6 Mini Meals - Anyone doing this?

myofibril

I used to do this in my early 20s. It works just fine as long as you stay in deficit.

Now, I eat how I feel. Sometimes it is twice a day, sometimes four or five times. This works just fine too.

Unless you have high end athletic goals it meal timing and frequency isn't worth worrying about.

xynyth

I do and it has helped tremendously in keeping my hunger at bay. I used to eat 2 maybe 3 meals a day and would end up snacking so this way I can eat what I want just in much smaller portions. Enough to sate my hunger but never be over full and always within sight of another "meal." That said, if I know I will be going out to eat with family or something I will portion out my calories to compensate for what I know will be a larger calorie meal later in the day, but in general eating smaller more consistent meals has been a great change for me.

majasmi

i dont plan but it usually ends up being 2 meals a day and snacking in between when i get the munchies.

Zomoniac

Proper meals, no, but I do have planned midway snack times. PWO shake for breakfast, banana mid morning, 400ish cal lunch, either some boiled eggs or a tin of tuna with cous-cous and pesto or similar, a few pieces of fruit mid-afternoon (and maybe a protein flapjack/cookie if it's been a heavy WO day), largish evening meal (800 cals or so, 350 from wholegrain rice or pasta, good portion of meat, whatever sauce/veggies are around). Late evening "snack" tends to be whisky or wine, not exactly nutritious but I like it.

kathendo1984

i tend to have maybe 100-200 cals at breakfast

100 cal snack

300-400 for lunch

100 cal snack

400-700 cal tea

I like it better this way as i like to have a large evening meal with my other half. It is definetly personal preference and what works for you. i also sometimes save some calories if i no im going out for a meal or a night out the weekend so i dont go over my weekly calorie net to much.

400-700 cal tea??

yes tea lol. is this unusual??
i like to eat a large evening meal with my partner at home so eat a litle less during the day. works for me :-)

prattiger65

Lol no. Why would someone want to do that? I eat dinner right after I workout and that's my only meal for the day. Short term fasting (12-72 hours) increases metabolic rate and if you keep your diet in check, you can gain muscle while losing fat. Not eating during the day keeps IGF higher which is anabolic.

What?......no

carramel0705

i am on week 2 day 4 of shred diet , and have 4 meal and 3 snacks if needed , so far it seems to be working I lost 4.5 lbs last week . i to am having trouble eating everything i am supposed to.

selina884

i tend to have maybe 100-200 cals at breakfast

100 cal snack

300-400 for lunch

100 cal snack

400-700 cal tea

I like it better this way as i like to have a large evening meal with my other half. It is definetly personal preference and what works for you. i also sometimes save some calories if i no im going out for a meal or a night out the weekend so i dont go over my weekly calorie net to much.

400-700 cal tea??

lol, tea is an english term for dinner.

selina884

i tend to have maybe 100-200 cals at breakfast

100 cal snack

300-400 for lunch

100 cal snack

400-700 cal tea

I like it better this way as i like to have a large evening meal with my other half. It is definetly personal preference and what works for you. i also sometimes save some calories if i no im going out for a meal or a night out the weekend so i dont go over my weekly calorie net to much.

400-700 cal tea??

yes tea lol. is this unusual??
i like to eat a large evening meal with my partner at home so eat a litle less during the day. works for me :-)

He probably thought you meant the beverage.
Tea is only referred to as Dinner in the UK. haha

kathendo1984

i tend to have maybe 100-200 cals at breakfast

100 cal snack

300-400 for lunch

100 cal snack

400-700 cal tea

I like it better this way as i like to have a large evening meal with my other half. It is definetly personal preference and what works for you. i also sometimes save some calories if i no im going out for a meal or a night out the weekend so i dont go over my weekly calorie net to much.

