Eating "by the clock"

pap3rw1ngs

I'm just curious to know if anyone else eats the way I do; eating "by the clock" rather than according to when I'm hungry. I'm not looking for advice; what I do seems to work pretty well for me.

Basically, I eat my meals (and snacks) at set times. Or, at least, leave a specific amount of time between them if a meal gets delayed for some reason. I never eat my first meal before a certain time, I wait X amount of hours before I eat my next meal (usually 5) and I don't eat my last meal before a certain time. Snacks depend on whether I'm having one or two and how filling they are (e.g. protein bar) but I'll usually set a time for those too.

Of course there are times when it's not possible for follow my "schedule" but, for the most part, my days follow a very regular pattern.

I guess I'd rather be hungry for an hour or so before a meal than get hungry but be out of calories for the day.

I will add, I have an issue with feeling full (even after losing 67lbs). After a meal, regardless of what I eat, I'm no longer hungry but I'm never full or super satisfied either. I find knowing I can't eat again until a certain time stops me wanting to eat more just to fill up.

ana3067

No, because this is a lifestyle change. I am not going to schedule my eating times for the rest of my life, so I'm not going to do it now.

arditarose

No. I do eat about 6 times a day though, every day.

jyogit

when I'm working i do this .. wake up and have breakfast then 6hrs later i will have lunch then 6hrs later dinner .. with a snack thrown in along the way at times but not always..seems to work for me as i also fit in exercise in between the meals .. however on my days off it all goes out of the window and i struggle to eat enough at the right times while I'm off.

1JoshG

I intermittent fast, so I eat breakfast and supper at the same times everday

Liftng4Lis

No, it wouldn't be sustainable longterm for me.

brendo204

yup all my meals r timed, lucky enough to have a job that allows me to do that

RodaRose

You seem to have a day that accommodates that schedule. My days are topsy turvy.
Besides I hate breakfast with all the passions of the universe. I skip breakfast & lunch and eat a big meal when I come home from work and have a small meal later in the evening.
One recommendation is that you eat more leafy greens and beans in order to get more fiber so that you can feel comfortable between meals.

tomatoey

I don't, but this could be useful for people like me whose biggest weight loss issue is lack of planning (e.g. forget to eat breakfast, find themselves howling at 2pm and setting themselves up for a binge).

although, not sure i like the idea of forcing a delay if you are actually hungry

pap3rw1ngs

ana3067 wrote: »

No, because this is a lifestyle change. I am not going to schedule my eating times for the rest of my life, so I'm not going to do it now.

I guess it'll be less of an issue when I'm able to eat more on maintenance but I see no reason why I can't keep this up longterm.

pap3rw1ngs

tomatoey wrote: »

I don't, but this could be useful for people like me whose biggest weight loss issue is lack of planning (e.g. forget to eat breakfast, find themselves howling at 2pm and setting themselves up for a binge).

although, not sure i like the idea of forcing a delay if you are actually hungry

I figure I'm probably going to be hungry at some point so I'd rather wait a little longer when I know a meal is due than risk being hungry later when I'm all about of calories.

futuremanda

Ideally, I do, yes. I benefit a lot from it. (Not in an ideal situation though, so not right now, and that's a challenge for me.)

MysticRealm

I have rough ideas of when I eat so I don't just mindlessly snack. I don't eat breakfast. Lunch is whenever I have time to stop at work, usually Sometime between 11:30 and 1:30. After work I go and ride my horse, when I get home from that I usually have a small snack before heading to the gym. Supper is usually immediately following that, then snacks around 8:00-9:00 (sometimes later if I get home late from everything)
if I don't ride or don't workout or have a shorter day at work I usually eat my supper around 6-7, snacks still around 8-9
I rarely feel full or hungry, so just going off my body cues wouldn't work very well. I've trashed that part of my system with how I have eaten most of my life (or maybe it was always broken dunno)

Cortneyrenee04

I do this too and I really like it. I like knowing when I get to eat next! I don't usually eat before 9am but I don't have a cut off time, though I don't like to go to bed full any more.

My hunger cues seem to be off and since I can't use hem as a guide (right now), I use the clock. I usually eat every 2 hours or so at work. (How do people go 6 hours? I would be cranky.)

MysticRealm

Cortneyrenee04 wrote: »

I do this too and I really like it. I like knowing when I get to eat next! I don't usually eat before 9am but I don't have a cut off time, though I don't like to go to bed full any more.

My hunger cues seem to be off and since I can't use hem as a guide (right now), I use the clock. I usually eat every 2 hours or so at work. (How do people go 6 hours? I would be cranky.)

I usually fast 14.5-16.5 hours a day (I eat last around 9pm, then don't eat again till between 11:30 and 1:30 as my first meal the next day)

bunnypy

I do intermittent fasting because I also don't get satisfied with my meals, I have only 1400 calories a day for maintenance, which when split into a 3 to 6 meals is absolutely nothing for me, so I eat between 12 and 6pm, meaning I save my breakfast calories for after 12, after a while of doing this I don't even get hungry or cravings in the morning.

malibu927

Nope. I can't do that with my lifestyle. Today I had to eat lunch super early, go to work for a 6-hour shift where I would not get a lunch break, immediately leave from there for school, sit in a 2-hour class, then drive home and finally eat dinner 10+ hours after lunch. The only thing I consumed in that time was about 100 calories of beef jerky.

satisfyingmyinnerfatkid

Yep you are looking at happy, successful by the clock eater here (1pm, 3pm, 6pm, 8pm, 10pm, and Midnight) I sometimes do other time configurations of 6 meal periods as well.

I have been doing that since starting my weight loss journey two years ago. One of my many pre-weight loss problems was eating ALL THE FRICKIN TIME. I would literally eat every half hour to hour.. I can't believe it only added up to 3500 calories a day instead of like 7000 calories like you see on some weight loss shows.

I decided to do 6 small meals a day instead of 3 to give myself more chance for success. It started as an experiment because I was terrified how I was going to "make it" without food.. I know so dumb but I was so right! When my stomach "hurts" with hunger pains from trying to make it 2 to 3 hours between each meal It tells me that the previous meal must have not been nutritious enough (lacking protein and/or fiber). It also sometimes points out that I may only feel hungry out of stress, boredom, or tiredness.

This keeps me on the straight and narrow. After 2 full years of this, I don't think I'll ever eat 3 square meals a day ever again. By the way I am unemployed so yes it is easier on me but in my mind I will protect this with all I got when I get a job because it works!

Sued0nim

No because I'd hate that .. I'm a grazer

But if you like it - good-oh

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I didn't plan to do that, but I do it naturally because I thrive on schedules and routines. As long as you're not going to freak out if your natural rhythm gets messed up I found it to be very effective.

honkytonks85

Doesn't fit into my lifestyle at all.. but if it works for you awesome.