others, a few larger meals works better. It does not matter.4 -
Plenty of people lose without cutting carbs or fasting.
And 99% of those people will gain it all back. And more.
There are also plenty of people who lose with fasting, or cutting carbs, and regain because they stop doing what they did to lose the weight.
For the OP: I advise choosing an eating pattern that works for you and keeps you satiated. I see everything from 6 small meals a day to one large meal a day work for people. Preventing weight regain has little to do with the method you use to lose (as long as it is a healthy approach) and more about finding a successful maintenance plan when the time comes, as apposed to just "ending your diet" as so many do. Unless you have very specific fitness or body competition type goals I would suggest keeping your goal simple - consistently hit your calorie/macro goal - and not focus too much on the little details that have a much, much smaller impact on success.10 -
The timing of your meals is extremely important.
The best way to lose body fat is to not eat. It's called fasting. "Stop running and eat fat" is the way to go.
When you are fasting your insulin levels are low. Assuming you are not insulin resistant. Your body is eating itself. 90% fat loss and 10% muscle mass loss. You are in fat burning mode. Bodybuildrrs would say you are "cutting".
When you eat your insulin level goes up. Your body is in fat and muscle storage mode. Bodybuilders call this "bulking".
While I am not a professional bodybuilder, I am more of a recreational one, I've run plenty of cut cycles. I have never fasted for any of my cuts. In fact I have most recently run a cut where I eat every few hours around the clock. Lost weight (fat) perfectly, no issues with fat storage because of eating and spiking insulin.
OP as long as your eating works with your schedule, satiety levels and does not affect your sleep, I would say do what works for you. And the whole protein absorption limit has been a bit exaggerated. In general it can be beneficial to spread out protein through the day especially of your goals are muscle related, but in the end as long as you get enough it shouldn't matter too much.11 -
Too many schools of thought on this. All with their own studies confirming effectiveness. I have a more simple approach.
Time your calories when you need them. On waking, before/after training. Balance everything between.2 -
No. As long as you are at a calorie deficit.6
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The timing of your meals is extremely important.
The best way to lose body fat is to not eat. It's called fasting. "Stop running and eat fat" is the way to go.
When you are fasting your insulin levels are low. Assuming you are not insulin resistant. Your body is eating itself. 90% fat loss and 10% muscle mass loss. You are in fat burning mode. Bodybuildrrs would say you are "cutting".
When you eat your insulin level goes up. Your body is in fat and muscle storage mode. Bodybuilders call this "bulking".
"Bulking" absolutely isn't used to refer to general "eating" in the bodybuilding community. It's a specific strategy to gain mass. There are bodybuilders (and other people) that eat regularly throughout the day and they aren't necessarily bulking. That's a whole different thing.6 -
Plenty of people lose without cutting carbs or fasting.
And 99% of those people will gain it all back. And more.
I'm just sayin'.
"OP, none of this is necessary for weight loss. Plenty of folks lose without the need to fast. If its something you want to do, that is great, but it is unnecessary."
FYI the fasting folks are just as likely to regain than the other “diets” because most people “diet” until they hit a certain point and then return to what they did previously.
OP if fasting works for you, do it. It doesn’t work for many of us so we use other methods.
There is no right or wrong answer, it’s about personal preference. Anyone who tells you otherwise is being a jerk by insisting THEIR way is the ONLY way.
Fasting works the same as weight watchers, the same as keto, etc etc. You eat in a deficit. For some that’s easier to do in a smaller window. I like to be able to eat whenever I decide I’m hungry, so for me, that would suck. I weigh and record my calories and exercise, eat what I want (portion control), when I want. It’s about changing my lifestyle NOT about doing it until I lose what I want. That is what’s works for me; maybe something else will work for you.
Just don’t listen to the “my way or the highway people”. 😊5 -
I respectfully disagree. The approach I use follows the science. CICO + hormonal response.
All humans do best on a carnivoir based diet. I.e. fat and protein. Human beings do not need carbohydrates.
Homo Sapian biology is 200,000 years old. The agrarian revolution is 10,000. Modern nutritional theory 50 years.
Adkins -> Bernstein -> Carbs are addictive poison.
Keep telling yourself that. I'll keep eating greens and berries and maintaining a healthy body weight.
There's really no science demonstrating that we're better off eliminating vegetables from our diet.12 -
Here’s a study on timing of meals. It is interesting. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2771095?0
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There's the Honeymoon Phase that comes after a big weight loss. It's another Rocky Mountain High.