400-700 cal tea??

yes tea lol. is this unusual??
i like to eat a large evening meal with my partner at home so eat a litle less during the day. works for me :-)

He probably thought you meant the beverage.
Tea is only referred to as Dinner in the UK. haha

ahh i understand now lol. forget that this site is global lol

laele75

You're tracking your food, so it really shouldn't matter in the end. I eat often too. But I couldn't do 300. I'm more the 'graze all day' type, but still with 3 main meals. So pretty much breakfast is 20%, lunch 25%, dinner 30%, and snacks 25%.

This is me. I don't snack in the morning, but after lunch until bedtime, I eat little bits between meals. It all adds up the same.

aloranger7708

Instead of trying to eat exactly 6 meals per day, you could focus more on intuitive eating? Eat when you're hungry, don't eat when you're not. I've been doing this and it works for me. The only issue you might have is not having any snacks/meals prepared and then you gorge on something not-so-good-for-you. Just be prepared.

abbyrae1

I just recently started this and I like it a lot so far. try to portion out what I plan on eating during work and after (i.e. I pack what I need while at work ...usually 4 meals) then I eat my final 2 after work.
Generally speaking I do fasted cardio in the mornings so I have breakfast after that. I will either do cardio, walk the dog, or lift in the evenings so that is where my final 2 meals come in.

For me this has helped me control my cravings and hunger through out the day. Ultimately you need to do what is going to best fit into your lifestyle. Are you able to eat at work or can you only eat at certain times? Can you make time to pack everything the night before so you are ready to go?
Also, are you sure your calories are accurate? apple slices, grapes and string cheese for 100 calories seems low to me (unless I misread that). Make sure you have an accurate measure for your intake and you should be good to go!
Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

bethlaf

I was told by my trainer that it would be a good idea to try out the 6mini meals at about 300 cal per meal in order to keep from over stacking and going over my calories for the day. So far, I am struggling to EAT enough! For example:
Breakfast: Half a banana and a Jimmy dean light breakfast sandwich - 290 cal.
10am: apple slices grapes and string cheese - 100 cal
12pm - lunch - had shepards pie (small strips of chuck roast, corn and mashed potatoes) about 1 1/2 cups - 400 cal
3pm : Greek yogurt - and some almonds 150 cal
5pm or 6pm dinner - veggie, chicken 4oz and rice -450-500cal

as an example
I've seen a few different kinds, but all have you eat veggies and fruit daily along with protein and even some fats. Any ideas on this? I am supposed to eat minimum of 1550 cal AND work out..and I usually burn 150-250 each time, so I find myself forcing myself to eat more calories. <

---

THAT is something I have never had to say before. LOL

Any advise would be great!
and as always, if you are looking for a new friend, ADD ME

i understand where youre coming from , its a different habit and kind of a hard one to develop, especially if you are an "experienced dieter"
the eating more, just seems, well it seems wrong somehow.

one thing i have a concern with on your post -obviously besides the issue of eating enough is your calorie counts seem a bit off...

Breakfast: Half a banana and a Jimmy dean light breakfast sandwich - 290 cal.---
the sandwich is ~~260 calories-
the banana , is about ~~45-50 ,
depending on the size of the original banana

10am: apple slices grapes and string cheese - 100 cal--

again with no actual measurements or quantities. but assuming,
1/2 an apple worth of slices,~35-40 cal~
and a half cup of grapes~~55 cal
and the string cheese sargento is ~~80 calories for one

12pm - lunch - had shepards pie (small strips of chuck roast, corn and mashed potatoes) about 1 1/2 cups - 400 cal--
can be as high as ~~546 for a cup and a half,

3pm : Greek yogurt - and some almonds 150 cal-
thats about right
5pm or 6pm dinner - veggie, chicken 4oz and rice -450-500 cal

again , without quantities, hard to tell
4 oz chicken breast - grilled-no added oil-appx 130
VEgetables, assuming broccoli, is no fat added, 35 for a cup of steamed
and rice, since you didn't say brown i am going to assume it was white-long grain, because thats the "norm" , 1 cup~ 242
So dinner assuming there was NO BUTTER or SAUCE , is actually about dead on

i think what you're eating is fine, but when i hear about people thinking they aren't eating enough i see a lot of people VASTLY underestimating calories, and 15% off over the course of a day is 230 calories more than what you think you have eaten , so that makes a big big difference over the long run-- that could be 2-3 lbs a month difference wight loss wise..
so without digging into your diary more than what you shared,
make sure you weigh and properly quantify the foods you eat , any of the entries on MFP database that have a * in front of them , double check the nutrition facts and see if they are correct before adding them.. some of them are GROSSLY off!


