HELP! Does it matter when I eat my biggest meal of the day, or just the overall calorie intake?

Question

I eat around 1200 calories a day average (i'm small framed, only 5', and have a sedentary lifestyle). I eat a 200 calorie breakfast, 200 calorie lunch, 100 calorie snack, and around 500-600 calories for dinner around 6:30 pm. I want to know if this will cause me to gain weight and make losing weight harder. Do the calories I eat at dinner time get stored as fat, even though my overall calorie intake is only 1200? Does it matter if my biggest meal is at night, or is it all based on overall calorie intake? I know I don't burn all my dinner calories off when I sleep so does it get stored as fat or can it get burned the next day?

Please, serious answers only.
Thank you.

Answer 1

I've read about eating late being a myth. When you eat late, if you don't digest before you go to bed, the food sits there until morning. It does NOT turn to fat instead of something else. Studies do show you burn slightly more calories in the morning; but if you can fall asleep on a full stomach, eat as late as you like, as it won't affect your diet.

If you took a few stairs and went for a 30 minute walk, you would see much more gains. It's much more healthy, too.

Answer 2

Since you're only eating 1200 calories it probably won't make a difference. If you saved up all your calories and ate them all for dinner that would probably make it a lot harder to lose weight because your metabolism would slow down so much. But since you are eating some throughout the day you should be fine. The difference (I have seen research done on it) is minimal unless you starve yourself in the morning.

Answer 3

I did exactly what you're asking and this is what I ate. It's plain and simple and you might still be a tad hungry after eating, but you'll be eating again in a couple of hours so you should be okay. Just keep your final goal in mind! -Calories are just approximations.- Breakfast: Usually fruit Cereal (Cheerios usually) with skim milk (240) Toast (2 pc - 150) Apple (I considered those "free" or 70 calories. I know they have more but hey, they're APPLES!!) Snack: Usually with a Diet Coke :-) Slim Fast Shake (220) Granola Bar (120) More fruit ("free" - 100) Carrots (I HATE carrots so I'd nuke them in the microwave and have them "steamed"...much tastier!) Frozen Grapes (70) Lunch: I ate a LOT of those "Smart Ones" (cheaper than Lean Cuisine) and got to know which flavor I liked most. Usually the Italian food ones :-) Banana (120) Toasted bread with turkey meat with tomatoes and lettuce (240) Subway (turkey on wheat, veggies, light on the light mayo...i HATE mustard...but it's much much better than light mayo) Snack: Same as above - usually fruit or veggies although you can also eat the 100 calories packs of oreos or something...just make sure it's not heavy. Baked Chips (140) Dinner: I live alone so it was easy for me to make a sandwich or something simple. Brown rice and steamed broccoli (250) Brown rice and cooked (not fried) chicken (300) Dinner's gonna take up a huge portion of your daily caloric intake...it did with mine. Just make sure you eat before 8pm. Most places say 7pm but I was always hungry around 10 again if my last meal was at 7. BTW if you're exercising you CAN treat yourself to a small wheat bagel or a slice of bread "free" after your workout. Keep it small tho!! Carbs are good for you after you workout. If I was perfect in my diet for an entire week I treated myself (usually on Saturday) to a meal of my choice. Try not to over-do it but you'll learn eating what you want is a treat not a daily right. GOOD LUCK!!!

Answer 4

YES, of course it matters!
All food taken in 3 hours before sleeping will affect your sleep, change your dreaming patterns (due to digestion) and also the level at which you sleep. I am not a doctor or psyche, but.I DO KNOW that if you eat after 7pm, without any exercise before bed, and just lol in front of TV or laptop, You Will Gain Weight. A sedentary lifestyle is terrible- is there a reason you cannot increase activity?
Burning fat takes place at different times for different metabolisms. Become familiar with your body and its metabolism.
In the end, eat the RIGHT food, and as much as you like. Watch out for eating fetishes which could come from moods or physchological reasons.
EAT TO LIVE, DO NOT LIVE TO EAT.

Answer 5

I have "farmer" freinds. They do it the best way I think. They have their "supper" meal at lunch time. And a lighter lunch dinner at supper time. This gives the wife plenty of time to clean up everything without it being too late and they both burn off the calories doing the work they do before they go to bed. I keep saying I want to do that, but with kids in school, it's kinda hard to.

Answer 6

you should eat a big breakfast a small lunch and a big supper so that you aren't snaking through the night

Answer 7

i find that for appearences' sake, its best not to eat big late in the day. i bloat quite a bit when i eat so if i dont eat much after 7pm my belly is always flatter the next morning. other than that, i dont think it makes much difference.