What should be the heavier meal lunch or dinner?
 

So yeah, I am thinking about letting lunch be the heavier meal during the day because I know that I am going to be more active vs. dinner when I know that I am going to be winding down. Also I find that after I exercise, I am not really hungry.

It makes sense to me that lunch should be the heavier meal. What do you guys think?

IMHO, it's a matter of preference. As long as you're within your range for the day, I say go with whatever feels best. :)

Yeah, I agree that it is a matter of prefrence... But I have been finding a heavier lunch a lighter dinner is working for me. I find if I eat a little more at lunch - I am not as starving for dinner. I also don't end up going to bed with a full stomach. And I find that exercising also seems to curb my appetite (which I do in the evenings).

my lunches and dinners are about the same but I do snack in between. I mean I have one planned snack halfway between the 2 meals.

I personally pick at low-calorie foods all day and save the VAST majority of my calories for dinner (appx. 1200 calories!!!)

It's just what works for me--- I don't need to eat a ton during the day, but I get STARVING at night and want to eat everything in sight. So I know I will be nice and full when the cravings start!

I eat about 1800 calories a day and I try to eat about 1000 during the day before I leave work (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack), then I have around 800 calories that I split between dinner and some kind of after dinner snack, if I am still hungry. Since I am eating all day, I never feel deprived. Between my afternoon snack and dinner, I get starving though!! Its probably because of the walking I do at lunch.

I make my lunch and dinner the same size.

I definitely think it's personal preference as to which is the larger meal. However there is a thread somewhere (I posted in it, but can't remember where right now) about how only eating one meal a day (or loading the majority of your calories in one meal a day) can possibly be bad for you.

I personally like to eat my "heavier" meal at lunch. There are a couple of reasons for that. I go to the gym after work and so can eat more protein and carbs during lunch to help fuel my workout later. I also am not terribly active in the evenings once I'm home, so I don't want to fill up and then sit in front of the TV or on the computer in the evenings and not work it off.

Also I'm not terribly hungry after the gym so if I drink my milk and eat a bit of protein and some veggies, I tend to be satisfied quickly.

I have noticed that since moving my heavier meal to lunch I sleep better and I don't get heartburn at night when I lie down. It used to be that sometimes I was waking myself up with coughing from acid reflux - partially due to *what* I was eating, but partially due to eating a big meal later in the evening.

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I also say personal preference. For me, I make lunch my bigger meal.

I generally recommend spreading your calories even throughout the day although my dinners are often about 100 calories more than earlier meals but that is primarily because I eat alot of fruits and veggies during the day.

Lori

I'm an 8-5er so I usually eat lunch at my desk, so I eat something rather small and lower cal (usually around 250-300) and then eat a bigger dinner (450-500). If I go out to lunch I will eat a smaller dinner but I like to really ENJOY my dinner time, watch my fav TV show and relaz with some really nummy food. I don't particularly enjoy eating while staring at my computer screen. So I eat soup of leftovers...

I think it's a matter of personal preferrence. Whatever works for you works. I love to cook, so dinner is usually a bit bigger then lunch, but not always.

I should add to mine - my dinners and lunches are the same size because I use dinner leftovers for lunch the same day...cook four portions, 2 for us to eat for dinner and 2 for our lunches the next day. So it all works out to be about even. This has made me much less snacky in the afternoons...my body wanted something substantial!

Morning...mine are about the same size too. I believe in don't go to bed hungry but don't overstuff yourself either. That way your body digests your food during the evening and it's able to fully repair and restore your other bodily needs overnight. But as it goes, it always just comes down to calories in= calories out per day.

When my Ex lost all his weight (50kg) he explained to me that when he'd assessed what he was eating, he'd discovered that he was loading all his calories on his evening meal... ie, a couple of hours before he went to sleep.

I know you burn calories while you sleep, but it's nothing like the calories you burn when you're awake and semi-active.

Anyway, he explained to me that he lost it not only by lowering the overall calorie intake, but mostly by switching the order of things around: like the old adage, "Breakfast like a king, Lunch like a prince and Dinner like a pauper".

Worked well for him, and made massive improvements for me, too. Yes, we also combined it with lower calories, but switching the food order around made a massive improvement for both of us too.

First I'll say I don't think it matters much.I think total calories and nutrient content are more important. If you observe the eating patterns of cultures that have managed to not develop weight problems generally they eat more earlier in the day. I think eating breakfast is more important. Your metabolism takes a nosedive if you don't eat it.