Should I really be eating 5 meals a day?
Kai_Milla1
Posts: 37
Okay- So thanks to all of you that replied to my last post's and I am going to take your advice
and up my daily calories and try the 5 meals a day not just the normal 3. So since this is new
for me I could use a little help with examples of what the other meals should consist of...would
this be a good example of my day?
Today (Day 1 of starting this)
1. Breakfast at 8:00am: Oatmeal with 1 cup skim milk (160 cal)
2. Snack around 11:30am: (At work so it has to be easy) Normally I bring some carrots, celery,
a portion of peanuts or reduced fat wheat thins and a laughing cow or a mix of fruits, sometimes yogurt also- and thats a snack, could that be counted as meal 2?
3. Lunch around 3- Normally A turkey sandwhich on a Thomas whole wheat bagel thins- with reduced
fat cheese, lettuce, and mustard (comes out to about 220 cals)
Then I do around an hour and a half of cardio (burns about 800 cals) and 30 min of strength
4. Dinner...Which is normally always Gorton's brand fish (Salmon or Tilapia) a stock of broccoli or about 12 sticks of asparagus and some fruit or rice, or a low carb lean cuisine or smart one.
But yesterday I posted that i wasn't meeting my daily protein goal, or calorie goal and A lot of
people suggested protein shakes. So I went and bought "Pure Protein Whey" chocolate flavor and
it is 160 cal, 3g fat, 7g carbs, 2g sugar, 26g protein. So my question is- do I drink this and
eat my normal dinner everyday after my workout? I don't think I will be hungry enough for all that!
Help! Im overwhelmed and scared about starting all this mid diet, but Im not losing weight as fast as I was and I think this may be what I need to do?
and up my daily calories and try the 5 meals a day not just the normal 3. So since this is new
for me I could use a little help with examples of what the other meals should consist of...would
this be a good example of my day?
Today (Day 1 of starting this)
1. Breakfast at 8:00am: Oatmeal with 1 cup skim milk (160 cal)
2. Snack around 11:30am: (At work so it has to be easy) Normally I bring some carrots, celery,
a portion of peanuts or reduced fat wheat thins and a laughing cow or a mix of fruits, sometimes yogurt also- and thats a snack, could that be counted as meal 2?
3. Lunch around 3- Normally A turkey sandwhich on a Thomas whole wheat bagel thins- with reduced
fat cheese, lettuce, and mustard (comes out to about 220 cals)
Then I do around an hour and a half of cardio (burns about 800 cals) and 30 min of strength
4. Dinner...Which is normally always Gorton's brand fish (Salmon or Tilapia) a stock of broccoli or about 12 sticks of asparagus and some fruit or rice, or a low carb lean cuisine or smart one.
But yesterday I posted that i wasn't meeting my daily protein goal, or calorie goal and A lot of
people suggested protein shakes. So I went and bought "Pure Protein Whey" chocolate flavor and
it is 160 cal, 3g fat, 7g carbs, 2g sugar, 26g protein. So my question is- do I drink this and
eat my normal dinner everyday after my workout? I don't think I will be hungry enough for all that!
Help! Im overwhelmed and scared about starting all this mid diet, but Im not losing weight as fast as I was and I think this may be what I need to do?
0
Replies
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Eat as many meals as you want. It can be 1 or 10, as long as you get enough calories, that is all the matters. And yes you can eat a shake post workout. Eventually, your body will adapt to eating more and you will be hungry more often. I actually eat 8 times a day.0
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"Eat as many meals as you want. It can be 1 or 10, as long as you get enough calories, that is all the matters. And yes you can eat a shake post workout. Eventually, your body will adapt to eating more and you will be hungry more often. I actually eat 8 times a day."
