Eating every 2-3 hours a MYTH!??? WTH!

tinalatina

Okay I came across this article in peer trainer about Myths of Eating every 2-3 hours. So which is it? 6 small meals a day or 3 meals a day!!!

Here is the article.

http://www.peertrainer.com/myth_busters_jjvirgin.aspx

What does everyone else do?

steph124ny

I eat 3 normal meals and 2 snacks. I eat when I'm hungry...not by the clock. I just stay within my calorie limits. My stomach doesn't know what time it is.

myfitnessnmhoy

You do what YOUR body tells YOU to do, and stop listening to the BS claims that timing your eating to someone else's schedule will work for YOU.

Personally, I'm a snacker. When I can, I eat a very small something about every 1-2 hours. There are two reasons for this.

1. If I "starve" myself and wait for a full meal, I'm gonna eat. And eat. Because I'm HUNGRY. I'm not going to make good decisions. Because I'm HUNGRY. And when the table's empty I'm gonna hit the fridge. If I nibble all day long I'm never hungry. When I sit down for meals, I can look at the array of fuels laid out before me and make rational decisions about enjoying a little of what I want, and eating more of what I need.

2. Grazing gives me fewer opportunities to sit down in a setting where there ARE large amounts of food available.

Yes, I could plan out supper, but when I get home and I haven't eaten since lunchtime, my plans fall apart, and so does the fridge door in my desperate rush to get in there and start chewing at anything that doesn't move (and club anything that does and eat that anyway).

However, I have a lot of friends who can't stand grazing, and prefer 3, 2, or even in some cases 1 meal a day. I'd be stark-raving-bat$hit-crazy-hungry if I tried that, but it works for them.

EDIT: I also feel that eating smaller amounts more constantly gets me more used to being "satisfied" and less used to being "full", so when large amounts of food become available I don't feel like I have the stomach capacity to eat a LOT. I don't think my stomach is actually getting smaller, and it may well be psychosomatic for me to feel that way (and there are certainly times when I eat more than I should!), but I feel like converting to eating small amounts more frequently has allowed me to exercise better portion control when unhealthy foods are presented to me. I can be satisfied with half a donut instead of eating three of them. Again, I don't think there's a physiological explanation, but the psychology is working on me and that's enough for me!

chris1816

Okay I came across this article in peer trainer about Myths of Eating every 2-3 hours. So which is it? 6 small meals a day or 3 meals a day!!!

Here is the article.

http://www.peertrainer.com/myth_busters_jjvirgin.aspx

What does everyone else do?

It is whatever the hell works for you.

Six small meals a day was not a recommendation that came about because of any metabolic benefit, it instead curbed hunger by keeping a reasonably steady flow of food going into you throughout the day to keep you from overeating if you had an otherwise complete lack of self control. It is the illusion of a health benefit packaged for helpless morons.

You can eat three meals, you can eat six meals, you can eat twelve meals. You can even fast for 16 hours and eat one big meal for all your calories. You can eat at night. All of this works if you want it to as long as you adhere to your ideal calorie intake.

It doesn't f*cking matter. Your body will always obey the laws of physics (thermodynamics specifically) when it comes to calories.

HMonsterX

From a purely metabolic weight loss pov, it doesnt matter if you have 1 meal or 10 meals a day. It's total calories consumed vs calories burnt that matters. People may find it easier to hit their goals with 3 meals, or with 6, but neither offers a calorie burn advantage over the other.

Nurse_krissy

I eat 5 times a day. If I don't eat every 2-3 hrs, I get CRANKY! Even if you're not diabetic, it's a good idea because it helps keep your blood sugar stable.

My breakfast/lunch/dinner are all about 400 calories and I have a snack in between each meal 100-300 calories (depending on how much exercise I'm doing for the day). If I have a big burn day (i.e. warmup on stationary bike 200 cals, kickboxing class 600 cals, followed by weight lifting 300 cals and a slow walk to wind down 100 cals) I can easily burn over 1000 calories..... those days I eat bigger meals and snacks, but that's only 1-2 times a week that I go that hard. Regardless, though, I still eat 5 times a day.

runfatmanrun

I eat every 2-3 hours starting at 7 in the morning. It just works for me. Myth or not it's all what works for you to help you achieve your goal.

myfitnessnmhoy

It is the illusion of a health benefit packaged for helpless morons.

