How many times a day should I eat?

KittiePerry

I was just wondering with me trying to lose weight and all how many times I should eat a day. I'm trying to stay under 1,500 calories and I'm usually up from about 12-2pm until 4-6 in the morning... I do not exercise very often but I'm going to start once it gets nicer outside. I've heard I should only have a big breakfast, medium lunch, and a small dinner. I drink about 1-4 bottles of water a day so about 2-8 cups a day. I live with my grandmother so I don't have say in the food we get. Should I just try to eat small portions every two hours and see where that gets me or what? I'm at a complete loss here and I'm fairly new at trying to be healthy.

I know fruits and veggies are good, pastas are good, dairy is good, and I've almost completely cut out soda and junk food. I've even started chewing gum when I get hungry to try and satisfy my cravings, or downing some water to see if it helps. I THINK I'm doing pretty good but I over worry a lot and stuff like that... All my stuff is public but PLEASE try to be nice about it. I only eat when I get really hungry.

SuperCrsa

Meal timing doesnt matter.
You can spread your calories out however you want

I dont eat breakfast because I have larger dinners.
Just hit your calories for the day and you will lose weight

KittiePerry

I sure hope so, I'm so tired of being 330 pounds ugh, I've managed to lose ten pounds in like 2 months. I don't know whether that's good or not.

farway

Much same as above, timing is not important, do whatever suits your life

Having had a quick look at your diary I would suggest you try & limit pasta and fried food. Nothing inherently wrong with them, but they are calorie dense and do use add up to a lot of calories which may be better used in other ways

Jetstar52

In my weight loss class, we were told that eating raises one's metabolism, so breaking up your calories into six small meals will help you burn more calories.

KittiePerry

It's so hard to limit pasta and fried foods, that's like all we eat here lol. I have to try eating a chicken salad or a can of soup for dinner when they eat pasta. One this is for sure, I'm never eating spaghetti again until I get money to get a gym membership! Ha ha.

ashenriver

Don't give up on pasta, just have it as a side instead of the main meal,

Or add a whole lot of veggies to it.

Also this link has a lot of good information that will help.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

I pasted the first link but they are on to part 3 now.

DrJenO

I eat 5 times a day.

Breakfast - ~180-275 cal
Morning snack - ~200-300 cal
Lunch - 400-500 cal
Afternoon snack - 100-200 cal
Dinner - 600+, depending on how much I've worked out that day and how much I have "left over".

I don't think it matters from a metabolic standpoint that much, but what does matter is staying at a baseline level of fullness so you don't go overboard at any point during the day.

I might also suggest you eat more, not because I think you are going to be in starvation mode or anything, but because I am concerned that that low amount of calories at your size isn't going to be sustainable for you. Let's put it this way: I'm almost twice your age, started off at 100 pounds lighter, and was losing weight at 2000 cal per day with no exercise.

I guessed at a height of 66 inches on you and got a BMR of 2100 calories. Check out the post that ashenriver linked to. It will get you on your path.

Good luck!

mschicagocubs

It's so hard to limit pasta and fried foods, that's like all we eat here lol. I have to try eating a chicken salad or a can of soup for dinner when they eat pasta. One this is for sure, I'm never eating spaghetti again until I get money to get a gym membership! Ha ha.

I gave up noodles for lent....been rough. But definitely doable. You don't have to give them up completely, but maybe make it so it is only apart of your meals 1/2 the week.

Rice/cottage cheese/eggs are all what I have been substituting it with.

Good luck

thewhitedragonfly

Do you get hungry often? How long until you start feeling dizzy? Do you prefer many meals, or a few larger meals?

I eat 5-6 meals a day because that means I won't get too hungry. If I go without eating for more than three hours, I'll just lay on the floor with no energy left and scream at everyone :laugh: My boyfriend, on the other hand, can eat two huge meals a day and feel awesome. Listen to your body

12duffy12

I generally eat snacks and two medium-sized meals a day. I found that only eating when I was absolutely starving (and trying to avoid feeling hungry by drinking water and chewing gum) caused me to waaaaay overeat at my next meal, which was kind of counterproductive. I try to keep low-fat yogurt on hand for when I'm craving something sweet, and baby carrots and hummus for when I'm craving something salty/savory. While these aren't calorie-free, they usually prevent me from ravenously devouring a whole pizza or something at dinner time.

Also,do you know how to cook? When I lived with my parents, I would volunteer to cook dinner for them once or twice a week (and provide them with a grocery list with the things I needed.) They were more than happy to take a break from cooking, and I was guaranteed at least one or two meals that didn't involve pasta and processed cheese. Not that pasta and processed cheese are bad, in moderation...

Finally, if you're looking for free indoor exercises, I've discovered that youtube has a good selection of beginner yoga videos. I've taken to doing them when its too hot/humid/rainy to run outside; plus, I don't mind struggling to touch my toes in the privacy of my own home.

Good Luck!

KittiePerry

I do know how to cook, my grandmother is just a very stubborn woman. She doesn't like me to do laundry, dishes, or cook. I am just glad I know how to do all of it already. The only thing she tells me I have to do is keep my room clean.

I almost never get dizzy from not eating, once my stomach starts growling a lot I eat. I can't remember the last time I felt dizzy from not eating.

I will make sure to check out that link, I just saw that the spaghetti we had (I had two cups) and it came up to 1,600 calories! It was way too much for me to be eating.

And you were close, I'm around 63-65 inches something like that I don't know my exact height right now. I'm just trying to eat as little as I can without feeling hungry which I do feel hungry a LOT. I wind up chewing some gum and drinking water to hold off on it as long as I can and I try not to eat past midnight if I can help it since I go to bed around 3-5 AM as of late.