To Snack or Not To Snack?

Emmaofoz

There seem to be 3 pools of thought.

1 - Snack instead of eat - ie eat a snack every 3 hours no meals

2- Add snacks between meals - ie eat 2 snacks a day 1am and 1pm

3 - No snacking - ie stick to your 3 meals and be done.

Im trying to loose over 100 lbs those who have done this or are on track to doing it .... Advise?

arditarose

Do which ever you prefer. None of them are wrong. Whatever works for you. Although, I don't really agree with "no meals". That just doesn't seem sustainable.

scrapbookingtm

I eat all day long. I never let myself stay hungry. Just count your calories and find what you like that fits for you.

Sabine_Stroehm

I'm a big fan of eating before blood sugar drops, i.e., eating before I feel famished, or shaky, etc.
I eat:
Breakfast
midmorning snack
lunch
mid afternoon snack
dinner and wine
or dinner and a snack later

have for years, first while dieting, and now since maintaining.

YOU have to decide what works for you.

minionman

I try to eat two to three meals a day. For me to sustain I need about (according to this app) 3000, so I try to make all my meals around 1000 or more, that way I don't get hungry through out the day. Just my opinion

minionman

But I do cheat sometimes.

AmazonMayan

I snack if I'm starting to get hungry and a meal can't be done right then. No rules to it at all other than not being over calorie total at the end of my day

BWBTrish

I eat 3 main meals and 2 snacks...or 4 or 5
As long it fits in my calorie allowance.
I eat what i want and when i want. ( i eat pretty balanced)

Lost 66 pounds this way so works perfect for me.

Everybody is different, and every body has its needs
You have to find your own way's and habits so you can lose at this point and easily maintain when you are at your goal weight.

jemhh

I generally eat 3 meals. If I snack it's something right before bed just to get to my calorie goal.

MythicalMe84

I eat 2 or 3 snacks a day but I'm diabetic and have to. See what works best for you.

zeal26

I don't really fit in any of those.

I have breakfast around 8am, then a whole bunch of small snacks (string cheese, nuts/dried fruit, fresh fruit, cereal bars) throughout the morning, lunch around 3, probably another snack after that depending (usually an apple or banana), dinner around 6, then another 2 snacks (chocolate pudding, crackers, popcorn) before bed. Works for me!

Liftng4Lis

Firm believer in snacks!

lemurcat12

It really depends on what works for you. I don't like snacking--I think in terms of meals and tend to like larger meals and just prefer meal-like (cooked) food. If I were forced to do the mini meal or grazing plans some recommend I'd either hate it and quit or overeat. I've also found that cutting out unnecessary eating between meals is a really easy way for me to keep calories down without feeling like I'm missing anything and to break bad habits of emotional/stress eating. It's usually easy for me to remember I am eating in just a few hours and wait.

That said, sometimes my schedule is such (if I work out earlier and have a late dinner, which I often do) that my will power can get weak or I just feel more hungry than I'd like during some time of the day (usually late afternoon), so if so I decide to build in a snack then. It functions more like a meal in that I have planned food (with macros that are balanced), I don't go foraging for something to snack on.

(I started with about 100 to lose, and have lost 95. One thing I've learned is that different things work for different people, so experiment and see what appeals to you to try and be as aware as possible of what your challenges are and why and when you tend to eat well or overeat. It's been an interesting learning experience.)

3dogsrunning

I've done both ways.
A lot of it depends on what my days are like. When I am working 12 hour shifts, I tend to do better on 6 smaller meals a day or 3 meals and 3 snacks. Now that I am off work for awhile, I tend to eat 3 meals a day, sometimes only two with a snack at night.
It is all a matter of personal preference outside of a medical issue. Try different ways and see which works best for you to keep you full and hitting your calorie goal.

Liftin4food

I like 2 big meals a day. No snacks. It works for me. Other people like to eat every 1/2 hours.

As long as you eat less calories than your body uses you will lose. If sticking to that is easier if you eat something small every hour - do that. If you like big , satisfying plates of food works then 1/2/3 meals a day might be better.

To:dr. CICO is what matters. Bunch the calories into chunks that suit you.

sympha01

It's a mistake to think there is only one right way, and every other way is wrong and blasphemy and will stall progress.

Either is fine. Whichever you find easier to stick to. Some people (like me) cannot imagine giving up substantial meals, and avoid snacking to save up the calories for a nice dinner or whatever. Other people can't handle going more than a couple of hours without eating /something/ and don't mind picking at tiny little meals when they eat. To each his own. But there is no question really of one way or another having a meaningful impact on metabolic processes or efficiency.

Lounmoun

I eat breakfast then have lunch about 3 or 4 hours later. I might have an afternoon snack between lunch and dinner. I often have a snack betweeen 8 PM and 11 PM. I don't usually eat after that. My snacks are planned just like my meals.

Find what works for you. As long as you stay with your calorie goal and are functioning well it doesn't matter how you split up those calories really.

fengkycar

I was a snacker previously, and during previous weight loss attempts (which were successful in terms of losing weight, just not keeping it off - I just never quite to goal and then regained). This time I am not snacking as much. I have breakfast, lunch, sometimes an afternoon snack depending on how busy I am. Then I have dinner and depending on calories left I might have a snack before bed, or a glass of wine, or nothing. I'm preferring it this way- I can have bigger meals (a big breakfast really sets me up for the day, previously I'd have a small breakfast to leave calories for snacks). I get moderately hungry at times, but nothing unbearable, and usually means I'm thirsty, not hungry.

Actually, thinking about it, days I am at work I don't have an afternoon snack unless I am starving. Days I am at home (I work part time and stay home with my young children the other days) I often have a sweet snack (like a skinny cow) an hour after lunch, while my kids are napping.

Emmaofoz

Thank you All for sharing your experiences!

Angierae75

As someone said above, I eat when I want, what I want. I generally have breakfast around 9:30. I eat lunch at 12:30 or 1, so if I get hungry before that, I have healthy snacks available to me to have. I almost always need an afternoon snack, since we don't eat dinner til about 7, so there's something around to eat around 3:30 or 4.

Nighttime snacks depend on how many calories I have left and how hungry I am.

fat2strongbeth

I try not to snack, but if I'm hungry then I add a small snack I adjust my calories for meals accordingly. I've learned to listen to my body.

Tea_Mistress

Whatever makes you feel best, I eat twice a day because it's easier just to eat a big breakfast and forget about food until dinner time, I make sure I eat enough calories though to keep me satisfied + I've lost a ton of weight and am very slim now

erinncashsmidt

I've been trying to replace big, calorie-heavy meals with smaller, lighter snacks throughout the day, and making sure to eat a solid 200-400 breakfast and 300-600 dinner. I end up eating a high-protein breakfast, grazing on low-cal snacks about every two hours, and then enjoy making myself a small portion of healthy dinner. I end up only eating two actual meals most days, but the result of all my little snacks has been that really heavy (high in dairy, sugar, preservatives, etc) foods make me sick and I get full very quickly, and find myself preferring smaller and lighter portions. This is the first time in my entire life I've experienced a feeling of not wanting junk food and not wanting to gorge myself...so I'm very pro-snacking!

CaptAwesome77

Whenever you ask yourself this question, the answer is no.

Smallc10

I have pre-approved snacks waiting. I eat 3 meals a day with a snack between meals so I'm pretty much eating every few hours and end up with 5 - 6 meals a day depending on if I'm lifting or not that day. I always have a protein drink after I lift so it just depends on where that fits in with my snacking.