Changing your food routine.

chickenlegs, 18:6 is when you fast for 18 hours a day (every day) and only eat between, say 12noon and 6pm or whichever six hours best suit your needs.

What is the 18:6 regime? I tried googling it but all that came up was discussions about how to grow canabis . Is 18:6 a version of 5:2?

I have my main meal at lunch time and have done so since I worked at my last job. It suits me better - as a morning person I like to get it organised first thing and then, that's it, all done and I can sit down in the evening to watch telly.
It sounds very boring but I have fruit, cereal with Yakult for brekkers, salad for lunch and then fruit, cereal and yoghurt for tea. I've lost 7 lbs in the last year which is very gratifying but I have another 2 stone to go. It's hard not to celebrate with a cream cake or a bacon buttie but I have to steel myself. I try to go out for a brisk ten minute walk maybe 4/5 times a week and it has helped.

Yes, it is a good recommendation. I do always have a good breakfast - porridge wins the day in our house.

After 5 days of a good meal at lunchtime, today ww were back to the usual routine of dinner at 6 - felt too much! I am growing to like eating well earlier.

Due to business needs I have had to put up with changes many times; but I've never stinted on breakfast and do not now. My wife fitted in with me and then with school time demands so our life pre-retirement was never settled.

Now we both have a good breakfast and then go through to evening dinner without any snacking in between. As I am trialling a Fodmap diet that has meant the family also eats some of my foods - and why not as I have lost a stone and a half without feeling any different!

Whatever changes you make my recommendation is always to start the day right - have a good breakfast.

Well, on my new 'regime' I have lost half a stone this week ... and to celebrate, I have just eaten far too many jam teacakes!!!

We have always had our dinner at midday (we're Northerners so we have our dinner at dinnertime if you see what I mean) apart from the two days when I was still working (retired now for 4 years). It means it's out of the way, I can walk it off in the afternoon and we have a very light tea, no carbohydrate in my case. I think it has helped with weight loss . Some friends and I used to eat out in the evenings from time to time but it always laid heavy on my stomach in bed . We now meet for a meal at midday.

I find cooking and eating in the evening relaxing as I only get half hour for lunch but the last two days have had large lunches and feel fat all afternoon so I don't know if I could cope with large lunch although I get the theory of eating then. I think it is what you eat at lunch and pasta will make you feel heavy so something lighter but then will you be full enough?!

I've always skipped breakfast except when on Weightwatchers, they recommend it. When I came off ww I continued with breakfast, 3 meals a day and promptly put weight on again. So now I'm trying the 18:6 lark and so far, touch wood, it seems to suit me better than 3 mealtimes a day.

I suppose I have become a bit of a “ grazer” now that I have retired, eating what I want when I want. I do like to do a big veg stir fry in the wok, then can pick healthily when I need to. I really have to focus on friends keep inviting me out to lunch etc as it’s so hard to say no to treats, so have been suggesting walks along the seafront instead !

I started reading this thread thinking it was about changing what you eat. I've been vegetarian for over 20 years. Last year I stopped eating gluten for health reasons- it's really helped my arthritis. Yesterday the doctor suggested I cut out lactose. I'm beginning to wonder what I can eat apart from fruit and vegetables!

I’ve started doing this in order to lose weight. I lost ten pounds doing it for a month. I try not to eat anything after 2pm. I feel much better but it is quite difficult to eat a lot in the mornings.

Mostly have main meal middle of the day. Evenings were so difficult. We both belong to 2 choirs, I also swim and dance, and help with Rainbows/ Brownies. Can't bear eating late after the activities, as then I get indigestion in bed. So we eat about 1-2 pm. Works out well, as we then have a quick snack before the activities begin.

I had a severe gastritis and liver problem at the start of this year and have had to give up all spicy or acidic foods and alcohol. I haven't had a glass of wine since 14 December 2016 when this horrible complaint "struck me down".

I was living on mashed potato and bananas initially but gradually introduced more into my diet. We started eating smaller meals with the main one at lunch time and that has helped me a lot. With medication I now feel almost normal - so long as I keep to the regime.

I'm trying this 18:6 malarky and i'm on my third day. Woke up with an awful headache this morning so I think I'm not drinking enough. Also trying to cut down on treats (chocolate and biscuits) ? I' m allowing myself one a day which is hard as I like a little chocolate or biscuit with my coffee after eating.

Stopped eating red meat after having gallbladder removed and feeling better for doing so. Also on semi-skimmed milk rather than full fat but still addicted to chocolate - some habits aren't worth giving up and that's one of them

From the day I married DH until he retired I did not know what it was like to have set times for meals.
His work would mean we either had our main meal at
mid day or of an evening
Of course my children were fed according to schooling
and I made sure they had a routine where their meals were concerned. Main meal at midday and after school not such heavy meals.
When I went into business it became even more erratic but by then the kids were at college so they had a main meal there at mid day but old enough to get other meals for themselves when they later got home.
Now alone I eat when and what I fancy.
I do however restrict my couple of glasses of for my later meals as I have a tendency to nod off.

It sure makes more sense to eat main meal at lunch time. But the only problem with that for me is, I enjoy a glass of wine with my main meal. And I don't like drinking in the middle of the day! So what to do!!

We at a cooked meal at lunchtime when wen we can, its lovely to have it out of the way and it rarely triggers tiredness, usually more energy. Often want little to eat in the evening so it helps keep the weight under control as well. I seriously dislike cooking in the evening so a win:win all round. Harder for you imp with your husband needing a meal in the evening but it sounds as if your plan is working and it will soon seem second nature. I sort of envy you the dog walking.

Oh yes. I now consume approximately one third of what I did 5 years ago and feel markedly better for it. I also stopped the regular meal 'times' and responded to stomach rebellion. Eating is a very lovely practice but I was far too fond of it. Now and again the odd 'healthy' morsel passes my lips but that's more of a happy accident than a plan. The change in regime has been so good for me. How did I take SO LONG to see sense?!! Happy days! And a lovely one where I am at the moment. Hope that is the same for many of you.

Tried having main meal at lunchtime but seemed to waste half a day - deciding what to have, prep time, cooking, eating. Suits us much better to have the whole day to do whatever we want with just a lunchtime snack if needed and then cook in the evening.

We tried having our main meal at lunchtime but it didn't fit our lifestyle. I seemed to spend more time preparing & cooking plus we both felt sleepy in the afternoons. We have busy mornings, only get together for lunch a couple of times a week; it's much more sociable for us to have a proper meal in the evening. We sit at the table with a glass of wine and eat in a relaxed way, sharing our day's events and generally enjoying each other's company. And listening to "The Archers" .....

We made the transfer to having our main meal at lunch time and while DH now always has a nap after lunch I found it revitalising.

I am a light breakfaster and having a light lunch 1) made me more likely to snack in the afternoon and 2) meant I ran out of steam in the afternoon. Now I have far more energy all day and no desire to snack.

Stodgy macaroni cheese and a heap of vegetables would leave me feeling heavy no matter what time of day it was eaten.

Why not have meat/fish with vegetables, or a large cheese and broccoli omelette for lunch, and something like houmus & pita bread before you go to work or take it with you to eat later. Do you get a break?

As others have said, it's healthier to have your main meal at lunchtime. I do find, though, that it can make me feel a bit sluggish and drowsy sometimes. If you have a chance to get outside and take a brisk ten minute walk before resuming work, that might help.