Quote:
Originally Posted by geoblewis
I have read that keeping a lid on how much we eat per meal is desirable because we can only digest/use a limited number of calories/nutrients at a time. Anything over what our bodies use goes into the storage system. Our stomachs don't just hang on to a big breakfast throughout the day so we can access it at any time, and then store the rest at night.
However, you want to get the metabolism fired up in the morning, and that's why eating breakfast, within and hour of getting up, is a good thing. Eat according to what your activities are during any given day. If you're an athlete in training, you get to eat a much bigger breakfast. If you're behind the desk all day, keep the breakfast down to under 500 calories.
Stoking the metabolism throughout the day is also important. I can't seem to handle the five-meals a day thing because I tend to overeat. I stick to the three squares with an occasional snack, as needed. More recently, I'm making efforts to not eat after dinner. With a bigger breakfast and a healthy lunch, I make less stupid decisions about eating later in the day. If I skip breakfast, I definitely make up for it between 4 and 8 p.m.!
One more thing to consider is the nutrient mix at a meal. Different nutrients digest at different rates. Having a mix of nutrients slows the digestion of some nutrients, so your blood sugar doesn't drop off so quickly all at once. Carbs go through the fastest, then proteins, and finally fats.
Your post is full of dietary myths. We've all been there but allow me to inject some science.
First of all our bodies are extremely efficient at digestion. If you eat a bigger meal it simply takes longer to digest. What is wrong with your post is that the implication is that you should not eat big meals. It doesn't matter how big or small your meals are what matters is the balance of energy over the course of time. Calories matter. In the context of eating fewer calories than you body needs for the day it doesn't matter when you get your calories. The OP eats a big meal so there may be some fat stored early but because her meals are smaller later more fat is used for energy. Bottom line is calories matter. When or how you consume them does not.
Second you have some inaccurate ideas about metabolism. You don't need to eat in the morning to stoke the metabolism and you don't need to eat 5-6 meals a day. Completely false.