How often do you eat?

callsitlikeiseeit

i go in phases.

generally, though 3 meals and leave room for 2 snacks and a drink :P

the snacks are more when im actively working on losing and not eating at maintenance.

ZombieSlayer

Eating before 11-ish makes me nauseous, so usually it's lunch around noon, dinner around 5:30, and dessert (or just snack) around 8ish.

_lyndseybrooke_

Throughout the week, I typically eat 4 meals, 1-2 snacks, and dessert - so I eat 6-7 times a day. No reason for this other than I like to eat as often as I can. Since I'm bulking and eating 2660 calories a day, my meals are fairly large. When cutting, I alternate between three large meals and dessert (I never skip dessert) and several small meals, depending on what I think keeps me the least miserable. Cutting is miserable either way, but I do what I can.

I pre-log, so there's never any surprises at the end of the day. I know I'll be able to get all my meals in and be within my macros.

Cahgetsfit

5 - 6 times a day.

when on higher calories 5 times + a snack

when on lower calories 6 times and sometimes a snack

kommodevaran

I don't understand the concept of snacks/snacking (where I live, "snacks" is a salty, crunchy, fatty junky food like chips/crisps, peanuts, biscuits or pork rinds) - but I eat four meals a day and my metabolism is just fine Today I was very disciplined and had breakfast at 11.30, lunch at 14.30, dinner 17.30 and supper 21.30.

AmigaMaria001

Breakfast: 10am
Lunch: 3pm
Dinner: 7pm
no snacks

robingmurphy

3 meals, one snack: 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm

BioQueen

Usually 3 times a day, if I snack then I find it is much easier for me to overeat (even though I log) and I don't think about eating as much.

rainbow198

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner from about 11am - 6pm. No snacks.

SyllyReth

Sometimes 2, sometimes 3, sometimes 6. It depends on when I am hungry. I track everything I eat and pay close attention to how I feel. Sometimes I have 2-3 larger meals in a day and sometimes I have 6-7 small meals and snacks.

callsitlikeiseeit

kommodevaran wrote: »

I don't understand the concept of snacks/snacking (where I live, "snacks" is a salty, crunchy, fatty junky food like chips/crisps, peanuts, biscuits or pork rinds) - but I eat four meals a day and my metabolism is just fine Today I was very disciplined and had breakfast at 11.30, lunch at 14.30, dinner 17.30 and supper 21.30.

my snacks are fruit or veggies or pretzel thins and cheese .... i had a slice of peanut butter toast for my morning snack today cause i was starving after my workout.

Cahgetsfit

kommodevaran wrote: »

I don't understand the concept of snacks/snacking (where I live, "snacks" is a salty, crunchy, fatty junky food like chips/crisps, peanuts, biscuits or pork rinds) - but I eat four meals a day and my metabolism is just fine Today I was very disciplined and had breakfast at 11.30, lunch at 14.30, dinner 17.30 and supper 21.30.

By snack I mean like a banana or something

I eat at:

6am
10.30
2.30
6pm
then if I need to 7.30pm (when I'm on a 6 foods a day cycle)

the 'snack' usually gets inserted straight after I work out (so around 1.30-2pm) and is generally just a piece of fruit.

But yes - snacks does mean stuff like pretzels!!!

johnnakrob

Thank You all for responding. It is so interesting to see all the different ways people eat. I will stick to the 3 meals and 3 snacks a day. But will try to eat lower calories for snacks. Not to say I eat more than my daily 1200 calories. I never do. Just would like to use the calories more for meals than snacks.

cairoqueen27

5-6 times a day!
I try to plan my meals and snacks and keep to a time and eat regularly through the day as when I get too hungry I reach for sugary snacks and then binge eat, so breakfast at 9, snack at 11, lunch at 2, snack at 4, dinner at 7, and sometimes supper at 9.
Wow looking at that I think I'm always eating or planning to eat!
Maybe I should exercise as often to match....

kommodevaran

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

my snacks are fruit or veggies or pretzel thins and cheese .... i had a slice of peanut butter toast for my morning snack today cause i was starving after my workout.

camilacreme wrote: »

By snack I mean like a banana or something

I eat at:

6am
10.30
2.30
6pm
then if I need to 7.30pm (when I'm on a 6 foods a day cycle)

the 'snack' usually gets inserted straight after I work out (so around 1.30-2pm) and is generally just a piece of fruit.

But yes - snacks does mean stuff like pretzels!!!

Does snacks really have two slightly different meanings in the US? I'm in Norway and we love everything American, but we don't always get it right Both "salty, crunchy treat" AND "small meal"? Is the difference between a meal and a snack that the snack is smaller/unplanned/incomplete/postworkout/eaten on the run?

Cahgetsfit

@kommodevaran I think I call "snack" a snack because it's like one quick little thing. All my other 'foods' are massive bowls filled with stuff that takes time to eat.

So 'snack' to me is like a quick thing to take the edge off hunger until meal time OR to fuel the body after workout.

I'm in Australia - but I think Aussie definition of snack is the same as USA

annette_15

4-5

kommodevaran

camilacreme wrote: »

@kommodevaran I think I call "snack" a snack because it's like one quick little thing. All my other 'foods' are massive bowls filled with stuff that takes time to eat.

So 'snack' to me is like a quick thing to take the edge off hunger until meal time OR to fuel the body after workout.