So much dieting dogma is a bunch of malarkey. I was Paleo before Paleo.
No one owns that word Paleo. You can't trademark it. Tsazani, I gave you a hug. You're doing well and you are on a roll. Tread lightly and stay humble. All of it can slip right through your fingers when rigid dieting rules and regulations go sideways. It's so subtle because the brain is sooo strong. Ghrelin blowback is real.
Vegetables have carbs. Even cashews are the carbiest nut of all. When you're in the weeds with food rules and up to your hindend in alligators step back and reassess. Keep your head engaged. Be willing to change things. All or Nothing Thinking is a thing. Many of us grew up believing that the all or nothing approach to food was the ticket to paradise.
Come to find out, it only digs you into a much deeper hole with food.9 -
I respectfully disagree. The approach I use follows the science. CICO + hormonal response.
All humans do best on a carnivoir based diet. I.e. fat and protein. Human beings do not need carbohydrates.
Homo Sapian biology is 200,000 years old. The agrarian revolution is 10,000. Modern nutritional theory 50 years.
Adkins -> Bernstein -> Carbs are addictive poison.
I am trying to gain muscle so my carbs are very important for that. Not to mention trying to hit 3200 cals + on no carbs would be a nightmare for me. I enjoy my vegetables, beans and grains. I personally don't find carbs addictive at all. If I had to name one thing I have issues moderating it's actually cured meats and cheeses.9 -
Hi,
I’ve been tracking my macros for a few weeks now. And I have a question.
Does it matter when you eat ? What I mean is, should the calories be evenly spread out through the day or can you have 2 large meals and no 3rd or only a small 3rd meal.
For years I’ve read that you can only digeste a small amount of protein at once. So is it a waste to have a leak with 40-50g of proteins ?
It depends on your goals. If you just want to lean out, be a healthy weight and be fit then IMO, no it does not matter. If your goal is to "maximize" and or "optimize" your results and squeeze every last ounce of potential out of yourself then meal timing can play a factor. A small one but a factor none the less...3 -
The timing of your meals is extremely important.
The best way to lose body fat is to not eat. It's called fasting. "Stop running and eat fat" is the way to go.
When you are fasting your insulin levels are low. Assuming you are not insulin resistant. Your body is eating itself. 90% fat loss and 10% muscle mass loss. You are in fat burning mode. Bodybuildrrs would say you are "cutting".
When you eat your insulin level goes up. Your body is in fat and muscle storage mode. Bodybuilders call this "bulking".
Minutia...1 -
I respectfully disagree. The approach I use follows the science. CICO + hormonal response.
All humans do best on a carnivoir based diet. I.e. fat and protein. Human beings do not need carbohydrates.
Homo Sapian biology is 200,000 years old. The agrarian revolution is 10,000. Modern nutritional theory 50 years.
Adkins -> Bernstein -> Carbs are addictive poison.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
What a bunch of nonsense...
OP THIS is what I was talking about avoiding
Tsazani, if this works for you, do you. It’s still no different than any other diet in that CICO is what causes weight loss. “All humans do best” mentality is frankly, bs. Each person is an individual and should be treated as such. Humans are omnivores FYI.
Carbs are NOT poison nor do I (and many others) find them addictive. Enjoy your restrictive (and frankly awful sounding) diet.
8 -
Dogmom1978 wrote: »I respectfully disagree. The approach I use follows the science. CICO + hormonal response.
All humans do best on a carnivoir based diet. I.e. fat and protein. Human beings do not need carbohydrates.
Homo Sapian biology is 200,000 years old. The agrarian revolution is 10,000. Modern nutritional theory 50 years.
Adkins -> Bernstein -> Carbs are addictive poison.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
What a bunch of nonsense...
OP THIS is what I was talking about avoiding
Tsazani, if this works for you, do you. It’s still no different than any other diet in that CICO is what causes weight loss. “All humans do best” mentality is frankly, bs. Each person is an individual and should be treated as such. Humans are omnivores FYI.
Carbs are NOT poison nor do I (and many others) find them addictive. Enjoy your restrictive (and frankly awful sounding) diet.
Yep, if you look at our closest relatives in the wild, they eat a variety of foods . . . including carbohydrate-containing foods. When you look at humans around the world, they're all eating fruits and vegetables when they're available. To argue that we'd do best eliminating these foods from our diet is a huge leap that isn't supported by any large-scale observation of how humans and other primates live.9 -
Friendly reminder to keep the discussion civil and not get too tongue in cheek with your responses please.
Thanks,
4legs
MFP volunteer moderator3
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