Do you pay attention to WHEN you eat your cals?

lwhitman4
lwhitman4 Posts: 144 Member
edited October 3 in Food and Nutrition
I noticed I am an evening eater. I can get away with like 300-500 cals for breakfast, morning snack, and lunch, then BLAM! Dinner and evening snacks are always where I get the bulk of my cals. I enjoy looking at other user's diaries to see if anyone else has the same eating pattern and what their weight loss is. Also, it intrigues me about how some people can maintain such even caloric intake throughout the day: like 400-500 cals for each meal. I know everyone's intake/caloric needs/metabolic rates are different, but it's just weird how my body needs it a certain way and other people's bodies can be different.

So how about you? Do you pay attention to WHEN you take in your cals? Do you feel that it makes any difference? Have you played around with the timing to see if you could get different weight loss results? Talk to me ;)

Replies

  • NuttyBrewnette
    NuttyBrewnette Posts: 417 Member
    I just made a switch in my diary....it's not public, but instead of breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacks, I changed the headings to
    wake-11am, 11a-4p, 4p-sleep and added beverages other than water and supplements.

    It's only the 2nd day I've done it this way (I got this from another mfp'er who has a public food diary......and so far, I like it a lot.....

    Don't know if it will make much difference on the scale or not, but I like this method of tracking better. It seems to sort of take some pressure/stress off of me and meal/snack planning....I don't really know how to explain it.

    But I say experiment and see what happens.
  • abbigail_r
    abbigail_r Posts: 283 Member
    I dont know 100% but I think you should try and eat more cals for breakfast. Its the most important meal of the day. Then maybe your cals will even up a bit? My meal calories are always between 300 and 500.
  • luvmycandies
    luvmycandies Posts: 489 Member
    I get hungry every few hours, so mine balances out throughout day. It also helps me from overeating later in day. I used to binge about 3- 4 pm bc i was soo hungry. So eating more during day helps.
  • thirtyandthriving
    thirtyandthriving Posts: 613 Member
    I do. I try to eat the bulk of my calories before I leave work for the day (3pm) and only have a snack and dinner when I get home. I try to have dinner by 630 or 7. I go to bed early though (by 9 usually) due to having to be up at 430 or 5pm.
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
    Nope. It doesn't matter.
  • Jessicaruby
    Jessicaruby Posts: 881 Member
    bump
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    it doesn't really matter when you eat your cals, net caloric intake governs weight loss.

    i tend to eat 80ish% of my cals at nighttime, didn't do a thing to hinder weight loss
  • FriendsR4EverTreasures
    FriendsR4EverTreasures Posts: 179 Member
    I have a hard time depending on the day. Most of the time I'm good with lunch, horrible with breakfast, and at times heavy at dinner but then again, on my heavy workout days, I have a hard time eating back all my calories. So, to say the least, I don't have a good answer for you and I don't think I follow any specific plan. sorry
  • Leslietheriot
    Leslietheriot Posts: 303 Member
    I have noticed that when I had the bulk of my calories for dinner (small breakfast and a light lunch) I was losing weight at a steady rate. I decided that I would eat more for breakfast and have a smaller dinner so I wouldn't be eating so much before bedtime. I have been at a stand still since I changed my eating pattern. I dont know if my body is saying "wtf?" or if I was craving more food in the afternoon because that is what my body needed.
  • Le_Joy
    Le_Joy Posts: 549 Member
    I have my meals divided by times of day & have had it that way for a few weeks now. I haven't really analyzed it though because I haven't had time/brain power to modify when I eat things to see if eating more earlier would help. In the past I have noticed that if I have a big breakfast i tend to eat more all day so I am hesitant to experiment too much.
  • lwhitman4
    lwhitman4 Posts: 144 Member
    it doesn't really matter when you eat your cals, net caloric intake governs weight loss.

    i tend to eat 80ish% of my cals at nighttime, didn't do a thing to hinder weight loss

    Good to hear for me. :)

    Also, not to throw anyone a bone, but I put up this board just for general conversation. I will eat when I am hungry regardless of when other MFPers suggest I should eat because I listen to my body. So, please, this thread is meant for general amusement, not for others to suggest to me how to eat. Please and thank you! :)
  • sweetiebelle
    sweetiebelle Posts: 332 Member
    I deffently eat most of my calories in the evenings.
  • joseph9
    joseph9 Posts: 328 Member
    I eat 50-80% of my calories at or after dinner.
  • catwrangler
    catwrangler Posts: 918 Member
    I noticed I am an evening eater. I can get away with like 300-500 cals for breakfast, morning snack, and lunch, then BLAM! Dinner and evening snacks are always where I get the bulk of my cals. I enjoy looking at other user's diaries to see if anyone else has the same eating pattern and what their weight loss is. Also, it intrigues me about how some people can maintain such even caloric intake throughout the day: like 400-500 cals for each meal. I know everyone's intake/caloric needs/metabolic rates are different, but it's just weird how my body needs it a certain way and other people's bodies can be different.

    So how about you? Do you pay attention to WHEN you take in your cals? Do you feel that it makes any difference? Have you played around with the timing to see if you could get different weight loss results? Talk to me ;)
    I just started eating as you do last Wednesday. I had been trying to space it all out, but realized I can get away with a very light breakfast and a light lunch so I can chow down at night. I think this works best during the week but this weekend was great too!

    My losses had stalled after losing 14 pounds since starting MFP because I started eating over my calories almost every second day, I was maintaining not losing. So check me out either Wednesday or next week Wednesday. I don't usually weigh in unless I show a nice loss but I want to weigh weekly for awhile.
  • barbiex3
    barbiex3 Posts: 1,036 Member
    yeah i eat like at least over half of my calories after 6pm
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I'm with you. I eat more in the evening. I have to have an evening snack (or drink) or I'll think about food all night.
  • wendyshilent
    wendyshilent Posts: 7
    for me i eat at list 6-7time a day but small meal on weekday and weekend 5-6time a day also small meal... it better to eat alot but small meat everyday and exercise daily.. dont starved ur self or eat twice aday and alot of food not good u... i have lose weight ever since i have my intake plan out every day....
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