when do you choose to eat?

hailz840

When do you eat your meals/snacks? Do you eat based on time or do you eat when you are hungry?

TheVimFuego

During the workweek I have a splash of milk in my coffee first thing and this does me until about 7:30pm then all bets are off and I eat right up until bedtime.

I function well like this, I feel sharper and don't get that hungry. I get around 5km walking in post work too, rain or shine.

Weekends I'm more balanced, probably because I am that much closer to my fridge.

glin23

If possible I eat when I'm hungry, but I do generally have a bite to eat if it's been a while like 6 hours or something like that since I've last eaten.

kerrygailis

I generally eat when my body tells me I am hungry, I will drink water first and see if it is not just thirst, but then I will wait 5 or 10 mins and if I am still hungry I will eat. Some days I eat 3 meals plus 2 or 3 snacks but other days I eat every 2 hrs, I don't let it worry me. I focus on how good my body feels from healthy eating and exercise. :happy:

hailz840

Wow! I'm usually starving for breakfast when I get up. I find that staying home with the kids we plan our meals based on time of day. ie morning tea around 10, lunch around 12pm afternoon tea 3ish and dinner 5pm ish - then snacking most evenings. was thinking about trying the eat when im hungry option and see if that works better. curious to see how others manage their food intake

kerrygailis

I am definitely hungry when i get up but i have a cup of de-caf then get the kids ready for school and take them, so when I am back and ready for breakfast it has been about 1.5hrs since I had my warm drink so hungry then.

hailz840

i would be amazed if i could last 6 hours without eating!

jenilla1

I eat when I'm hungry.

hailz840

i think i might try the eat when my body tells me im hungry. i think i'll find this hard though since the kids are always wanting me to share their food!

kristy3253

I have read that in order to best utilize your metabolism, you should not eat any later in a day than 4 pm. On weekends I can do this, with a late breakfast and lunch/dinner at 3-4 pm. Snacking has to be watched closely, high fiber would be best or yogurt. Hang in there and keep trying. Some say eat 5-6 small meals a day, small portions and lots of water.

JcMey3r

Eat breakfast and dinner at the same times usually as for the 2 meals I have in between I eat it when Im hungry. I sit in the office so once its done its done and that is in the back of my head so I spread it out evenly.

JcMey3r

I have read that in order to best utilize your metabolism, you should not eat any later in a day than 4 pm. On weekends I can do this, with a late breakfast and lunch/dinner at 3-4 pm. Snacking has to be watched closely, high fiber would be best or yogurt. Hang in there and keep trying. Some say eat 5-6 small meals a day, small portions and lots of water.

Gee, 4 pm thats a little rough. I sometimes take my protein shake only at 10pm. I dont know where you read that but it seems a bit out of the ordinary.

Francl27

Timing doesn't matter. Eat when you want.

Confuzzled4ever

I eat all day.. lol

I tend to eat mostly before 2.. and then nothing until dinner.

KANGOOJUMPS

huh?
duh?
well, yeah, usually when you HUNGRY, YOU EAT,
SIGH........................................................

avskk

I eat when I'm hungry, but I have one of those boring three-a-day hunger cycles, so I'm eating on a pretty traditional schedule. If I'm not hungry at mealtime (rare) I'll skip or reduce what I'd planned to eat and just have the rest when I am hungry.

I work 3AM-5PM though, so my "breakfast" comes midshift (about 7:30AM), lunch comes around 12 or 12:30, and dinner is at 6PM or so. I'm never hungry for the first few hours of my day and sometimes I'm too tired for dinner so I just have a snack or skip it in favor of a larger breakfast the next day.

deviantcupcake

I just eat whenever I'm hungry. Fortunately, I've been able to eat whenever I like at work, so that's been a great help.
I find it a waste of calories to eat when I'm not hungry, and I don't enjoy the food.

BarbieAS

I mostly eat when I'm hungry and don't worry too much about timing. HOWEVER, I do try not to snack after dinner (which is eaten any time between 530 and 900, depending on the day). Not because I think it will help me lose more weight (assuming overall calorie intakes are the same), but just because that tends to be a trigger time for me - if I have maybe 120 calories left, far too often that turns into eating 200-300 calories or more, so if I just tell myself "no eating at all" it really helps to eliminate overages. Also, I find I sleep better when I don't eat too late. That's 100% a personal experience thing, I'm sure that's not everyone, but I just find that even going to bed at the same time as usual it's far easier to get up in the morning when I haven't eaten too late.

Amitysk

I tend to get up about 6:30am every day (even weekends:sad: ) so I will generally have a cup of coffee with creamer. If I'm starving when I wake I'll go with greek yogurt and berries. Otherwise I'll wait until about 8am and have a hard-boiled egg and cheese. Lunch is usually between 11 and 12 and on the large side. Dinner is typically around 7pm. I might have a snack in the afternoon like some almonds or beef jerky.

Weekends are usually the same but no snacking and a larger breakfast...

Wildflower0106

I eat when I know I am truly hungry.

hailz840

Thanks for all your responses. Interested to hear responses from any stay at home parents. I am trying the eat when Im hungry thing today rather than our usual meal times. Had a later breakfast this morn 8.30ish with kids, kids said they were hungry about 10.30 so got them a snack. My son was a little upset I wouldnt share his food thou. Hungry again about 11.30 so had my snack then - banana oat smoothie and wholegrain toast with peanut butter. Kids were keen to eat with me then but I dont want them eating at all my meal times plus when they are hungry otherwise they'll be eating all day!

Bobbiezilla

I think our family eats sort of on a schedule and sort of based on hunger. We generally have our meals at regular times, and if anyone or everyone's not as hungry then there's leftovers, if anyone's still hungry after their dinner portion, then they have a little dessert or snack later. (Leftovers make great snacks too!)

I'm a stay at home mom for the summer, and for me I like making sure I have things planned for the regular meals to keep us sitting down together to eat and to keep me from feeling really hungry at odd times and more likely to eat what might be convenient, but not always the best choice. Once school, swimming lessons and sports start up again the schedule is going to be a real lifesaver

CyberEd312

Type 2 Diabetic and would like to say I eat when I am hungry but I am more structured than that.... 3 main meals a day and 3 snacks so pretty well planned out but its my method and has worked great so far.... All that being said I am a firm believer that meal frequency has no bearing what so ever... as long as you are hitting your caloric intake and nutrient needs is all that matters........ Best of Luck