How Often Should I Be Eating?

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JustMimi215
JustMimi215 Posts: 61 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am NOT sure of how often i should be eating..I ate breakfast this morning around 815am. So what time should i eat a snack...Please be nice in the comments, i am so new to this weight loss journey and i'd like to stay motivated about it. Any suggestions?
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Replies

  • nickatine
    nickatine Posts: 451 Member
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    eat when you are actually hungry.
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    Eat when you get hungry. Whatever is most comfortable for you. You could eat all your calories in one sitting if you like, it won't have any bearing on your weight loss.
  • panda4153
    panda4153 Posts: 417 Member
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    I agree with the other posters. Eat when you are hungry, listen to your body. It may take you a while to learn when your body likes to eat. I know for me, I like to eat a bigger breakfast late in the morning, eat very light throughout the day, and then a larger dinner at night. Don't starve it can lead to poor food choices, but if I am not hungry I do not force myself to eat because a certain amount of time as passed.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Doesn't matter, except that it has to work for you--as others have said.

    Some find it easier to snack and not get hungry ever. I hate that, as I don't like having to worry about eating throughout the day and like bigger meals, so I have 3 meals or, at most, 3 plus a post workout snack.

    I'd pick something to try, see how it goes and take note of whether you are struggling more at certain times, not interested in eating at certain times, etc., and then adjust.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Eat as often as you'd like. Doesn't matter what time you eat - matters how many calories you eat.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    Yep. You can eat whenever you want. It has no effect on weight loss. You will have to play with times and see what makes it easiest for you to stay on track with your calorie deficit. This is based on personal preference so only you can figure that out.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    whenever you want or it fits your life style.

    I can't stand being hungry at night.

    But I have zero issues being hungry in the morning- and considering I run a full 12 + hour day- it's better for me to back load my day- I don't start eating till 1230 or so- later if I can swing it... 1 or 2.

    Lifting days I have a snack around 330-4 PM.

    Mondays I lift- then I go to dance class- which means lift form 5-7- then dance from 7-10... so I get another snack in either before dance- or around when we switch from rehearsal to technique.

    I don't eat in the mornings. That's not to say I'm not hungry. I am. But I just don't care. It's not conducive for me to eat when I'm hungry- once I start eating in the AM- I'm going to want to keep eating- and then I over eat- because when I get home at 10/11 PM- I'm starving and then I over eat.

    So - eat in a manner that works with your life and is sustainable to you.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    edited January 2015
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    It doesn't matter... eat however you need to such that you hit your calorie and macro goals for the day/week and have good energy when you need it (workouts, active parts of your day, etc).
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Some people do really well eating 5-6 small meals a day. For other people, eating like that makes them want to gnaw their own arms off. Some people do better eating only 1-2 large meals a day. And still others prefer three square meals and snacks if they're hungry.

    Meal timing won't have any substantial effect on your weight loss. It may have some effect on your hunger levels, gym performance, energy and concentration, etc. But that is very much about personal preference and finding what works best for you.
  • sheepotato
    sheepotato Posts: 600 Member
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    Eat when you feel hungry, just track what you eat and stay within your calories. You'll find what works best for you with time. I like having 3 meals/2-3 snacks so I don't get grumpy some people like to eat all their calories in one big meal. Whatever works.
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    Don't worry about specific times to eat, focus on your calorie goal. If you like eating breakfast and having snacks do that. If you like to eat 1-2 larger meals that's okay too. Find what works best for you, and keeps you heading towards your goal.

    For me, I eat my first meal around 1 pm, and a bigger dinner a couple hours later, it works for me. Don't over think this or make it more difficult that it has to be.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Meal timing is largely irrelevant outside of fitness performance and dietary adherence.

