Anti-Meal Spreaders

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Sytera
Sytera Posts: 75
in Food and Nutrition
I see so many comments that totally attack people who spread out meals or talk about needing to spread out calories. You talk about "broscience" and link to studies. Have any of you gone a month eating only one meal a day full of all your calories? Then I see bashing of people wanting to cut late night eating because the person thinks it will make them gain. Have you tried eating all your calories right before bed and none the rest of the day? You all say it doesn't matter when you eat. I'm just curious as to if any of you have done these extremes you talk about and had success. Do you feel awesome the rest of the day before or after your massive meal? Do you lose weight at a decent rate with these huge meals?
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Replies

  • weathergirl320
    weathergirl320 Posts: 331
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    i usually eat one or two meals a day. i have been doing it forever before it became a whole "IF" fad. i just eat when i feel hungry. sometimes its late at night sometimes its lunch time, it just depends. just my personal preference. nothing to do with bioscience or any theory. i just dont like to eat all day. and i have lost 35 lbs.
  • Flexmanlet
    Flexmanlet Posts: 1
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    You can lose weight a myriad of different ways. My personally, I do only eat between 2pm and 8 or 9pm. I eat all my calories during this window. I feel very full up until about noon then I work out in a fasted state, and then go eat!
    Im super active but I still have to diet on less then 1800 calories to see any fat loss, so this method works better for me then trying to eat small meals repeatedly throughout the day.

    Ive disproved alot of myths to myself by trying different diets. I am a "body builder" type guy who eats less protein then they say you need, I go hours without eating and my gains stay with me... its a shame how much misinformation there is out there.

    Cliffnotes-- if you get used to fasting like I do, you don't even get hungry until 2pm especially if you are busy. Sometimes I even push my fast to 5pm and eat my entire calories in 1 sitting! Works perfect!
  • LaurasClimb
    LaurasClimb Posts: 211 Member
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    I don't eat after dinner, no evening snacks, nothing.
    I don't feel I sleep well if I do. And I wake up feeling like there's a rock or something in my stomach.
    I also know that if I'm "hungry" after dinner, more than likely I want to eat for emotional reasons - stressed, bored, etc. That emotional/comfort eating is a big part of my problem. So I'm better off having a glass of water or tea and trying to figure out what it is that makes me want to eat at that moment.
  • saragato
    saragato Posts: 1,154
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    Depending on your definition of a meal I eat only one or two a day. I wouldn't eat breakfast if I didn't have morning medication that required food with it because I don't get hungry in the morning. All I eat is some greek yogurt or a granola bar that doesn't go above 150 calories and then I wait for dinner. I don't eat lunch, I'm not hungry around lunch time. Dinner is my big meal that always has plenty of protein, a vegetable, and a little bit of a starch like noodles. And that's what I eat. Rarely do I eat more later in the evening simply because I'm not hungry. I've had this schedule even before I started my weight loss journey and I've done fine on it.
  • llamalland
    llamalland Posts: 246 Member
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    I think nutritionally it may not matter how your calories are distributed. It is a matter of personal preference how one plans the timing of their meals. They will soon find how their body responds to various meal timing, and can adjust accordingly.

    It's silly for people to get so riled up about how others do it, in my opinion.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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    There's nothing WRONG with spreading out your meals.
    There's nothing WRONG with not eating after x hour.
    If it makes you feel better and makes it easier for you to diet, go for it!

    But there is something wrong with saying you NEED to. Because you don't.
  • j1wright
    j1wright Posts: 286 Member
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    I stopped eating breakfast because frankly I am just not hungry in the morning. I eat lunch and dinner and I always eat something before bed. I have to have my evening snack or I feel like I am depriving myself "dieting". This is how I like it and I am not going to change it. I am still losing weight and I am I eating healthy foods. Please don't blast me for not eating breakfast, not everyone eats breakfast.
  • gogojodee
    gogojodee Posts: 1,261 Member
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    I think nutritionally it may not matter how your calories are distributed. It is a matter of personal preference how one plans the timing of their meals. They will soon find how their body responds to various meal timing, and can adjust accordingly.

    It's silly for people to get so riled up about how others do it, in my opinion.