As one of those "helpless morons", I agree. A more steady-state blood sugar level keeps me at an "I'm satisfied, I only need to eat a little bit" level all day long. And when my blood sugar is low and I'm feeling dizzy and cranky because I haven't eaten anything in 12 hours, I'm helpless to resist my cravings and I make moronic food decisions.

But as long as calories burned > calories eaten, you're good - whatever you as an individual find works for you. If you're the type of person who prefers to eat your daily allotment calories in a sitting and can manage not to eat anything else for 24 hours, then that's what you should do. If you can eat (your daily allotment)/20 calories an hour for 20 hours, that also works. And anything in between is fine.

ZugTheMegasaurus

I tried the 6-times-a-day thing and felt horrible. Moody, irritable, tired, and obsessed over when I had to eat (and I didn't lose weight, either). Now, I tend to wait until 12 or 1PM before I eat anything, eat little throughout the afternoon, and have most of my food around 8PM. I feel much better, have more energy, and am losing weight like crazy. Is it right for everyone? No! A lot of people would feel terrible trying to do that and would do better with that six times a day schedule. It's all just a matter of personal preference.

myfitnessnmhoy

I tried the 6-times-a-day thing and felt horrible. Moody, irritable, tired, and obsessed over when I had to eat (and I didn't lose weight, either).

That's the key, trying different things and seeing what works for you.

amanda3588

I eat three meals, plus a morning and afternoon snack. I do this purely to keep me on track. I find if I don't eat snacks, then I am so hungry by meal time that I go overboard. Find what works best for you. At the end of the day, it's just calories in and calories out that matter.

ZugTheMegasaurus

I tried the 6-times-a-day thing and felt horrible. Moody, irritable, tired, and obsessed over when I had to eat (and I didn't lose weight, either).

That's the key, trying different things and seeing what works for you.

Exactly! I think a lot of the problems people run into when trying to lose weight arise out of trying to follow strict rules and programs. I always see people upset and saying things like, "I'm following the X diet and I feel horrible in some way and have no results!" It's hard to find a lot of ways to say, "Well, then stop doing that."

chris1816

It is the illusion of a health benefit packaged for helpless morons.

As one of those "helpless morons", I agree. A more steady-state blood sugar level keeps me at an "I'm satisfied, I only need to eat a little bit" level all day long. And when my blood sugar is low and I'm feeling dizzy and cranky because I haven't eaten anything in 12 hours, I'm helpless to resist my cravings and I make moronic food decisions.

But as long as calories burned > calories eaten, you're good - whatever you as an individual find works for you. If you're the type of person who prefers to eat 1500 calories in a sitting and can manage not to eat anything else for 24 hours, then that's what you should do. If you can eat 100 calories an hour for 15 hours, that also works. And anything in between is fine.

There are certain foods that can increase insulin sensitivty or curb that urge to eat due to spiking (cinnamon for example). However it ultimately comes down to willpower.

Do you eat a lot of simple carbs to be having such weird blood sugar spikes? Or do you have any health issues related?

tinalatina

Well appreciate everyones feedback! I realize there are going to be many people who have different ideas and concepts and its best to just find the one that works for you!

Sonnie124

You do what YOUR body tells YOU to do, and stop listening to the BS claims that timing your eating to someone else's schedule will work for YOU.

Personally, I'm a snacker. When I can, I eat a very small something about every 1-2 hours. There are two reasons for this.

1. If I "starve" myself and wait for a full meal, I'm gonna eat. And eat. Because I'm HUNGRY. I'm not going to make good decisions. Because I'm HUNGRY. And when the table's empty I'm gonna hit the fridge. If I nibble all day long I'm never hungry. When I sit down for meals, I can look at the array of fuels laid out before me and make rational decisions about enjoying a little of what I want, and eating more of what I need.

