6 small meals or 3 normal portions???

HannahWhitfield7

Hi all,
I need some help... desperatley...
I am wondering what the best times to eat during the day would be?

I normally dont eat breakfast until 10am (which i have been trying to bring back earlier as i start work at 7.30am each day and am up from bed by 6.30am) lunch at around 1 -2pm and dinner anywhere between 7 - 8.30 depending on what time i get home from the gym etc.

However I generally snack in between meals and i dont always make the healthiest choices as i find i am starving by the time i get to sit down and have an actual meal.

My question is would it be benificial for me to eat 6 smaller meals a day rather than 3 large ones where I snack in between? ve hit a wall with my weight loss at the moment and im wondering if this might help mix things up a little.

Have any of you made similar changes that have helped you with your journey??

cerysrhi

I have 3 meals and 3 snacks eating every 3 hours or there abouts I used to have the same problem with breakfast and it seemed to throw me off track I started by having a smoothie for breakfast and built myself up to solid breakfast for some reason I just couldn't stomach breakfast so early but a smoothie worked wonders I would then have breakfast at my first snack maybe a couple of pieces of toast, a wrap for lunch, crackers cheese and grapes for afternoon snack what ever I wanted for tea portion size determined by its calorific value (high cals smaller portion) and then about 7 in the evening I will have an options hot chocolate with mini marshmallows and fat free whip x hope this helps

amysambora

I start work at 7am every morning and I usually eat four small meals and one snack a day. A typical day for me looks like this:

6:15am: Raisin toast or wholegrain toast with peanut butter
10:30am: Special K cereal with yoghurt & blueberries
1:30pm: Soup, salad sandwich or leftovers from dinner
3:30pm: Small snack - nuts, dried fruit, granola or protein bar, hard boiled egg...
6:00pm: Typical dinner, meat & vegetables or salad

I'm never usually hungry after that but if I am then I might have more yoghurt. This works for me way better than three meals and two snacks! Experiment a little...it takes time to figure out what's best for you, but if you're currently feeling hungry between meals it sounds like you need to shake things up a bit Hope this helped!

jennsie

Weight loss for me has always been down to what I eat and the amount I eat, moreso than it is exercise. (However, exercise is also important.)

I wake up at 6:00am and get a train, which takes an hour to get into work. I don't have time to get anything before work, so I have my breakfast at about 7:45-8:00, when I get into the office.
Breakfast: Dorset Cereals Super High Fibre. (It's a mix of dry oats and nuts and dried fruits / museili-- it's very good for you to have soemthing like this as it slowly releases energy throughout the day.) On top of that, I have blueberries. I can't stand the taste of milk, so I never ever have milk on cereal. Blueberries or fruit on it is fine. I also drink water with it.

Drink LOTS of water!!! It fills your tummy and makes you less hungry.

I am a bit lucky as work has free fruit, so I grab a banana, apple, orange and snack on those throughout the day.

For lunch, I keep it light still, but I treat lunch as my main meal. (I sometimes go to Subway because there's one near - I always opt for a healthier option, such as having a wrap instead of white bread).

I don't bother with eating in the evenings as it's 6:15pm by the time I get home, and then I go out to the gym for about an hour - home by 8:00. Also, when I have been to the gym in the evenings, I am simply not hungry. (I also don't think it's healthy eating before bed, and by the time I am home and showered, I've only got 1.5 hrs to prepare food and do anything else I need to do before bed.)

The other thing is saying 'no'. I like going out with friends, but if we're off to a pub or restaurant, I have to be strong and alternate my drinks (I have white wine and normally order a small glass so I don't gulp it down) and alternate with diet coke or water. If I am in a restaurant, I have healthy options and take some of it away if I can...or share.

It is okay to give yourself a treat, but it's best to have a healthier option. I give myself a treat when I have lost an amount of weight. (A treat does not have to be food.) I have a box of dark chocolate in the fridge at home - still left from Christmas. It is ok to have a piece a day - one chocolate - if you must...but just ensure it is just one piece.

HannahWhitfield7

Thanks everyone for your help :happy:
I think i do need to shake things up a bit and experiment to see what works best for me and just keep going from there until i get it right