Lunch biggest meal?

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punky770
punky770 Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok so like most American's, I have a desk job. Now, i keep hearing to make lunch your biggest meal, but if I do that, after lunch I go back to my desk I also only have 30 minute lunch so it's not like I can take a walk or anything afterwards. I work from 8:30am-5:00p, and when I get home I still have to cook dinner and then wait til it settles and then go work out. By the time I know it, it's already nine at night! So....should I eat a light lunch and then a bigger dinner? What do you all think?
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Replies

  • yentess
    yentess Posts: 167 Member
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    I have heard to make breakfast your biggest meal, and dinner your smallest. But I am also curious what other think about this topic. Unfortunately breaklfast is my smallest since I am busy getting kids ready and cleaning house, I only drink a protein shake. And dinner is my biggest since I make a family meal and we all sit down and eat together.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    What do you all think?

    If you do not change your total daily intake of food (sum of what you eat by end of day) and you are just referring to how you divide that food into your meal sizes, it doesn't make any difference at all.


    It MAY make a difference for your personal preference or your performance during exercise, and you should be mindful of this and structure your plan accordingly.
  • iysys
    iysys Posts: 524
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    If you do not change your total daily intake of food (sum of what you eat by end of day) and you are just referring to how you divide that food into your meal sizes, it doesn't make any difference at all.


    It MAY make a difference for your personal preference or your performance during exercise, and you should be mindful of this and structure your plan accordingly.

    this seems more logical to me than anything else i have heard people claim.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    If you do not change your total daily intake of food (sum of what you eat by end of day) and you are just referring to how you divide that food into your meal sizes, it doesn't make any difference at all.


    It MAY make a difference for your personal preference or your performance during exercise, and you should be mindful of this and structure your plan accordingly.

    this seems more logical to me than anything else i have heard people claim.

    See here if you'd like a detailed explanation:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/529002-a-compliation-on-meal-frequency
  • dvisser1
    dvisser1 Posts: 788 Member
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    I typically aim for my calorie content to be about even for breakfast, lunch and dinner. What I end up with are lunch and dinner being about the same and breakfast being a little lighter. My office hours are typically 7:30-4:00 on my gym days and 7:30-5:30 or 6:00 on non-gym days, so I'm able to work out right after work. That pushes my normal dinner time out to near 8:00 on any given night, which is part of why I don't like to eat huge dinners.
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
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    Personally I find it helpful to keep my meals and snacks relatively equal in calories (+/- 100) so I don't get as hungry, or sluggish from over-eating. Do you snack during the day?
  • dvisser1
    dvisser1 Posts: 788 Member
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    If you do not change your total daily intake of food (sum of what you eat by end of day) and you are just referring to how you divide that food into your meal sizes, it doesn't make any difference at all.


    It MAY make a difference for your personal preference or your performance during exercise, and you should be mindful of this and structure your plan accordingly.

    Definitely agree with this.
  • blaze46
    blaze46 Posts: 6
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    Eating consistently throughout the day works best for me. I am rarely hungry and find that I do not suffer from the highs and lows of consuming too much or too little at each meal. I work full time but spend my lunch hour at the gym and eat at my desk. I think you have to find out what works best for you depending on your own lifestyle.
  • ladyalexandria
    ladyalexandria Posts: 1
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    I'm down 20lbs since Jan and I eat a protein bar for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch (200-300 calories) , a snack of some kind (usually 200 cal or less), and a larger supper with an evening snack of yogurt with fruit. I don't think it matters so much WHEN you eat as much as it matters WHAT you eat.
  • sarahelizabeth613
    sarahelizabeth613 Posts: 6
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    I personally think you have to listen to your body and do what works best for you. I've always heard to make breakfast the largest meal of the day and that will help you cut more calories through out the day. All that did for me was make me eat more and feel too tired after work to work out. So now I work out in the AM before eating, then i have light breakfast because i eat lunch only 2 hours later, a small snack either before i leave work or right after. Then I have dinner. And I dont find my dinners to be huge either. I did have a hard time figuring out what worked best for me because I was always too busy listening to everyone else's idea of how we should eat. As long as you are getting enough calories and feel good i dont think it really matters.
  • senyosmom
    senyosmom Posts: 613 Member
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    I always heard breakfast should be your biggest meal.....
  • bicoastalgirl
    bicoastalgirl Posts: 85 Member
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    My breakfast is usually about 200 calories, and then my lunch and dinner are 400-500 calories. I also eat snacks in the morning and afternoon. The calorie count of my snacks depend on whether I worked out that morning. I also work a desk job, 9-5. I usually work out in the morning, before work.

    I find that whether I work out or not, I am always hungrier in the afternoon, so I adjust my intakes accordingly.
  • mes1119
    mes1119 Posts: 1,082 Member
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    I don't think it really matters when you eat your meals. You could have one meal with all of your calories for the day and it wouldn't make a difference. Don't think you'd feel all that great but like I said, it doesn't matter in terms of weight loss.
  • kooshajan
    kooshajan Posts: 174 Member
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    Im curious about this as well. Thought I have read over and over breakfast should be the largest meal and make the meals lighter as the day progresses as your body slowly unwinds as the day progresses.
  • nicholettebell
    nicholettebell Posts: 414
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    I don't really think that it matters. For me dinner is my biggest meal and I eat about 4 to 6 meals a day but make sure I stay under my calorie goal. But I've also heard that breakfast should be the biggest meal of the day -"Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Prince, Dinner like a Pauper"
  • payupalice
    payupalice Posts: 126 Member
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    My doctor said "eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper"
  • gpmominoh
    gpmominoh Posts: 17 Member
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    I have been working with a nutritionist. She recommends that I consume 2/3 of my daily calories by the time I get home from work. Idea is to not be starving when you get home from work and to have a smaller dinner.

    Seems in-line with the breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper theory.

    I struggle with doing this because I have so little time to eat at work.

    Trying to sneak in half my exercise before work and half after.
  • simplysassi
    simplysassi Posts: 138 Member
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    I prefer 6 small meals (half meals, actually) throughout the day. I don't like to be hungry and I don't like to be full so eating that way works for me. I just break it out to 6 meals that average about 200 cals each (give or take) and then add some extra to cover any exercise calories.
  • runfatmanrun
    runfatmanrun Posts: 1,090 Member
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    If you do not change your total daily intake of food (sum of what you eat by end of day) and you are just referring to how you divide that food into your meal sizes, it doesn't make any difference at all.


    It MAY make a difference for your personal preference or your performance during exercise, and you should be mindful of this and structure your plan accordingly.
    [/quote]

    This. Lunch is my biggest meal though. Not really an issue as long as I am in the green at the end of the day.
  • dawnlinski
    dawnlinski Posts: 22
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    I heard: Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper (or something along those lines) which I get, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But I love my comfort food when I've come home from the office. Plus, I get tired after a large meal so a big lunch at work isn't ideal for me. If I get peckish mid afternoon or even mid morning I'll snack on something really low cal to keep my spirits up. x

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