Do you eat bc it is "time" to eat or bc you're hungry?

2

Replies

  • MissKitty9
    MissKitty9 Posts: 224 Member
    by the time it's "time" to eat, I'm always hungry. So... both?
  • larodriguez02
    larodriguez02 Posts: 106 Member
    Usually when I"m hungry. However when at work, I always eat at lunchtime, cause well its my time to go and I can't just go when I want. Typically I am very hungry by that point though... If for some reason I had a large snack in the morning and I"m not hungry AT ALL I will not eat and wait til I am.
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
    I used to eat whether I was hungry or not, at the traditional times.

    Now I listen to my body and eat when I'm hungry. I eat less as a consequence and it has also allowed me to rediscover my "I'm full" feeling which now arrives much sooner than it used to.

    Because food is plenty available for most people, a lot of people have no idea what hungry actually feels like. There was even a thread about it recently "what does hungry feel like" -- just proves how out of touch we are with our bodies.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    I eat when it's time because I used to be a forgetful eater who would get headaches from not eating. The only exception to this is if I get hungry before it's time I go ahead and eat my food then and don't have it later because I will still usually be full from whenever I had to eat it prior to schedule. I keep snacks in my purse for these occasions. I do this for the same reason as well. Not only am I prone to headaches if I forget to eat on schedule, I can also get headache if I actually feel hunger and try to ignore it.

    This works for me overall. It's not like the eating when I'm hungry causes me to need to eat twice. I just end up not being hungry at the regular scheduled time and have a drink or light snack if it's a time or place where everyone's going to eat around me and it's "expected". Then I just shave those cals off the next meal.
  • Pangea250
    Pangea250 Posts: 965 Member
    Both. Usually, though, I eat when I'm hungry rather than by schedule. Lunch tends to happen at lunchtime at work, regardless of hunger. If I'm not hungry, I will wait a bit sometimes, or perhaps eat less.

    I do wait to eat, however, until a certain time even though I am hungry if it is not yet time to have something.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Yes.

    Social norm? lol


    :happy:

    I just find it easier to eat at "normal" times, and fill in if I'm hungry. As it turns out, I'm usually at least a little hungry at the "normal" times. Ergo, "yes."

    :wink:
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    A little of both, although I am changing that & running an IF trial for about a month or so. Generally I try to eat only when hungry, but I would always make myself eat what I brought for breakfast & my morning snack even if I wasnt hungy. Now my plan is to not eat anything until lunch. And by then so far I am most certainly hungry. But only 2 days in and its really not that bad at all. Long ways to go yet.
  • MaeRenee94
    MaeRenee94 Posts: 175
    I eat at certain times. I was diagnosed with an ED awhile ago and by having planned times I stay on track!

    I also like to plan out my calories and macros as close to perfect as I can get, and I find having different times helps.
  • michael1976_ca
    michael1976_ca Posts: 3,488 Member
    I tend to do a bit of both but since I am hungry a lot I try to stick to the eat when I am scheduled to eat plan.

    this goes for me to. i have breakfast at 8, lunch around 12 and suppor around 5 or 6 but i snack in between time when hungry. i think i do pretty good
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    A little bit of both. I usually eat two large meals a day and I only eat when I'm hungry so sometimes that means it's four hours between those two meals and other times it might be eight hours or more if I'm hungry and eat earlier than normal.

    But I also eat to a schedule, sort of. For example, I used to eat at night regardless of how many calories I'd eaten during the day because I'd always be hungry. But since I think it's healthful not to always be eating I stopped eating after 8pm to increase my fast. It only took about three days of not eating after 8pm before I was no longer hungry at night and break a lifetime night time eating habit.

    So I think you can easily train your body when to be hungry by eating or not eating at certain times regardless of calories -- I'm pretty sure there's some research that will confirm that but regardless, that's been my experience.
  • lavendy17
    lavendy17 Posts: 309 Member
    I eat when it's time, but not always.
    If I am very very hungry I may eat before.
    If I'm not that hungry and really busy I wait a little.

    But I still eat around the time I plan to. Mostly.
  • klp1017
    klp1017 Posts: 95 Member
    I eat in the morning when I get hungry, I eat lunch at a specific time whether or not I'm hungry only because I leave for work right after and I know I won't get to eat for another 5 hours minimum, so that's more of a prevention from becoming too hungry during my shift. Then, I eat dinner when I get hungry again, which is usually right after my shift ends.
  • tarag8100
    tarag8100 Posts: 60 Member
    My trainer asked me to start eating 5 meals a day instead of just 3. I'm doing it and it has helped my day a lot. I'm less hungry at lunch or dinner and it's helped me keep my overall calories in check. Keeps my energy up during the day. So I eat a snack at around 10 am and 3 pm now whether I'm hungry or not.
  • jaxbeck
    jaxbeck Posts: 537 Member
    Usually habit. I get up & eat something small before my workout. Eat more protein after workout. Get to work & have the final part of my breakfast, usually a hard boiled egg. Lunch at noon & usually a protein snack around 2. Then dinner when I get home from work.
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    I just recently started IF (sort of) so by the time my "time to eat" comes around, my stomach feels like it is going to eat itself and is grumbling. I'd say that's pretty hungry.
  • stephysd
    stephysd Posts: 2,410 Member
    I eat as my kids' hunger dictates or my work schedule allows. On the days I work and they are at daycare I will have coffee when I wake up at 7 and eat breakfast at work somewhere between 8:30 and 9:30 usually. I get a half hour lunch at 12pm which I go for a walk/run during, so I eat lunch at my desk between 12:30-1 while I am sorting mail. I usually get pretty hungry again in the afternoon somewhere between 2-3:30 so I have a snack. I get done with work and pick my kids up at 5 and they are usually starving, so supper is right away usually by 6. Sometimes I will have a snack before bed if hungry other times just my tea.

    Days at home with the kids is usually breakfast around 8am, lunch at 11:30-12, followed by nap, snack at 3pm, and then supper at our usually 6. I follow their daycare schedule as they need the routine to be their happiest.
  • Tessyloowhoo
    Tessyloowhoo Posts: 504
    I am home most of the time by myself.... and i still end up eating big meals at 8am, 12pm, 5:30pm, with snacks in between.
    if i don't eat every 2 hours or so it will lead to a binge.
  • RockinTerri
    RockinTerri Posts: 499 Member
    I'm constantly hungry so I eat at or around scheduled times. If I ate when I was hungry I'd be eating all day long. :ohwell:

    I'm typically like this too. Though there are days where I DO eat all day...
  • SJVZEE
    SJVZEE Posts: 451 Member
    I eat when hungry.
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    New wrinkle to the question: so, what if you have a normal schedule you almost always follow with your eating....and then some days you are just extra hungry? Do you satisfy your hunger with extra food or do you just stick to your food schedule?

    This would be pitting the "listen to your body" theme v. the scheduled eating theme.

Categories