Dinner: I've probably been doing this wrong all my life

[Questor]

I was just thinking that I probably am eating wrong. My big meal of the day is always supper, where I have a plate of food and seconds. Breakfast and lunch are pretty small and I don't tend to snack unless I'm really hungry. It seems like I should be cutting out the larger portions in the evening, and not drinking caloric drinks like juice in the evening.

Do you have a plan that works best for you?

Simpler and smaller suppers seem more sensible to me now than ever before. I never challenged that idea before.

[Glanceblamm]

Simpler and smaller suppers seem more sensible to me now than ever before. I never challenged that idea before

Sounds good to me...till I would get really hungry and cook something for myself...and there will probably be gravy

[Graybeard]

Yup I have a plan and it works for me. Now you must of course define "works for you" in your context to determine how well my plan works in your context.

Breakfast at 9:00 AM which is generally a fairly small meal. Nap beginning at 10:00 to noon depending on what I'm doing and to some extent on what time I woke up. The nap usually ends at 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM depending on when I lay down and how tired I am.

Around 3:00 to 4:00 PM depending on timing of nap as much as anything I have a small glass of milk and 2" or so thick slice of bread most commonly with seeds on top (I guess that's the "bird" in me needing my birdseed). That is then followed around 6:00 PM give or take a bit by supper which as you say is always the largest meal of the day.

I will generally spend the 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM time frame eating supper followed by whatever TV watching I will do that day. Dang nearly every night some kinda snack will be eaten most times not a heavy snack but it just seems that in the 8:00 to 9:00 PM time frame I find myself with some kinda snack.

At 10:00 it's back to the computer for a final check of the forums before turning in for the evening.

Each day has some slight variance from that kinda sorta routine depending on just what else comes up for the day. Nothing in my life is really set in stone so my schedule adapts as needed to what arises day to day. Meals however vary very little day to day in timing or size.

Now you must understand there is no particular goal to my eating other than to satisfy the hunger of the moment. No such ulterior motives such as losing weight or being more fit figure in.

[magooch]

Sure, I only eat twice a day and that works for me.  I eat a relatively modest breakfast with cereal, blue berries, nuts and a banana.  Then I eat the main meal of the day in the late afternoon.  It usually features a humomgous salad and then whatever else I have room for.  I try to go easy on the bread and meat.

I'm not saying that I don't go astray occasionally, because we do visit the casino buffets regularly, but I always get back on the rabbit food right away.  I was advised to get plenty of fiber a number of years ago and I'm here to tell you that it really works.  I have absolutely no problems with weight control, energy etc.  Prior to changing my eating habits, my guts would let me know that things weren't going so well.

[Heather]

As long as you are calling the meal in the afternoon dinner and the meal before bed time supper then it is all good. :-)  Some folks in this country don't know what supper is and have argued with me that it was just a southern redneck term.  It is Breakfast lunch and dinner to them...:-( 

All joking aside yes dinner should be your bigger meal and supper the lightest.  Breakfast should be the heaviest.  By heaviest I mean the most calories and carbs should be consumed earliest in the day so that your metabolism is working its strongest to burn them.  While we sleep our metabolism almost shuts down to pack on the pounds.

Heather

[Questor]

Around here in Minnesota, farm country folks still call the noon-ish meal dinner and the evening meal supper.  I come from the land where lunch is the noon-ish meal and dinner is the evening meal.

[Heather]

Around here in Minnesota, farm country folks still call the noon-ish meal dinner and the evening meal supper.  I come from the land where lunch is the noon-ish meal and dinner is the evening meal.

I left a California man speechless when he was ridiculing my language.  I simply asked him if Jesus and his followers were depicted in the last supper or the last dinner.  He didn't ridicule me saying supper anymore. 

Heather

[MGMorden]

As long as you are calling the meal in the afternoon dinner and the meal before bed time supper then it is all good. :-)  Some folks in this country don't know what supper is and have argued with me that it was just a southern redneck term.  It is Breakfast lunch and dinner to them...:-(  

Long standing "feud" (jokingly) between me and my family.  While I have no problem with the term supper, to me dinner and supper are the same thing, and are evening meals.  Mid day meal is lunch .

Anyways, as I've heard it, is it TECHNICALLY best to eat a good relatively large breakfast, smaller but still sizable lunch, and then a pretty light dinner ().  Reason being is that you need the extra calories earlier to fuel you throughout the day and much fewer calories while sleeping, so you stack your heavy meals earlier.

That said, I'll admit, I don't follow the recommended pattern at all.  I eat breakfast MAYBE once every 3 weeks. Usually have a decent sized lunch during the weekday when I'm in town for work.  On the weekend it's usually just a sandwich or something for lunch.  Then I typically eat a larger dinner.  Lately though I have been trying to loose some weight so in addition to all diet sodas and water, I've taken to eating sub sandwiches for lunch.  I alternate though so the workers at the places  don't think I'm trying to do another Jared .  There's 3 Subways and a Blimpie really close by, and so I alternate days between those.  There's a cute gal over at the Blimpies though.  Might start stopping there a little more frequently .

