Huge breakfast...tiny meals the rest of the day?
 

So, I've sort of gotten into this habit of eating a huuuuuge breakfast (for me, at least).

The calories can range from 400-700, and with my total daily calories being 1200-1250 a day, that usually means that the rest of the day I eat tiny little things, which I have no problem with.

From what I understand, the whole 6 small meals a day thing is essentially more of a matter of preference, but beyond that, can anyone think of a good reason as to why eating such a big breakfast might harm my diet?

Not unless you get super hungry later at night and binge. If it's working for you, I say go for it! I try to eat big breakfasts but it never seems to work the way I plan haha.

I think eating most of your calories early in the day can be a good thing because then you have all day to burn the majority of the calories off. I do agree w/ the poster above me that said as long as your not binging later, then I think its fine.

My largest meal of the day is lunch so I think it's a matter of preference. If a big breakfast lets you feel full for the rest of the day and you don't feel too snack-ish later in the day then it should be fine.

I eat a big breakfast 200-500 calories and it keeps me from getting super hungry through out the day or feeling sick or woozy. I actually had to force myself to start eating breakfast because I feel naseous in the morning sometimes but now if I don't eat it I notice I have problems later on. There is nothing wrong with eating a big breakfast AT ALL. It's eating too much over the course of an entire day that's a problem.

I personally usually have a smallish breakfast, big lunch, and small dinner/snack... if I even eat dinner/snack. Kinda odd since I go from school straight to work at lunch time... so I don't have much to grab lunch... but... yeah. :p

To each their own. :)

It's whatever works for you.

If I eat a big breakfast, I am starving for the rest of the day.

In fact, I very rarely eat anything at all before 2pm, even on days where I'm not particularly watching it.

Since I do IF my eating window is set to open at 4pm, so nowadays I rarely think about eating until 3ish or so.

However, I have friends that can't even fathom that, breakfast is their main meal.

Like I said, it's whatever floats your boat.

You're conclusion is right but your evidence is faulty. :D When you eat your meals doesn't matter it is the overall energy balance that matters thus the idea that having all day to burn the calories off is erroneous. It is, however, a popular myth.

"Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper" --Adelle Davis

I also eat a large breakfast, and have eliminated eating after my dinner, usually around 8pm. Not because of the "don't eat after ___ pm" rule, but because in the past, that's where all the empty and extra calories went into my mouth.

I think doing what works for you is important. I think it is actually good for your diet to be able to do that.

I weigh often during the day and stay low all day long until after dinner I usually go up a couple of pounds. If I have a lighter dinner I tend to see lighter weights on the scale the next day. I attribute that to all the food settling in over night. I just can't practice eating a big breakfast in the morning... I just can't stomach it and night time eating is my weaknes so I am better off having a big dinner and still keeping my calories low instead of risking a binge.

Why don't you track your weight for a week eating the big breakfast and lighter meals and then the following week do something different and see what results are better?

Same here... I had to start forcing myself too b/c I feel a bit nauseous... I always thought it was just me. Interesting!

I think it's fairly common some mumbo jumbo about blood sugar. It use to be really bad for me because at my heavest weight i had sleep apnea which went away after the first 50 pounds. Now I just a little nausea and food doesn't seem all that appetizing but it's part of my routine so it doesn't give me problems.

Oh my. Finally a point we can agree on 100%. :D

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.

Interesting points from everyone.

This is what I ate, all before 12:30 :

6 oz beef
2 cups cereal w/less than 1/4 cup soy milk each
low cal fiber muffin

Whole thing came out to about 900 cals.

I went to the gym around 1:45, did some cardio and weights, and just got home today from class around 5. Still feeling very satisfied and full, probably won't eat my last 200-300 cals until 7 or 7:30 tonight, and it will probably be veggie heavy with maybe 100-200 cals of lean protein.

We can also agree to disagree sometimes!! ;)

There is nothing wrong with weighting one meal with the bulk of your calories, if that makes you feel the best. I do it (lunch tends to be my biggest) and it actually helps me lose weight, since I don't get ravenously hungry and it stabilizes my blood sugar.

Different solutions for different bodies - the overall energy balance is what matters most, macronutrients are more important for some people than others (like someone who has gall bladder or pancreatic issues), and what works for you is the best solution. Heavy calorie meals do not do any harm if the caloric balance is there.

I find that when I spread my food across multiple meals and snacks, I am always hungry.

So I'm experimenting with IF this month, and not eating in the morning at all. That way I have two larger meals (rather than three small meals and an even smaller snack). It's kind of the reverse of the big-breakfast-in-the-morning thing.

I'm finding that my BG is fine during the fast, and that I am much more satisfied during my "eating window" than I was with smaller meals. I'm eating about the same number of calories and carbs as before, but I've begun slowly losing again after a six-month plateau.

I think each of us is an experiment of one, and that you need to try different techniques to find tools that will help you in various parts of your journey.

I see it as a perefence too. My biggest meal is breakfast and the rest are small meals.