2. Grazing gives me fewer opportunities to sit down in a setting where there ARE large amounts of food available.

Yes, I could plan out supper, but when I get home and I haven't eaten since lunchtime, my plans fall apart, and so does the fridge door in my desperate rush to get in there and start chewing at anything that doesn't move (and club anything that does and eat that anyway).

However, I have a lot of friends who can't stand grazing, and prefer 3, 2, or even in some cases 1 meal a day. I'd be stark-raving-bat$hit-crazy-hungry if I tried that, but it works for them.

EDIT: I also feel that eating smaller amounts more constantly gets me more used to being "satisfied" and less used to being "full", so when large amounts of food become available I don't feel like I have the stomach capacity to eat a LOT. I don't think my stomach is actually getting smaller, and it may well be psychosomatic for me to feel that way (and there are certainly times when I eat more than I should!), but I feel like converting to eating small amounts more frequently has allowed me to exercise better portion control when unhealthy foods are presented to me. I can be satisfied with half a donut instead of eating three of them. Again, I don't think there's a physiological explanation, but the psychology is working on me and that's enough for me!

Do what works for you! I eat 4 meals (breakfast is split between 8 am and 10 am) plus 2 snacks. Works for me!

81Katz

I don't know or care if it's a myth or not, most of my food intake consists of 3 meals, not huge meals. And usually 2-3 snacks as well. I don't eat every few hours just because, but my body usually tells me when I am feeling hungry again. I prefer to do it this way. I think back to when I was heavy and how I used to eat and I spread it out so far (for whatever reason) and then I would be starving and eat way too much. So little meals and snacks multiple times a day is what works for me.

JustJennie1

It's all about what works for you. If eating small meals every 2-3 hours works for you then that's awesome. Keep doing that. It doesn't work for everyone. I tried it and it didn't work for me. I gained weight and was hungry all the time. It was a PITA to have to pack snacks when we would be going on a trip.

I pretty much eat 2-3 meals a day and they are not huge meals either. They are portion-controlled meals. I weigh and measure everything just to make sure I don't over eat at my meals and if I'm hungry in between then I will have a snack or two.

SusanLovesToEat

I tried the 6-times-a-day thing and felt horrible. Moody, irritable, tired, and obsessed over when I had to eat (and I didn't lose weight, either). Now, I tend to wait until 12 or 1PM before I eat anything, eat little throughout the afternoon, and have most of my food around 8PM. I feel much better, have more energy, and am losing weight like crazy. Is it right for everyone? No! A lot of people would feel terrible trying to do that and would do better with that six times a day schedule. It's all just a matter of personal preference.

I totally agree! When I tried to change my meal times and content to fit with popular trends I felt awful. I have never eaten breakfast. Since I was 5 years old I began to run away from my mom when she tried and force me to eat in the morning. Now I try and have a piece of fruit and or maybe a cup of almond milk.

I do agree that healthy snacks are a great way to curb hunger pangs when you are on a restricted calorie diet (yogurt, fruit, nuts ,low carb energy bars, etc...). In fact I recently read an article about people on a no-carb diet who have a stomach drip through a tube in their nose (sounds gross doesn't it). As they are constantly fed through the tube they quickly have no hunger pangs and can go on that way for weeks. So it seems that small snacks might be an effective option for those of use who like regular meals.

jobrian1984

Eat every two to three hours. If you felt horrible or you were craving another meal, then you didn't do it right!! You have to calculate your BMR and your macronutrients. You have to work out. Losing weight is 80% nutrition 20% Weight Training/Exercise.

Don't take advice or ideas from people who don't have the results to prove it.

Chris1816: horrible advice man.

jobrian1984

TinaLatina: do not read articles or take advice from noncredible sources. That article didn't even cite any research or analysis. It's just someone's personal opinion.

Seesawboomerang

I change from one day to the next. Depending on what I have eaten, my body tells me eat more soon or eat less later.

I could go without food till lunch time or another day I could snack every hour.

Most commonly, I'll eat 3 meals and 2 snacks on fruit/nuts between those.