    Totally and completely agree. Sometimes I will eat all my calories with my "first meal" which is usually around lunch time and have a light evening meal. That's just how I am, sometimes. Other days, I'm not. It really depends how much "work" my body is doing and how much sleep I've had.
  • Sytera
    Sytera Posts: 75
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    I won't blast anyone for how they eat. That is totally up to that person. Some days I don't eat breakfast if I sleep in or if I'm busy taking care of my kids. Other days I crave breakfast and eat before I fix food for anyone else.
  • Redapplecandie
    Redapplecandie Posts: 171 Member
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    I spread my food out during the day. Eat most of it though between 8a-3p because that is when I am at work, and it's easier for me to "snack" on crap while sitting at my computer.

    I'm fine once I go home, and eat dinner and maybe have a glass of milk.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    I see so many comments that totally attack people who spread out meals or talk about needing to spread out calories. You talk about "broscience" and link to studies. Have any of you gone a month eating only one meal a day full of all your calories? Then I see bashing of people wanting to cut late night eating because the person thinks it will make them gain. Have you tried eating all your calories right before bed and none the rest of the day? You all say it doesn't matter when you eat. I'm just curious as to if any of you have done these extremes you talk about and had success. Do you feel awesome the rest of the day before or after your massive meal? Do you lose weight at a decent rate with these huge meals?

    So, wait ... if someone says it isn't necessary for weight loss to eat 6 times a day or says it's OK to eat late at night, you think that means those people eat only once a day and eat all their calories at once?

    I think you misunderstand.

    But, yes, if you eat all your calories in one meal, no matter the time, and you don't eat additional calories, you should be able to lose weight.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    There's nothing WRONG with spreading out your meals.
    There's nothing WRONG with not eating after x hour.
    If it makes you feel better and makes it easier for you to diet, go for it!

    But there is something wrong with saying you NEED to. Because you don't.

    Exactly.
  • Martucha123
    Martucha123 Posts: 1,093 Member
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    There's nothing WRONG with spreading out your meals.
    There's nothing WRONG with not eating after x hour.
    If it makes you feel better and makes it easier for you to diet, go for it!

    But there is something wrong with saying you NEED to. Because you don't.

    Exactly.

    ^this
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    I eat tiny meals and a lot of snacks. People who eating large meals and no snacks are just doing what works for them. People tend to feel very adamant that what works for them will work for someone else, which is just silly. If I ate two meals a day, I'd freak out, be hungry all the time, and binge eat. And likewise, snacking doesn't work for others.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
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    There's nothing WRONG with spreading out your meals.
    There's nothing WRONG with not eating after x hour.
    If it makes you feel better and makes it easier for you to diet, go for it!

    But there is something wrong with saying you NEED to. Because you don't.

    Exactly.

    Agreed x
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Most day I do a combination of eating all day and eating a big meal at night. I eat 3-5 small snacks throughout the day, rarely more than 350 calories each, and then I eat a big dinner around 9:00 - 9:30 p.m. Usually it's around 900 - 1200 calories for that one meal. On days that I don't work though I may only have one big meal and one or no snacks, but usually that meal will be in the afternoon.

    I don't really care what anyone else thinks of it because it keeps me happy and healthy and not hungry. From a purely physiological standpoint, I believe meal timing is irrelevant for most people. But I also believe that anyone that thinks physiology is all that matters for meal timing is dead wrong.
  • hilarysgiants
    hilarysgiants Posts: 132 Member
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    I eat 3 meals a day and 3 snacks a day. Usually every 2-3 hours inbetween snacks/meals. This is beneficial to me b/c I have blood sugar issues and this helps keep me in check (I am pre-diabetic). Do what feels right for you and your body!
  • ihateroses
    ihateroses Posts: 893 Member
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    I think I have only seen this where someone is asking for advice on their diary and people recommend spreading their meals out as a way to lose more weight.
  • Sytera
    Sytera Posts: 75
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    So, wait ... if someone says it isn't necessary for weight loss to eat 6 times a day or says it's OK to eat late at night, you think that means those people eat only once a day and eat all their calories at once?

    I think you misunderstand.

    No, I don't misunderstand. I am just curious if anyone has tried that, which is why I asked if anyone has.
    People tend to feel very adamant that what works for them will work for someone else, which is just silly.

    I completely agree.
  • Sytera
    Sytera Posts: 75
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    I think I have only seen this where someone is asking for advice on their diary and people recommend spreading their meals out as a way to lose more weight.

    Yes, and then people jump in saying they don't have to do that. That meal timing is basically for idiots. What if THAT person DOES need to do it? What if their body isn't the same as the handful of people in all these studies? The studies, reports, etc. didn't test every single person who is trying to lose weight. They tested a handful out of the population. Maybe larger studies need to be done. Or maybe people need to realize that every person is different and some people really may NEED to spread out their meals in order to lose weight.

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