I'm in Australia - but I think Aussie definition of snack is the same as USA

Thank you for your explanation! I love language almost as much as I love food

lemurcat12

kommodevaran wrote: »

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

my snacks are fruit or veggies or pretzel thins and cheese .... i had a slice of peanut butter toast for my morning snack today cause i was starving after my workout.

camilacreme wrote: »

By snack I mean like a banana or something

I eat at:

6am
10.30
2.30
6pm
then if I need to 7.30pm (when I'm on a 6 foods a day cycle)

the 'snack' usually gets inserted straight after I work out (so around 1.30-2pm) and is generally just a piece of fruit.

But yes - snacks does mean stuff like pretzels!!!

Does snacks really have two slightly different meanings in the US? I'm in Norway and we love everything American, but we don't always get it right Both "salty, crunchy treat" AND "small meal"? Is the difference between a meal and a snack that the snack is smaller/unplanned/incomplete/postworkout/eaten on the run?

Yes, pretty much.

To me a snack is any food between meals (other than a dessert that closely follows a meal). Usually smaller than a meal. Some people might call planned ones "mini meals" (although that's a newer thing from people claiming that it's beneficial to plan them in and eat all the time).

Both come from the meaning "a small portion of food."

afatpersonwholikesfood

I eat lunch and dinner and one or two snacks.

farmerpam1

I eat 5 or 6 times a day, small portions every 3 or so hours.

blossomingbutterfly

I usually eat a small breakfast, then lunch and supper. I have a snack after supper. So I guess that makes 4 meals for me!

Honestly though, do what works for you. If 6 small meals work for you, then do it

tara_means_star

I start eating at noon, sometimes a bit after that. I generally eat a decent lunch, maybe a snack a little later, and big dinner. Dinner is usually around 5:30 or 6. Some times I eat after dinner but lately I haven't.

Merkavar

3 meals 1 snack normally.

Breakfast around 7:30
Lunch around 1:00
Dinner around 6:00
Snack around 9:00

BULLET9992

johnnakrob wrote: »

Hello,

I have been try to eat every 2 to 3 hours through out the day. I am wondering if anyone else does this? I eat 6 small meals a day and find I do not ever get hungry eating this way.

Thanks for opinions.
Johnna

Eat as frequently or infrequently as you want as long as you stay within your set calorie range. Most people have the best luck either on one end of the spectrum or the other. Doing intermittent fasting (small eating window / 1 large meal daily) or 5-6 meals +/- snacks per day seam do get faster results than somewhere in the middle. The standard 3 meals a day isn't very typical for positive results.

GreenValli

Usually 3 meals and 3 snacks.

Good breakfast: Often oatmeal with additions of nuts, raisins, and dried cranberries, coffee
AM snack: banana
Lunch:Often just a sandwich: Sandwich Thin with meat or cheese, but sometimes with vegetables.
PM snack: Often almonds after I am done at the gym
Cooked dinner varies greatly
Night snack: something sweet but low calorie: yogurt, fudgsicle, or fruit.

kommodevaran

lemurcat12 wrote: »

kommodevaran wrote: »

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

my snacks are fruit or veggies or pretzel thins and cheese .... i had a slice of peanut butter toast for my morning snack today cause i was starving after my workout.

camilacreme wrote: »

By snack I mean like a banana or something

I eat at:

6am
10.30
2.30
6pm
then if I need to 7.30pm (when I'm on a 6 foods a day cycle)

the 'snack' usually gets inserted straight after I work out (so around 1.30-2pm) and is generally just a piece of fruit.

But yes - snacks does mean stuff like pretzels!!!

Does snacks really have two slightly different meanings in the US? I'm in Norway and we love everything American, but we don't always get it right Both "salty, crunchy treat" AND "small meal"? Is the difference between a meal and a snack that the snack is smaller/unplanned/incomplete/postworkout/eaten on the run?

Yes, pretty much.

To me a snack is any food between meals (other than a dessert that closely follows a meal). Usually smaller than a meal. Some people might call planned ones "mini meals" (although that's a newer thing from people claiming that it's beneficial to plan them in and eat all the time).

Both come from the meaning "a small portion of food."

Thanks I just get so confused - but I admit that I will sometimes eat outside meals too. I'd just call that a "treat", I think. We do have a similar concept here ("mellom-måltider" - littteral translation "between-meals") that are planned mini-meals, without being quite real meals - which I don't like, I like things to fit into one category and only one at a time. Lol, I know that's not always possible

extremelygrumpycat wrote: »

I usually eat a small breakfast, then lunch and supper. I have a snack after supper. So I guess that makes 4 meals for me!

Honestly though, do what works for you. If 6 small meals work for you, then do it

Haha, now I'm confused for real!

VisofSer

I am trialing intermittent fasting for the next two weeks to see how I take to it. For me, this means I eat between 12:00 and 20:00 only, and yesterday that was two meals.

fittyinthemaking

5-6 times a day every 2-3 hours x

clafairy1984

yep, i try to eat roughly every 2-3 hours. 3 light meals of around 400 cals and 2 snacks 100-200 cals, and a low cal hot choc after dinner to curb the craving to snack in the evenings. Works a treat. Also add in a protein shake after gym sessions, that i drink on the walk home , to prevent raiding the kitchen when i get home.