How do you know when it's time to eat?

Kayleylou89
Kayleylou89 Posts: 78
in Health and Weight Loss
Do you wait until you're starving and your belly is making noises?
Do you eat when you are feeling a little hungry?
Do you eat even though you are not hungry just so you don't get hungry?
Do you eat at regular intervals even if you're not hungry?

Replies

  • aliciab307
    aliciab307 Posts: 370 Member
    I try to eat every 2/3 hours because if I dont I end up with 1500 cals left to eat 2-3 hours before going to bed. So i eat even when I'm not hungry. Since I workout in the AM it seems like my appetite diminishes after my workout so its hard to eat afterwards. On my rest day I eat whenever im hungry
  • justtodayjen333
    justtodayjen333 Posts: 142 Member
    All of the above. Every day is different for me--because life and schedules with three kiddos are never the same. So I go with where I am at and try to make the best choices available. Having said that, I do like to eat at regular intervals. If I feel starving, I find it harder to make healthy choices.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    I eat at planned meal times and 100 calorie snacks between if I'm truly hungry. My days are pretty planned before I even get out of bed. I find that if I make things routine there's less likelihood of going of the rails.
  • emmad2
    emmad2 Posts: 59
    I eat at planned meal times and 100 calorie snacks between if I'm truly hungry. My days are pretty planned before I even get out of bed. I find that if I make things routine there's less likelihood of going of the rails.

    Same here - I tend to complete my diary ready for the next day and have even been preparing some of my meals in advance - so I guess I eat when I'm not hungry at pre-planned times because that way, it stops me from having sudden hunger pangs and raiding the fridge. Plus I like to evenly space out my calorie intake so that I don't have too heavy a meal in the evening before bed :-) xx
  • kali31337
    kali31337 Posts: 1,048 Member
    My schedule is almost the same everyday (Mon-Sat) so I have times that I eat since they work into my schedule. Dinner occasionally fluctuates because I have class 3 nights a week but the others are pretty standard.
  • Gerald_King
    Gerald_King Posts: 2,031 Member
    I eat every 3 to 4 hours it works for me
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
    I just eat at regular intervals. (7 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 3 pm and 6 pm) If I "feel" hungry in between, I can usually get that to go away with a tall glass of water. Some folks are more hungry in the morning, and other later in the day. Be sure to save some extra calories for those times.
  • graciepecie
    graciepecie Posts: 135 Member
    You eat every 2.5 hours. 3 meals and 3 (healthy) snacks. Because if you wait longer than 3 hours, you body will go in starvation mode. If you eat every 2.5 hours you keep your motor (metabolism) running en you will burn calories.

    I hope you find my comment usefull!

    Good luck!

    greetings,

    Grace
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    I eat every few hours beginning around noon and ending around 10pm
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
    You eat every 2.5 hours. 3 meals and 3 (healthy) snacks. Because if you wait longer than 3 hours, you body will go in starvation mode. If you eat every 2.5 hours you keep your motor (metabolism) running en you will burn calories.

    I hope you find my comment usefull!

    Good luck!

    greetings,

    Grace

    Your body will not go into starvation mode if you wait 3 hours to eat. It takes months to go into starvation mode.
  • panicintheattic
    panicintheattic Posts: 102 Member
    Throughout the day I tend to eat every couple of hours. I get extremely lightheaded if I don't eat for while, especially when I'm at work where I'm moving very quickly during a lunch rush and don't have time to pause (I work in food service).I always make sure to eat breakfast relatively soon after I wake up because I get sick if I don't. So I guess for me it's mostly been taking cues from my body and forming habits based off them.
  • ohtobe140
    ohtobe140 Posts: 93
    If I am not hungry I don't think about eating, but the minute I start thinking about food I eat. I know that's my signal that I am hungry and if I wait to long after that first thought then I risk severely over eating. But it has taken decades to understand my hunger signals and many many failed nutrition experiments to learn how to eat for my body. It's always a work in progress.
  • mwbulechek
    mwbulechek Posts: 162 Member
    8am , 11:45am and 6:30pm usually have a snack after dinner most often a yoghourt to get me closer to my daily calories.
  • sleepynene
    sleepynene Posts: 7
    Eat when you're hungry. Make sure you are not bored, stressed, thirsty, feeling over emotional etc, all of which have a habit of fooling my brain into thinking I need to hit the biscuit tin.

    If you're body is genuinely telling you it needs food then eat (but not the biscuits).
  • Busymomshantell
    Busymomshantell Posts: 126 Member
    Varies - but try to eat many smaller meals throughout the day - so that I don't get hungry. Dinner is usually my largest meal - but I like having a family meal together where we all sit and eat together, so I save my largest meal for that time. I would prefer to not eat that late, but having the family time is much more important to me.
  • 1stday13
    1stday13 Posts: 433 Member
    Do you wait until you're starving and your belly is making noises?
    Do you eat when you are feeling a little hungry?
    Do you eat even though you are not hungry just so you don't get hungry?
    Do you eat at regular intervals even if you're not hungry?
    What works for me right now? I am trying to eat when I am hungry. I am trying to learn the difference between being hungry & eating just because I am supposed to, or I'm bored or it looks good. Also trying to listen to my stomach and recognize when I have had enough. I'm trying to learn the way to listen to my body & not "just clean my plate" because its there. ( The way I was taught growing up). It seems to be starting to work for me. This is a lifestyle change for me & part of that change is learning not eat unless I m truly hungry. Thats just the way I am doing it. I'm sure there are many that wouldn't agree with me. You have to find what works for you :flowerforyou:
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
    I try to get food every 3 hours even if I am not feeling hungry. But I don't 'feel hungry' until after my blood sugar drops too low and I get tunnel vision and dizzy headaches, so I like to eat before hunger feelings register.

    Sometimes my reason for eating is because my cognitive ability is decreased and my eyes are blurry. I wish my stomach would growl 30 minutes before my blood sugar nose-dives. Life would be easier.
  • Crazy_Diet_Mom
    Crazy_Diet_Mom Posts: 51
    Recently I've become a scheduler. I find it keeps me where I need to be, not struggling to eat another 300 calories at 11pm or having maxed out my day at 4pm, if I plan the day ahead of time. I also make sure that way that I eat a balanced diet - minimum 5 fruits & veggies, plenty protein and fiber and I make sure I get some dairy in. I don't always eat exactly what I planned, exactly when I planned but I am doing well sticking to the foods that are already on my diary.

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