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What time do you have your main/last meal?

(28 Posts)
annsixty Wed 07-Apr-21 16:48:17

I was chatting to a friend on the phone today and said I was eating my evening meal earlier and was thinking of having my main meal at lunchtime.
I really don’t want to as I will be dozy all afternoon but I am not hungry or enjoying my meal at 6:30pm, our normal time.

I was amazed when she said she and her husband had their meal at 8;30.
They are 88 and 80.
I don’t know how their digestive systems cope with that and how they sleep after what I consider a very late meal.
Each to his own but it got me wondering what time is most popular.

grannysyb Wed 07-Apr-21 16:56:26

We are quite early, between 6.30 and 7.

Witzend Wed 07-Apr-21 16:57:47

About 7.30 here. Sometimes more like 8.
Dates back to when dh was working and would never be home before 7.

If we ate much earlier I’m sure we’d be prowling around the kitchen looking for top-ups before bedtime. I do think a main meal at lunchtime is supposed to be better - I’ve noticed that on the few occasions we have a bigger lunch out, we feel a lot less hungry later.
But it does make me want to have a siesta.

tanith Wed 07-Apr-21 16:57:58

Around 6pm usually I don’t like eating late.

GrannyGravy13 Wed 07-Apr-21 16:58:42

We eat between 7.30-8.00pm most nights, although on a Sunday it’s normally 5 - 6 ish as I like to have everything cleared away by 7pm so I can collapse on the sofa.

Pantglas2 Wed 07-Apr-21 17:09:47

If there’s not a 3-4 hour gap between eating and bed then I won’t sleep straight through for 7-8 hours and consequently will feel rubbish all next day!

If we’re out late then I’ll eat late, otherwise eat between 6-7 then bed 10-11 suits me fine - a good night’s sleep is better than money in the bank as I get older!

Blossoming Wed 07-Apr-21 17:12:24

6pm due to need to fit in around medication.

M0nica Wed 07-Apr-21 17:19:39

We have been having our main meal at lunch time for a long time. I eat a small or no breakfast and found that if I then only had a light lunch, I got really hungry in the afternoon. Once we started eating our main meal at lunch time, the temptation to snack mid-afternoon disappeared.

As for the meal making me dozy, it would have to be a very large meal (Christmas dinner or similar) for it to make me somnolent after lunch. The same applies to eating at 8.00-8.30 as mentioned in the OP. I wouldn't expect an ordinary sized meal that late to give me indigestion, providing I didn't go to bed before 10.00.

We usually have supper between 6.00 - 7.00pm. We find a small meal that late is more than enough to see us through until morning. However, as a general rule, we do not eat between meals anyway and certainly not after supper.

EllanVannin Wed 07-Apr-21 17:36:46

I rarely eat beyond 6pm.

Jaxjacky Wed 07-Apr-21 17:53:30

Between 7-7:30, acid reflux advice to me was 2-3 hours before bed.

NanKate Wed 07-Apr-21 17:58:08

5.45 to 6.00. DH is cooking the stir fry tonight so I suspect we will get it at 6.15 - 6.30 but that’s fine by me. I love an evening off.

Cabbie21 Wed 07-Apr-21 18:27:50

About 6 pm. I have choirs( on Zoom) on three evenings so it is a bit of a rush, but I don’t want to wait till afterwards as that would be too late.
I have suggested a main meal at lunch time but DH refuses, except on Sunday, when I always cook the main meal for around 1pm. Then we have a light meal anywhere between 6 and 8 pm. That would be the only meal I might call supper, by the way. Supper to me is a late snack. When I was a child we had tea ( salad/ sandwiches/ something on toast) after school at 5 pm and supper before bedtime, often fruit cake and a hot drink.

Franbern Wed 07-Apr-21 18:30:02

5.00 - 5.30pm. Have a hot drink (green tea) about 7 pm.
Brekkie is 8.00 am and lunch at midday.

mumofmadboys Wed 07-Apr-21 18:30:17

We eat around about 6 pm

Sar53 Wed 07-Apr-21 18:42:13

We don't eat breakfast most days, occasionally at weekends we have fresh croissants. Lunch about 12.30 and dinner 5.30 -6.00. Cup of tea 7.30-8.00 with a biscuit. Sunday we usually eat middle of the afternoon with a snack about 7.00.

Maggymay Wed 07-Apr-21 18:52:56

Main meal lunch time about 1pm , light meal about 6pm.

Puzzler61 Wed 07-Apr-21 18:55:49

6 - 6.30 pm then plenty of time to digest it before going to bed around 10.30 pm.

Elusivebutterfly Wed 07-Apr-21 18:57:43

I have dinner around 5.30. I feel better eating earlier and like to have everything cleared up early as well.

vampirequeen Wed 07-Apr-21 20:58:48

We have breakfast between 6am and 7am. Lunch is around noon and tea is around 5pm. Tea is our main meal and we usually have a dinner unless we have a dinner at lunch time in which case we have lunch for tea. Of course this is different if we’re having Sunday dinner which is always eaten at lunch time unless we’re having a Sunday dinner midweek when we have it at teatime. grin

Ro60 Wed 07-Apr-21 21:03:08

5.30 -6.00 these days. A year ago was happy to eat out at about 8.30. Changing times!

foxie48 Wed 07-Apr-21 21:12:05

I find we are eating earlier as we age. We breakfast separately, lunch is between 12.30 and 13.00 and we have our main meal between 18.30 and 19.15. DH will have a little snack of toast and jam in the afternoon which he shares with the dog. He's one of those lucky people who stay slim whereas I have to work at it. The dog likes his supper at 17.00 and makes more fuss when he#s ready for his meal than DH.

mokryna Wed 07-Apr-21 21:33:58

Brunch is about 1.30 and dinner 8.30 but I snack between these meals on fruit and yogurt and drink black unsweetened coffee from early morning till mid afternoon, then milk and water, no alcohol unless there are friends or family.

rubysong Wed 07-Apr-21 22:36:29

I love your post Vampirequeen. I have breakfast (in bed since I retired) around 7:45, lunch 12:30ish then whatever you want to call it at 6:45pm.
If it has gravy on it, it is called dinner whatever time of day.
(I always feel rather sorry for people who have 'Christmas lunch.)
I also have a bee in my bonnet about people who confuse afternoon tea and high tea.

polomint Wed 07-Apr-21 22:48:13

We have dinner between 5 and 6pm

MiniMoon Thu 08-Apr-21 00:02:00

We have our main meal at lunchtime which is about 12:30 in our house.
We have something light somewhere between 6 pm and 7:30.