Best of luck , and yes, i do on average 4-6 meals a day.
it works for me.

Kst76

I was told by my trainer that it would be a good idea to try out the 6mini meals at about 300 cal per meal in order to keep from over stacking and going over my calories for the day. So far, I am struggling to EAT enough! For example:
Breakfast: Half a banana and a Jimmy dean light breakfast sandwich - 290 cal.
10am: apple slices grapes and string cheese - 100 cal
12pm - lunch - had shepards pie (small strips of chuck roast, corn and mashed potatoes) about 1 1/2 cups - 400 cal
3pm : Greek yogurt - and some almonds 150 cal
5pm or 6pm dinner - veggie, chicken 4oz and rice -450-500cal

as an example
I've seen a few different kinds, but all have you eat veggies and fruit daily along with protein and even some fats. Any ideas on this? I am supposed to eat minimum of 1550 cal AND work out..and I usually burn 150-250 each time, so I find myself forcing myself to eat more calories. <

---

THAT is something I have never had to say before. LOL

Any advise would be great!
and as always, if you are looking for a new friend, ADD ME

i understand where youre coming from , its a different habit and kind of a hard one to develop, especially if you are an "experienced dieter"
the eating more, just seems, well it seems wrong somehow.

one thing i have a concern with on your post -obviously besides the issue of eating enough is your calorie counts seem a bit off...

Breakfast: Half a banana and a Jimmy dean light breakfast sandwich - 290 cal.---
the sandwich is ~~260 calories-
the banana , is about ~~45-50 ,
depending on the size of the original banana

10am: apple slices grapes and string cheese - 100 cal--

again with no actual measurements or quantities. but assuming,
1/2 an apple worth of slices,~35-40 cal~
and a half cup of grapes~~55 cal
and the string cheese sargento is ~~80 calories for one

12pm - lunch - had shepards pie (small strips of chuck roast, corn and mashed potatoes) about 1 1/2 cups - 400 cal--
can be as high as ~~546 for a cup and a half,

3pm : Greek yogurt - and some almonds 150 cal-
thats about right
5pm or 6pm dinner - veggie, chicken 4oz and rice -450-500 cal

again , without quantities, hard to tell
4 oz chicken breast - grilled-no added oil-appx 130
VEgetables, assuming broccoli, is no fat added, 35 for a cup of steamed
and rice, since you didn't say brown i am going to assume it was white-long grain, because thats the "norm" , 1 cup~ 242
So dinner assuming there was NO BUTTER or SAUCE , is actually about dead on

i think what you're eating is fine, but when i hear about people thinking they aren't eating enough i see a lot of people VASTLY underestimating calories, and 15% off over the course of a day is 230 calories more than what you think you have eaten , so that makes a big big difference over the long run-- that could be 2-3 lbs a month difference wight loss wise..
so without digging into your diary more than what you shared,
make sure you weigh and properly quantify the foods you eat , any of the entries on MFP database that have a * in front of them , double check the nutrition facts and see if they are correct before adding them.. some of them are GROSSLY off!


Best of luck , and yes, i do on average 4-6 meals a day.
it works for me.

I agree! I think many people underestimate their calories.

Illona88

I eat six small meals a day to keep my blood sugar levels steady.
Or rather, I eat three large meals but I split them in half and eat the halves several hours apart.

shoeprano27WECHANGED

i dont even EAT 6 meals a day... mini or full...

celia4711

ugh, if you're not hungry don't eat. forcing yourself to consume food when the body doesn't need it is stupid.