Question for people who actually eat "5 small meals/snacks per day"

BodyrockerUSA
BodyrockerUSA Posts: 7 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi guys, this is probably a stupid question BUT I recently started trying to follow the whole eat-5-small-meals-a-day thing. I eat at 9 AM (breakfast), 11 AM (snack 1), 2 PM (lunch), 5 PM (snack 2), and 7 PM (dinner). I have noticed that after I eat breakfast and my first snack that I am not really that hungry for my lunch. My question is this:

Do I eat even if I don't feel hungry? Should I space out my meals a bit more? Should I decrease the size of my meals? I feel like it's obvious to say "don't eat when you're not hungry" but maybe the 5-small-meals-a-day people know a secret I don't.

A typical breakfast: small yogurt or small yogurt drink or 1/2 avocado on corn cakes or rice cakes or apple or banana
A typical snack: celery and hummus or grapes or carrot sticks
A typical lunch: salad (chard, kale, and spinach), grape/cherry tomatoes, 1/2 avocado (sometimes), chickpeas (sometimes), and Kraft 15-calorie dressing.

Thanks for your advice and recommendations!

Replies

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    Meal timing is irrelevant. Eat on whatever schedule works best for you in terms of satiety/adherence, energy levels and/or workout performance. All that matters for weight loss is that you maintain a calorie deficit over time.
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,756 Member
    i tried 5 meals, years back and it worked well for me. Recently I had the same problem you did...I do not like eating when I am not hungry so I just went back to the traditional 3 meal thing. So far so good.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    They're right ^^
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    I think you should eat in a way that makes it as easy as possible to get in enough, but not too much, food, consistently. I have followed a range of meal setups, and they all work well for me. As long as we eat enough but not too much, I think we can get used to (=our appetites adjust to) many different meal schedules, if they are practical - eating should fit in with other things you do, your work, family and social life. You may enjoy five meals a day, you may also find that another setup is better.
  • kristen8000
    kristen8000 Posts: 747 Member
    Meal timing is irrelevant to losing weight. I do a 7am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 6pm, 8pm (Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Dinner, Snack) ONLY because I love to eat small meals and I hate being hungry.

    But in a way that makes sense for you.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,464 Member
    I eat 4 meals a day. I do it because it works for me. I eat about 7-8, 12, 4, and 8-9. If I eat 3 meals, 7-8, 12, 6ish. I am very hungry for supper, tend to snack while cooking, overeat,feel miserable, then hungry again before bedtime. A dietician/nutritionist helped me figure out what works best for me based on hunger/schedule. That is, I am hungry- eat my biggest meal at 4, based only on the fact that's when I want it. My job dictated lunch at 12 for years, just got in the habit, etc.

  • CoachJen71
    CoachJen71 Posts: 1,200 Member
    I eat a bit every couple hours, then depending on my exercise during the day, eat more in the evening. (Unless I am hiking. I eat more because I need the fuel for the work I am putting into getting up and over those hills.)

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/CoachJen71
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    One of the things I learned by tracking my food is that I'm a compulsive snacker. Once I start I have a very hard time stopping. I also learned that I'm not particularly hungry in the morning but had bought into the idea that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day". Because of that I cut my breakfast way back, avoid snacking and eat a much larger lunch and dinner. I do still save some calories for an after dinner something sweet.

    Play around with what works for you and change up whatever isn't. Don't sweat a particular eating program because they're all different paths to the same goal: a calorie deficit.
  • Zeuggma
    Zeuggma Posts: 157 Member
    For losing weight, meal timing doesn't matter.

    However, for maintaining energy, blood surgar, and reducing appetite, I find meal timing important.

    I eat pretty similar to you -- 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, and i eat pretty much every 3-4 hours. Since i've started this, i noticed that I no longer have dips of energy or random cravings throughout my day. My body does demand food when it expects food though, so i always have to have food with me or thought out ahead of time.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    I tried to eat 5 meals on the recommendation of my dietician - I'm a diabetic and the theory was that small low carb meals was better for glucose control than larger higher carb meals. But I felt like I was doing nothing with my life but preparing food and eating it. I observed my blood sugar and my habits and ended up eating a large breakfast, piece of fruit right before working out if I work out mid morning, substantial dinner-like lunch, afternoon snack after working out if I workout mid afternoon, small dinner which is basically snack sized. So basically two regular sized meals, a tiny meal, and a snack per day. That's just what works with my life. Which is the important thing. The goal here is to find a way of eating which makes you happy and comfortable within your target calories, not to meet some artificial standard for number of meals.

    It sounds like eating at 9, 11 and 2 isn't necessary for you. If the timing of meals can't be changed, you could skip the snack or eat a smaller snack or a smaller lunch. Or you could spread out the time a bit more. Personally I would have trouble getting from 9 to 2 without a little something, but the something wouldn't need to be much. Also, since you mentioned specific food, there's not a lot of protein here, are you getting it with dinner?
  • 76Crane76
    76Crane76 Posts: 133 Member
    I began in June spacing my meals every 3 hours.
    9Am breakfast, noon lunch, 3pm snack and 6pm dinner. My A1c went up and I became borderline diabetic. When i saw the Dr we discussed this, as I was really perplexed. I lost 20+ pounds and cut way back on sugar and carbs. His answer? You are eating too often and spiking your insulin every time you eat! I was amazed. He recommended keto & intermittent fasting and I am now researching this. He told me that science has changed and the old belief of eating small meals often has been debunked by new research.

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