But isnt it bad to eat all of that late at night? By the time im done working out its around 5:30-6, so I go home make my dinner and I try not to eat anymore the rest of the night...would it be bad to drink the protein shake before bed, or should I do it right after my workout? Will it make a difference when I drink it?0 -
That seems pretty good to me-as for the protein shake thing, you could do what I do and have the protein shake right after you finish working out and then have dinner a couple hours later. It'll give you time to digest but also keep you full until bedtime if you har dinner a little but later. I normally work in the evenings until late at night, so I spread 6 meals throughout my day so I can have something to eat when I get home (I can't sleep on an empty stomach).
What might help for you, if you're having troubles meeting your calorie goals, is to take the number of calories that you need each day and divide it by 5 so that you get the number of calories you have to work with for each meal. And then you can adjust; for example, if you find that you're not that hungry in the mornings, you can eat less and distribute those leftover calories throughout the day in your other meals.
If you're having troubles meeting your protein requirements (I have that problem too), try to eat more Greek yogurt and chicken and turkey, as well as things like beans and eggs-they're pretty low cal for the amount of protein you get. I'd stay away from nuts because you don't get much protein for the calories in them, unless you really need the calories.0 -
"Eat as many meals as you want. It can be 1 or 10, as long as you get enough calories, that is all the matters. And yes you can eat a shake post workout. Eventually, your body will adapt to eating more and you will be hungry more often. I actually eat 8 times a day."
But isnt it bad to eat all of that late at night? By the time im done working out its around 5:30-6, so I go home make my dinner and I try not to eat anymore the rest of the night...would it be bad to drink the protein shake before bed, or should I do it right after my workout? Will it make a difference when I drink it?
No it doesn't make a difference, you could eat one gigantic meal at night and lose fat just fine0 -
But isnt it bad to eat all of that late at night? By the time im done working out its around 5:30-6, so I go home make my dinner and I try not to eat anymore the rest of the night...would it be bad to drink the protein shake before bed, or should I do it right after my workout? Will it make a difference when I drink it?
It is not bad to eat late at night, that is a myth. It doesn't matter when you consume protein, before bed is fine. As long as you are still within your calories, that is.0 -
I agree with them. The reason people suggest to eat several meals throughout the day is to help keep your metabolism up by constantly giving it something to do-more or less. Eating late at night won't affect your progress; like I said, I have my last meal at 12:30 sometimes 1 am because that's when I get off work and I haven't eaten since 8pm. So long as you keep eating the right amount of calories, it doesn't matter what time of day it is-your body doesn't really know the difference.0
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Awesome- thank you!0
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Meal frequency is a personal preference, more importantly is to concentrate on your caloric intake and hitting your macro's... I have lost a few pounds eating anywhere from 15 minutes after I get up to take a 600 calorie snack to bed with me and it has not hindered my weightloss... Best of Luck0
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The reason people suggest to eat several meals throughout the day is to help keep your metabolism up by constantly giving it something to do-more or less.
And to be clear, they are mistaken. Frequent meals do not keep your metabolism up.0 -
So then what does keep it up?0
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A consistent exercise plan that includes resistance training.So then what does keep it up?0 -
My normal 5 meals.. hope this helps
1 oats with a scoop of protein
2 quest bar and fruit
3 sweet potato casserole (pot, onions, cheese, olives) and chicken breast
4 pro shake and an apple
5 chicken or fish, veggies
edit.. eating 5 meals a day also keeps ur energy levels high and helps with hunger and cravings..0 -
My normal 5 meals.. hope this helps
1 oats with a scoop of protein
2 quest bar and fruit
3 sweet potato casserole (pot, onions, cheese, olives) and chicken breast
4 pro shake and an apple
5 chicken or fish, veggies
edit.. eating 5 meals a day also keeps ur energy levels high and helps with hunger and cravings..
