eating times

SheilaN1976
SheilaN1976 Posts: 266 Member
in Food and Nutrition
was just curious, do you eat at set times spaced out evenly for example breakfast at 8am, lunch at noon and dinner at 4pm and then a snack about 8pm? or do you just eat when you feel hungry or at a set time but not spaced out evenly??

Replies

  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,728 Member
    I eat based on my job so: breakfast around 6, lunch around 1 and dinner around 8. I bring snacks with me to work and eat them when/if I am hungry.
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    My Monday-Friday eating is based on my job as well. Breakfast at 6:45, lunch around 12 noon, dinner anywhere between 6:30 and 8 pm, depending on schedule. I also always have a morning snack.
  • SheilaN1976
    SheilaN1976 Posts: 266 Member
    ok good to know that i dont have to eat every 4 hours to lose weight. I am a full time stay at home mom so i can eat whenever i want pretty much. i try to space it out every 4 hours in between at a minimum though.
  • Tilran
    Tilran Posts: 627 Member
    ok good to know that i dont have to eat every 4 hours to lose weight. I am a full time stay at home mom so i can eat whenever i want pretty much. i try to space it out every 4 hours in between at a minimum though.

    Meal frequency has nothing to do with weight loss.

    Just make sure you are accurate with your calorie logging and eat at a defecit and you will lose.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    I eat when I'm hungry. Strange, I know.
  • JenS_1678
    JenS_1678 Posts: 27
    At first I tried to do the whole eating every 4 hours thing, but I found it to be so stressful! Just eating when I'm hungry/have the time has been working just fine for me.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Meal frequency has no impact on weight loss. Whether you eat all your cals in 1 meal, or in 100 small meals, it makes no difference. There may be preferential or mental reasons to go one way or the other, but speaking strictly about weight loss, it doesn't matter.

    Personally, I try to eat periodically throughout the day. If I let myself get really hungry, I'm much more apt to binge. So for me it's purely a control issue.
  • sarahharmintx
    sarahharmintx Posts: 868 Member
    Work days: breakfast around 9am, lunch around 1pm, dinner around 7pm or 8pm (our evenings are pretty busy with other work and activities)
    Weekends: ehh, whenever Im hungry.
  • docturtle
    docturtle Posts: 156 Member
    Whenever I get up, I eat within the hour, pretty much right away, and then every 3 hours throughout the day. It's usually breakfast at 6, morning snack at 9, lunch at Noon, afternoon snack at 3...a drink when I get home at 6 and dinner whenever. =>
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    I eat only when I'm hungry. I skip meals when ever I want. No one ever tells me when to eat, what to eat, how much to eat. That is how we got fat in the first place. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/740340-i-lost-60-lbs-at-age-51-anyone-can-any-workout
  • SheilaN1976
    SheilaN1976 Posts: 266 Member
    i have to force myself to eat in the mornings, i am always good with just a cup of coffee and good to go until about noon-1pm, so forcing myself to eat breakfast now is VERY hard to do. i havent ate breakfast since Elementary School.
  • mrsgoodwine
    mrsgoodwine Posts: 468 Member
    I eat when I'm hungry - whatever time that may be :)
  • sonjarogers72
    sonjarogers72 Posts: 110 Member
    While at work I eat breakfast at 7, snack at 10, lunch at 1, snack at 4. I might have another one if I am going to work out (protein bar or drink). At home I still eat the same thing but it is not timed...3 meals, 3 snacks- LOTS of water
  • newdaydawning79
    newdaydawning79 Posts: 1,503 Member
    I usually drink my protein shake breakfast at work in the AM (between 8-9), try to get a snack in if time allows around 11, lunch around 1, another snack between 3-4. Dinner depends on whether or not I'm running around...usually between 6-8, depending on if I'm planning on crashing at 10 or midnight :D
  • bobbiebearden
    bobbiebearden Posts: 32
    I eat when I am hungry, and (try to) stop when I am no longer hungry. I have been seeing a nutritionist since February and learned a lot from her. If you are legitimately hungry, you can eat and not gain weight. And letting your hunger go will only lead to binging, as well as a slowed down metabolism. So, eating once a day? Not a good idea. Being a stay at home mom, you have more freedom to eat as often as you want than most people, so you can take advantage of eating whenever you are hungry! Good luck on your journey!
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,728 Member
    i have to force myself to eat in the mornings, i am always good with just a cup of coffee and good to go until about noon-1pm, so forcing myself to eat breakfast now is VERY hard to do. i havent ate breakfast since Elementary School.

    You don't have to eat breakfast. Losing weight is not about when you eat, but instead about how much you eat. I eat breakfast because I love it and I'm always hungry in the morning. If I wasn't, I wouldn't eat it.
  • simini77
    simini77 Posts: 67 Member
    I have breakfast at 7, lunch at 1 then dinner at 6/7, depending when I get home. I have some snacks with me at work so I dont snack on the bad food that surrounds me!!!
  • SheilaN1976
    SheilaN1976 Posts: 266 Member
    i have to force myself to eat in the mornings, i am always good with just a cup of coffee and good to go until about noon-1pm, so forcing myself to eat breakfast now is VERY hard to do. i havent ate breakfast since Elementary School.

    You don't have to eat breakfast. Losing weight is not about when you eat, but instead about how much you eat. I eat breakfast because I love it and I'm always hungry in the morning. If I wasn't, I wouldn't eat it.

    well that is what i thought too...if i wasn't hungry not to eat but everyone says that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and if you skip it, it's not healthy.
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,728 Member
    i have to force myself to eat in the mornings, i am always good with just a cup of coffee and good to go until about noon-1pm, so forcing myself to eat breakfast now is VERY hard to do. i havent ate breakfast since Elementary School.

    You don't have to eat breakfast. Losing weight is not about when you eat, but instead about how much you eat. I eat breakfast because I love it and I'm always hungry in the morning. If I wasn't, I wouldn't eat it.

    well that is what i thought too...if i wasn't hungry not to eat but everyone says that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and if you skip it, it's not healthy.

    It's just a myth. Just like the myth that you shouldn't eat after 7. People found that those things worked in controlled settings and so made them "diet rules". Today we know that timing of eating does not affect weight loss.

    The only reason breakfast would be important is if, like me, you woke up hungry, but didn't eat. Then got hungrier until you ate at noon, at which point you binged. If you're not doing that, there is no reason to eat breakfast.

Categories