    I personally do best with 3 solid meals per day along with a couple of afternoon/early evening snacks.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Timing has absolutely no affect on weight loss. As others have said, you can eat all of your calories at one sitting if you like, but I wouldn't recommend it. :wink:

    I, personally, like to eat several small meals/snacks throughout the day. I have a protein bar (200 calories) around 8:00am, a 200-300 calorie lunch around 11:30 am, a 100-200 calorie snack at around 2:00pm, 300-400 calorie dinner at 6:00pm and a snack with whatever is left at around 8:00pm. This is subject to variation, of course. Some mornings I don't eat breakfast at all, some days I might skip lunch or snacks. It depends on if I ran 10 miles or only lifted weights or had a rest day. It might also depend if I'm going out for dinner or to a party or whatever. It really all depends on what works for you in general and then taking special situations into account as they arise.

    You may find at first that it's easiest for you to eat a lot of little meals, especially if you find you're feeling hungry well before your next meal time. You can then adjust as feels best.

    Good luck!
  • JustMimi215
    JustMimi215 Posts: 61 Member
    edited January 2015
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    GiveMeCoffee wrote: »
    Don't worry about specific times to eat, focus on your calorie goal. If you like eating breakfast and having snacks do that. If you like to eat 1-2 larger meals that's okay too. Find what works best for you, and keeps you heading towards your goal.

    For me, I eat my first meal around 1 pm, and a bigger dinner a couple hours later, it works for me. Don't over think this or make it more difficult that it has to be.

    Thanks i appreciate how blunt you were and yes i do tend to over think it. Plus since im at 1800 calories i thought maybe i needed to start in the morning and have 6 meals...I am new to this and i dont know what the heck i am doing....But i am learning, thats why im here on MFP

  • JustMimi215
    JustMimi215 Posts: 61 Member
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    Thank you all for the feeback :):wink:
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    I would strongly suggest that you do not eat when you are not hungry.
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,789 Member
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    Eat when you're hungry; don't eat when you're not hungry. Sometimes I wake up ravenous and have breakfast, followed by lunch, a snack, dinner, and another snack. Sometimes I wake up not remotely hungry and I skip breakfast, have a small lunch, and enjoy a positively enormous dinner and some booze. Sometimes I go out for lunch, eat 1000 calories, and have a tiny salad for dinner. The one constant is that I stick to my calorie goal each day -- well, that, and I never feel deprived and starved OR bloated and overfull.
  • GoPerfectHealth
    GoPerfectHealth Posts: 254 Member
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    Hi,

    Welcome to MFP! It's great that you are thinking about what time to eat. Ideally, you'll be able to eat enough calories at the right time of the day to avoid getting TOO hungry. So you could start by choosing to eat a specific number of times per day. Then see how you feel and make adjustments.
  • FitnessFreak_69
    FitnessFreak_69 Posts: 5
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    The goal is to loose weight so you want to keep your metabolism up. You should be eating healthy foods about every three to four hours, and they should be small meals. 100 or 200 calorie meals at max. When you eat more frequently it helps you burn that unwanted fat. Also make breakfast the biggest meal of the day. That way you have all day to burn off that first meal. Plus you need to "break the fast" or else your body will go into starvation mode and you will end up gaining weight. You should also eat the most carbs during breakfast and the least carbs before bed. Good luck to you!

    ISSA Personal Fitness Trainer
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    FitnessFreak_69 wrote: »
    The goal is to loose weight so you want to keep your metabolism up. You should be eating healthy foods about every three to four hours, and they should be small meals. 100 or 200 calorie meals at max. When you eat more frequently it helps you burn that unwanted fat. Also make breakfast the biggest meal of the day. That way you have all day to burn off that first meal. Plus you need to "break the fast" or else your body will go into starvation mode and you will end up gaining weight. You should also eat the most carbs during breakfast and the least carbs before bed. Good luck to you!

    ISSA Personal Fitness Trainer

    No to all of this.

    You don't go into starvation mode because you don't eat breakfast
    You don't have to eat every 3-4 hours
    Meals do not have to be 100-200 calories

    JUST NO

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