One thing I noticed while getting back up to speed for our next trip (since it's been 6yrs!) is what seems like that expectation of many for more substantial food at dinner time in the lounge. Our previous CL stays- never went in with that expectation and knew that it was more appetizer like offerings. But maybe as they moved to more "heavy" appetizers - the more people have become to expect something that will actually serve as a meal substitute? I have seen people comment on the lack of "lunch" - that never used to be in the mix either, was that something was offered at some time? We experienced just snacks previous.
The debate over CL = meals...is as older than the 1,000page thread that predated this one, and - to be blunt- the CL offerings have always been ambiguous. That's a big part of the reason this thread exists. Not only are the offerings ambiguous, but they change over time. When I first started reading this thread...BC served donuts and was tiny. The website also lacks information. Back then, you couldn't even book CL via the webpage! You had to call to even book it.
But part of the greatness is few people know what it is, so they don't book it.
In short, the answer is always going to be personal. For me, I can easily skip a meal during the day, and a juicy orange is sometimes plenty to tide me over for a few hours. When not CL at WDW, we have done it all: big TS meals, snacking our way through the day, and even getting so busy we forget to eat at all.
A few years back, there was one day, where we talked about stopping for lunch, but then we kept going on one more ride, and one more ride, and happened to buy a small bag of M&M's on our way out of MK. We ate those on our way to Universal, then got in line for Hagrid's (new + long line) and next thing we knew it was almost 11pm and we had not had any other food since our 8am breakfast!
Also, there's a difference between what WDW offers, what Universal offers, and what other hotel brands offer. So YMMV.
Even on days when the offerings are potentially fairly substantial, if you don't happen to like the one type of meat that is offered, then you won't be eating anything. CL is very hit or miss. I don't say that to be flippant; a back-up plan is always wise when staying CL.
I have sometimes heard CM's call the appetizers "appetizers," and sometimes I have heard individual CM's call the 5-7pm food "dinner," especially when talking directly to chefs.
For myself, I tend to think the small size plates suggest it is not meant to be more than a light meal at most.