[rockbilly]

As my old Grand pappy use to say, a man should have breakfast like a King, dinner (or lunch for you Yankees  ) likes a prince and supper like a pauper.

Growing up that is the way we ate, breakfast always had a BIG pan of biscuits, eggs, some meat, gravy, and milk, coffee with plenty of fresh country butter and jams and jellies.  Lunch or dinner, was plenty of fresh veggies, meat, cornbread and some type of desert.  Supper consist of a glass of milk and large piece of leftover cornbread.  Sometimes there were leftovers that accompanied supper.  Grandpa always had buttermilk with his bread.

There must be something about eating like this that is beneficial to the ole body.  My Grandfather lived to be 94 years old, Grandma lived to 89; they were farmers, produced most of their own food and meat, raised 13 children, worked hard every day of their lives.  I don’t remember too much sickness with Grandpa, Grandma had some after he passed away, but I think that was due, in part, to her relaxing after his death.

[Swampman]

I eat almost nothing during the day because I don't have time.   I eat at supper time because I like to visit with my wife while eating.

[buster1]

I try to limit myself to one meal a day, it starts when I get up and ends when I go to bed, and it shows. I know I have to eat better, exersize, and try to lose weight. Supper is my largest meal, thats when family is together, and we enjoy life.

[MGMorden]

(or lunch for you Yankees 

It's lunch to me and I've never travelled farther north than Raleigh, NC in my entire life .

[Redtail1949]

rockbilly:

i have not heard that one for many a year.

[myronman3]

for breakfast, i have a half of pound of bacon.   for lunch, i have the other half of that pound of bacon. 
 i usually drink my supper.  -grumpier old men.   
 
 seriously, i have coffee in the morning, a very light snack  between 9-11am, and a larger supper.  now that i dont have to have 3 squares made for the kids, i am living the free life of a bacholer once again.  damn it is nice.   

[Heather]

  now that i dont have to have 3 squares made for the kids, i am living the free life of a bacholer once again.  damn it is nice.   

We eat our big meal at LUNCH  because that is a time that I can guarantee my whole family being here.  Matt is just waking up, and we haven't left for our hectic evenings.  I am often at karate at the boys supper time, so I make our big healthy meal at dinner so I can affirm that they are eating their veggies. My advice to anyone is do what is right for you and your family.

Heather

[billy_56081]

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, lunch, Supper in rural southern MN.

[Gun Runner]

Last 2 diets dint work out well:
1st was the SEE food diet, as soon as I saw food I stated eating.   
2nd was the light food diet, as soon as it got light I started eating.   
Deceided to just eat what I wanted when I wanted.

Gun Runner

[cwlongshot]

Since my heart attack last year I REALLY adjusted my eating habits. Not that they where really awful.(Heart attack was likely from a bad fall and a blood clot it created)

Breakfast: Shredded wheat, Hot Oatmeal, Farina, Maypo w/brown sugar. Some fruit and black decaff coffee. (I prefer black coffee)

Lunch: Garden salad (Veggies and fruit fat free dressing) maybe some chicken/turkey if available & water

Afternoon Break/snack: (@ work): Decaff coffee, black and a banana, apple or orange. maybe a yogurt if I splurge. For just a snack, a couple Gram Crackers, Animal Crackers or hand-full of dried fruits, but not allot or very often.

Dinner: Chicken, Turkey, fish or another salad with chicken/turkey plus veggies and water.

Snacks, Fruit, Gram Crackers, Animal Crackers or dried fruits, but not allot or very often.

About once a month I allow myself a good steak or other-not as good for me food. Once or twice a week I'll have a beer.


I lost almost 70 pounds in 5 months eating this and so far have kept it going and the weight off... Cholesterol is in the dirt and docs very happy, Life is good...again.

CW

[slim rem 7]

it always varied according to how hard i was having to work
 as to what we called them it was breakfast, dinner an supper..
 wife always left me a good supper in the fridge, as she managed the front end at harris teeter..
 after the devorce it was quite an experience,, for this old fella..then i got rescued by karry when i was dn to 170..i think ida just woke up an not been there one day if she hadn t.slim

[Oldshooter]

I will generally spend the 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM time frame eating supper followed by whatever TV watching I will do that day. Dang nearly every night some kinda snack will be eaten most times not a heavy snack but it just seems that in the 8:00 to 9:00 PM time frame I find myself with some kinda snack.

GB if I read that right you eat a snack at 8 or 9 during the 6 to 10 supper time! Thats what I call a well healed eater, a fellow that takes time for a snack during the the supper time!    Youre my hero GB!!!!

[Questor]

CWLongShot:

Best wishes to you and your good health!

[Cheesehead]

I eat till my arms get tired, then stop.

Not really. I follow my Wifes lead with her Weight Watchers diet plan, it works very well and I am seldom hungry. I had my yearly physical on Dec 31 and the blood work numbers were not good. All the result of Thanksgiving and Chrstmas gourging. Very bad timing for a physical.

Cheese

[myronman3]

cheese.... i smell a set-up.  i think the scheduling department screwed you over. lol.