3 meals OR 6 meals a day ???

CeeJourney

I'm having trouble controling my eating habits becasue I'm in school. As this semester is coming to an end in about 5 weeks I begin to feel stressed out and my eating habits become HORRIBLE! I barely get in 3 meals a day and some days I find myself snacking on "healthy snacks" during the late night studying OR completing replacing them as meals because i also maintain two jobs on campus. One of my friends as recommended I eat six small meals a day versus the usual three BUT im afraid i'll go overboard in my calorie intake..... HELP ME PLEEEAASSSSEEE!!!

What does a "small meal" consist of when trying to eat six small meals a day??

Have you tried it? Which do you prefer?

YOUR HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!! :happy:

LesliePierceRN

I am very busy as well, and I find that I do better and stay under my calorie limit with six (0r 7!) small meals a day instead of 3 big ones.. when I stretch that time out between meals, I get hungrier and I eat even more. You can look at my diary if you like, it's open. And I eat a lot of stuff on the go too, between errands or workouts, before picking the kids up, etc. I keep fresh veggies and fruit in snack bags, as well as trail mix, granola bars, protein bars, snack crackers and cheese, etc. There's stuff to eat in my car, in my purse, practically everywhere I might find myself needing a bite or two.

CeeJourney

Thanks! I'll definitely take a look at your diary!!! :flowerforyou:

NewFitKeri

Personally, I do 6 small meals a day..it keeps my metabolism going more, and I feel full more than just 3 meals a day. I also always make sure I only have HEALTHY options available, and always preplan! But definitly 6 small meals-then your body is always burning cals!

Best of luck!

bcattoes

I eat 3 - 5 times a day, but I only consider one, sometimes two, of them a meal. I like a big dinner and consume the bulk of calories in the evening. During the day I usually have lunch and some snacks but rarely are any of those > 350 calories. Sometimes on the weekend I may only have 2 decent sized meals and no snacks.

As long as you can keep within your calories goal, when and how often is not important. Find what works for you.

mamitosami

It doesn't matter when you eat, as long as you stick to your calories and macros. I eat everything in a 4 hour window (about 2000 calories) sometimes late at night. If you read anything on intermittent fasting (IF) you will read that meal timing has nothing to do with weight loss.

betaleonis

^^^I've read that its a myth that eating smaller meals will boost your metabolism.. now if I could only find those articles However that being said, I think you should eat however many meals you feel happy and satisfied with.

Smaller meals can be controlled by portion size, or perhaps just a piece of fruit for one of them, or some toast, etc. Maybe you could have smaller breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, with some delicious snacks in between. I personally prefer eating a proper breakfast, lunch and dinner, and then having a snack if I am hungry whenev, and I eat a banana after a hard workout.

Go with your body and your brain!:)

lilojoke

I usually eat my food within a 4-5 hour period and love it. Gets eating out of the way for more productive things like MFP! hehehe.

Jbarbo01

I'm having trouble controling my eating habits becasue I'm in school. As this semester is coming to an end in about 5 weeks I begin to feel stressed out and my eating habits become HORRIBLE! I barely get in 3 meals a day and some days I find myself snacking on "healthy snacks" during the late night studying OR completing replacing them as meals because i also maintain two jobs on campus. One of my friends as recommended I eat six small meals a day versus the usual three BUT im afraid i'll go overboard in my calorie intake..... HELP ME PLEEEAASSSSEEE!!!

What does a "small meal" consist of when trying to eat six small meals a day??

Have you tried it? Which do you prefer?

YOUR HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!! :happy:

It depends what fits you best, I usually do 3 meals a day with a small snack because it helps to prevent overeating for me. However, if youre a natural grazer 6 small meals may be better for you. A small meal usually consists of 300 calories, so when you have 5-6 small meals a day of 300 calories each youll eat about 1500-1800 calories. Which is a good goal for most people.

This is what a 5-6 small meal day would look like

1/2 cup of oatmeal cooked in 1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of blueberries
1 hard boiled egg
approx 365 calories

Celery sticks, 2 tbsp of peanut butter
200 calories

2 whole wheat slices of bread
3 oz of turkey
slice of cheese
mustard
lettuce
carrot sticks
6 oz of yogurt
400 calories

apple, string cheese, and 6 triscuit crackers
290 calories

3 oz of chicken breast
1 cup of brown rice
1 cup of steamed broccoli
350 calories

3 cups of airpopped popcorn
1/4 cup of peanuts
300 calories

student94

I'm a college student, so my daily schedule is a little funny. I actually do four meals a day. Early morning, midday (usually right after my workout), afternoon (3pm - 4pm), and evening (around 7pm)

CyberEd312

I have type 2 diabetes so I eat to maintain Blood sugar levels so I have 3 main meals and 3 snacks spread out right up til bedtime. There is no rules when you have to eat your calories.. eat them all at once or spread out like me, whatever works best for you.....