Most people trying to lose weight don’t eat breakfast. Many skip lunch as well. So by 5 p.m. they’re ravenous and often consume more calories at dinner than they would if they ate three sensible meals a day. They’ve also thrown their bodies into fat-hoarding mode by eating a giant meal. Eating three meals a day and snacking in between controls your hunger and prevents your blood sugar levels from dipping too low, which makes you want to eat, eat, eat.
Dinner is the largest meal of the day for most Americans. Unfortunately, this works against weight loss. In laboratory studies, animals who consumed most of their calories at night gained more weight than those taking in an equal number of calories throughout the day. Reason? The body’s secretion of insulin peaks in the evening and extra insulin ensures that more of the calories you eat will be stored as fat. You’ll lose weight more easily if you eat more of your calories at breakfast and lunch and fewer at dinner.
