I know about the importance of breakfast and I completely agree with it, but is it better to eat more in the MORNING or in the EVENING? I tend to eat small breakfasts, medium lunches, and big dinners (and dessert afterwards)...is this worse than eating bigger meals earlier on or is it simply a matter of calories in versus calories out? I'm not talking energy, stamina, or blood sugar here, just simple weight maintenance.

What I have heard is that you should be eating more food earlier to provide energy during the day and that would be better than later in the day when it would just be stored (possibly as excess weight).

I know about the importance of breakfast and I completely agree with it, but is it better to eat more in the MORNING or in the EVENING? I tend to eat small breakfasts, medium lunches, and big dinners (and dessert afterwards)...is this worse than eating bigger meals earlier on or is it simply a matter of calories in versus calories out? I'm not talking energy, stamina, or blood sugar here, just simple weight maintenance.
It is Best for it to be spread evenly through the day. But if you do eat more in the evening. it will have minimal Effect.

It is simply a matter of Calories in Vs Calories out. But there is a bit of a catch. If you spread your calories evenly throughout the day and eat 5-6 times a day you will maximise your metabolism and actually burn a few more calories. It wont be a great amount more but it will be more.

As for the arguement that when you eat later at night you wont burn it off, it is a myth. You are going to Burn X amount of calories everyday...regardless of what you eat or when you eat it. As I said factors can increase that X abit but not substantially. So it virtually doesnt matter When you Burn the calories or when you consume them, unless you want to micromanage and and maximize the amount burned.

I tend to eat more earlier in the day but I have acid reflux and IBS, so this helps me a lot. It's hard for my digestive system to do its job later on and believe me, it lets me know! :)

I love eating a big breakfast because then I'm not starving by mid-morning. It also seems to have helped my metabolism.

I normally fill up my tank when I start off..

Niki B- You think eating more earlier on has helped your metabolism? I have heard this and I have also heard that eating many small meals (as some others have suggested) that that helps, too. I am looking to start speeding up my metabolism and I basically eat 3 main meals a day with no snacks, but maybe that is slowing it down. I'm going to try your suggestions and eat more earlier on and more spread out throughout the day...Thanks!!!

Yes, I've kind of made breakfast my "anything goes" meal. Some people have a hard time eating early in the day though.

I lost a few lbs. last year and did it by eating. It's strange, but I used to eat a small breakfast and skip lunch (maybe eat a snack like a bag of pretzels) and then eat dinner. I think my metabolism slowed way down. I started forcing myself to eat 3 meals a day and I actually lost the weight I wanted probably because I was more satisfied and didn't snack so much or pig out on dinner because I was starving. When I find myself hesitating when I'm hungry, I tell myself "just eat!" So far so good.

It also helps you from overeating. If you mkae yourself eat more ofton and not wait til you are hungry you can actually stop yourself from getting too hungry,,,then you wont overeat! :)

It's funny how we have to trick our bodies. :D

Yes, I've heard this from many people. I think it's like this: when you are "thirsty" and craving a tall glass of water, you are actually dehydrated by that point! Similarly, by the time your stomach growls and you realize you are hungry, you've waited too long to eat. The hunger pangs and irritability that comes with being hungry are actually signs that you are too hungry and you should have eaten before you got to that point, agreed? I think that's why eating every three hours or eating smaller meals more often throughout the day works so well for people. I have yet to try it, but all of these testimonials are making me think it might be a good idea!

Niki- what do you usually like for breakfast to keep you going throughout the day? And how "small" are your dinners usually. I sort of eat the opposite right now - small breakfast and large dinner...I'd like to change that.

LS, I think you should work on getting your meals to a normal size portion first in general, because your dinners are by no means "big"..in comparison to your bfasts, yes, but your bfasts are virtually nil to begin with.. I think you should focus on getting ALL your meals up to a normal sized amount (meaning dont touch your dinner and still increase bfast and lunch) and add some snacks. You'll prolly think its too much food but it's really not, and that's jsut another reason why I think you should try to work with your nutritionist more on this rather than trying to do it all yourself..'

LS-

I would try and aim for 400-500 calories at breakfast. That may seem like a lot, but it really isn't. A glass of juice, a bowl of cereal with milk, fruit, and 2 scrambled eggs is about 450 cals. You need to eat a good amount of food in the morning to get your metabolism working. A non fat skim latte and fruit won't do it. Are you still working with your nutritionist?? Has she set a certain amount of calories you need to eat at each meal?? That is what you REALLY need. If she hasn't done so, ask her to do that for you. Just eating certain foods from certain food groups isn't going to help your recovery if you are still eating so little. Also, don't try and just eat 3 meals a day and no snack, that its the worst thing for your metabolism. To speed it up, you need to eat constantly (seriously) every 2-3 hours.