That helped a lot- thank you!0 -
That's really not enough food at all. I think that's your main issue, not really how often you eat. You just need to increase the calories at every meal or snack.0
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I think you're over-complicating things. Eat as many meals/snacks as you want within your calorie goal. If you're not meeting your calorie goal, start adding in some extras -- a piece of cheese with your snack, a slice of bread w/ butter at dinner, an evening treat. Overwhelming yourself is a bad idea.0
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My normal 5 meals.. hope this helps
1 oats with a scoop of protein
2 quest bar and fruit
3 sweet potato casserole (pot, onions, cheese, olives) and chicken breast
4 pro shake and an apple
5 chicken or fish, veggies
edit.. eating 5 meals a day also keeps ur energy levels high and helps with hunger and cravings..
It helps SOME people with hunger and cravings. It doesn't help or even causes increased hunger and cravings in others. Short of a medical condition, the timing of meals should be determined by personal preference.0 -
It seems to me that it would be sensible to eat 6 meals per day. Then, instead of the odd meal times, you have now, you could have three normalish meals at regular times, and three snacks, one a few hours after each meal, so in between each meal. Then you working day wouldn't be as disrupted as you would be eating lunch at lunchtime, and not when you're supposed to be working. Or you could eat five meals by doing the same and omitting the mid evening snack, for example. Either way, i think you should eat lunch at lunchtime and not split between 11:30 and 3pm.
Also, i think i've heard bad things about eating too soon before bed, but i may be wrong. I think the main argument was your body simply doesn't need those calories when your going to be sleeping, so don't give them to it.
Hope this helps0 -
Well I think my main problem is im trying to stay low on carbs everyday (bread and chips are my weakness) so I think my cals are so low because I try to eat things low in carbs....which typically are then low in calories. I dont know how to balance being on a 1500cal diet- while trying to be on a low carb diet also. Especially when trying to stay between 50-100g of carbs a day which is what a lot of websites say. This is the amounts given on most of them:
0-50 grams/day – Ketosis and Accelerated Fat Burning
50-100 grams/day – Primal Sweet Spot for Effortless Weight Loss
100-150 grams/day – Primal Blueprint Maintenance Range
150-300 grams/day – Steady, Insidious Weight Gain
300 or more grams/day - Danger Zone!0 -
A consistent exercise plan that includes resistance training.So then what does keep it up?
Yep. I agree with the others do what works for you, meal timing has no impact on loss as long you stay with in your goals. The only reason to eat more often is to keep your hunger in check. For me, eating 2-3 meals a day keeps me on track.0 -
based on your picture, what are you doing on here?
you take the protein shakes aswell as your meals, you are taking the shakes to boost up your protein intake. have one before your workout and one after. i think you neeed to be eating more than you are based on what you say you consumed currently especially if as you say you burn 800 calories a day.0 -
Also, if you think the protein shake is too much after your workout, have a smaller serving size. Like half a scoop. It's useful to remember that protein shakes are aimed mainly at male bodybuilders, and so typically have high protein amounts per serving. I doubt you need 26g after a resistance workout, because you don't weight 300lb pure muscle.0
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Well I think my main problem is im trying to stay low on carbs everyday (bread and chips are my weakness) so I think my cals are so low because I try to eat things low in carbs....which typically are then low in calories. I dont know how to balance being on a 1500cal diet- while trying to be on a low carb diet also. Especially when trying to stay between 50-100g of carbs a day which is what a lot of websites say. This is the amounts given on most of them:
0-50 grams/day – Ketosis and Accelerated Fat Burning
50-100 grams/day – Primal Sweet Spot for Effortless Weight Loss
100-150 grams/day – Primal Blueprint Maintenance Range
150-300 grams/day – Steady, Insidious Weight Gain
300 or more grams/day - Danger Zone!
The carbohydrate curve by Sisson is a joke and based in fantasy, not reality0 -
based on your picture, what are you doing on here?
you take the protein shakes aswell as your meals, you are taking the shakes to boost up your protein intake. have one before your workout and one after. i think you neeed to be eating more than you are based on what you say you consumed currently especially if as you say you burn 800 calories a day.
Haha- Just because I'm not overweight doesn't mean I cant be even healthier than I am. Ive gained more weight than I want to so its time to burn it off- and I have it to lose I promise! Thanks for the tip!0 -
Also, i think i've heard bad things about eating too soon before bed, but i may be wrong. I think the main argument was your body simply doesn't need those calories when your going to be sleeping, so don't give them to it.
Hope this helps
It's an old myth. Unless eating too close to bedtime causes heartburn or sleep problems then your body will still burn off the calories you eat late at night.0 -
Also, if you think the protein shake is too much after your workout, have a smaller serving size. Like half a scoop. It's useful to remember that protein shakes are aimed mainly at male bodybuilders, and so typically have high protein amounts per serving. I doubt you need 26g after a resistance workout, because you don't weight 300lb pure muscle.
Good idea about the meal times- that's definitely what throws me off the most is trying to cram all these meals into such a busy day, and ill try the smaller serving size for the protein shake...thanks!0 -
A consistent exercise plan that includes resistance training.So then what does keep it up?
^^^This, and also being alive and not being old.0 -
Well I think my main problem is im trying to stay low on carbs everyday (bread and chips are my weakness) so I think my cals are so low because I try to eat things low in carbs....which typically are then low in calories. I dont know how to balance being on a 1500cal diet- while trying to be on a low carb diet also. Especially when trying to stay between 50-100g of carbs a day which is what a lot of websites say. This is the amounts given on most of them:
0-50 grams/day – Ketosis and Accelerated Fat Burning
50-100 grams/day – Primal Sweet Spot for Effortless Weight Loss
100-150 grams/day – Primal Blueprint Maintenance Range
150-300 grams/day – Steady, Insidious Weight Gain
300 or more grams/day - Danger Zone!
None of this is true. Low carb does not provide any greater benefits over a conventional diet. Lowering carbs will only lower the amount of glycogen stored. I frequently eat 250-300g of carbs a day with my 2500 calorie diet and I lose 1 lb a week with my TDEE at 3000. In the end, you need to eat 3500 calories less than you burn to lose a lb of fat. The issue with eating too little though, is you will lose more muscle. So if you can't eat more, than stop exercising that much. Go from 2 hours a day (which is already excessive) to 30 minutes a day. If you want lose body fat to "tone up" you need to fuel your muscles.
On a side note, here are a few reason to go low carb:
1. Medical condition - PCOS
2. Trigger foods - Many people, especially women (from my experience), get foods that make them binge. Eliminating those foods will help control calories.0 -
0-50 grams/day – Ketosis and Accelerated Fat Burning
50-100 grams/day – Primal Sweet Spot for Effortless Weight Loss
100-150 grams/day – Primal Blueprint Maintenance Range
150-300 grams/day – Steady, Insidious Weight Gain
300 or more grams/day - Danger Zone!
^^^Complete hooey0 -
Well I think my main problem is im trying to stay low on carbs everyday (bread and chips are my weakness) so I think my cals are so low because I try to eat things low in carbs....which typically are then low in calories. I dont know how to balance being on a 1500cal diet- while trying to be on a low carb diet also. Especially when trying to stay between 50-100g of carbs a day which is what a lot of websites say. This is the amounts given on most of them:
0-50 grams/day – Ketosis and Accelerated Fat Burning
50-100 grams/day – Primal Sweet Spot for Effortless Weight Loss
100-150 grams/day – Primal Blueprint Maintenance Range
150-300 grams/day – Steady, Insidious Weight Gain
300 or more grams/day - Danger Zone!
I'm so relived my body doesn't know this "low-carb requirement for losing weight" nonsense!!!
To the OP, I do lean gains IF and only usually eat within an 8 hour window 12pm-8pm and it suits me just fine. You have to find your "right way" to lose & be satisfied! I would thoroughly support the need for protein to not only attempt to preserve LBM but also stay satisfied!0
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