Tips to curb your hunger and help your metabolism

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  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
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    Meal timing and frequency does not speed up metabolism as it has no impact on Thermic Effect of Food.

    Also, I seriously doubt that you (as an athlete) are eating enough based on your calorie intake and frequency. Let's say breakfast is 300 calories, and you make room for another 4 to 6 meals at 100-150 calories each, that only amounts to a paltry 700-1200 calories.

    Idk if someone has already called you out or not because I haven't read all three pages but she never said she was an athlete.

    What is it with people not reading things closely then calling the OP out for how wrong they are. How do you know they're wrong when you clearly didn't comprehend what you read?

    She HAS said she's an athlete... you may want to read things closely, as you put it.
  • Martucha123
    Martucha123 Posts: 1,093 Member
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    just NO
  • jrosalynn
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    Meal timing and frequency does not speed up metabolism as it has no impact on Thermic Effect of Food.

    Also, I seriously doubt that you (as an athlete) are eating enough based on your calorie intake and frequency. Let's say breakfast is 300 calories, and you make room for another 4 to 6 meals at 100-150 calories each, that only amounts to a paltry 700-1200 calories.

    Idk if someone has already called you out or not because I haven't read all three pages but she never said she was an athlete.

    What is it with people not reading things closely then calling the OP out for how wrong they are. How do you know they're wrong when you clearly didn't comprehend what you read?

    She HAS said she's an athlete... you may want to read things closely, as you put it.


    Read even closer. I was an athlete 3.5 years ago.
  • mhoath
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    I definitely think it is all about trial and error as we all come in different shapes and sizes, with different genetics and different metabolisms aswell as lifestyle.

    I tried the eating regularly (but small and healthy) diet and put on alot of weight. I also tried cutting out fats and lowering calories and they were hard to maintain. I find what works for me best is cutting out starchy foods (bread,pasta,potatoes,rice), drinking lots of water and doing regular exercise. Since I cut back on carbs and increased protein I have shed half a stone in two weeks and I am still eating enough to be healthy and exercising regularly. I still have carbs but less insulin spiking carbs.

    This diet really isn't for everyone as you may need the carb intake if you are doing loads of exercise. I just find this works because I have a rather sedentary job and only manage to do exercise outside of working hours. I'd recommend it if you are similar.
  • Izzwoz
    Izzwoz Posts: 348 Member
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    Wow. Just wow. The amount of high horses people get on in this forum would be sufficient to supply both Tesco and BK for the next decade.
  • Nicks_scotland
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    Wow. Just wow. The amount of high horses people get on in this forum would be sufficient to supply both Tesco and BK for the next decade.

    RAFL!
  • Lizzydedr
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    I think she was trying to help but if it works for her that's great! For me, it's like a a big no...lol I am 5'4 118 pounds and i'm on a 1460 calories, i have to eat all the time because i'm always hungry...(and i love food!) sometimes i do go over those calories but that's fine, and it seems to be working for me!
    She just came off the wrong way...i guess...lol

    I think you need fuel to burn fuel...does that make sense?
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
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    People get shirty when it's presented as a scientific way to lose weight. The reality is that there is a lot of very strong science that backs the pure Calories In < Calories Out approach, regardless of meal size and timing.

    However, the science isn't the be all and end all of the subject. In my opinion the value of looking at meal size and frequency is behavioral. It's a way to achieve a target caloric deficit/surplus within the framework of your lifestyle. If multiple small meals allows someone to reach their calorie goals, then it's the right thing for them. Forget the metabolic kickstart BS bro-science explanation of why it works. It doesn't matter why it works. And if it doesn't work for you, just don't do it.

    The small, high frequency meal practice should just be a tool in the toolbox to reach calorie goals. If you are struggling to build a caloric deficit in your lifestyle, try it. It might work for you. It might not. But it's worth a try, just like any other approach. I tried it, and kept missing meals because of my work schedule, and by the time dinner came around I found myself idly wondering if my wife would taste better roasted or fried. Just not the approach for me and my life-style.

    So in short, everyone is right. Can we stop fighting now?
  • RobynLB
    RobynLB Posts: 617 Member
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    I don't know why everyone jumped down this girl's throat. Eating a large breakfast and snacks every few hours doesn't sound absurd or anything, and I've heard similar ideas touted before - not so much for weight loss, but for people with blood sugar issues and athletes. I eat this way. Partly because I train really hard, and I do a lot of cardio, and my blood sugar does drop off quickly, so eating frequently does help. Also eating a larger meal once a day with enough time for it to fully digest before your main workout helps resupply your glycogen (or so the running magazines would have be believe). Again, this is beneficial for people whose training is sufficient to fully deplete their glycogen (i.e. over an hour of intense cardio training).
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
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    I don't know why everyone jumped down this girl's throat. Eating a large breakfast and snacks every few hours doesn't sound absurd or anything, and I've heard similar ideas touted before - not so much for weight loss, but for people with blood sugar issues and athletes. I eat this way. Partly because I train really hard, and I do a lot of cardio, and my blood sugar does drop off quickly, so eating frequently does help. Also eating a larger meal once a day with enough time for it to fully digest before your main workout helps resupply your glycogen (or so the running magazines would have be believe). Again, this is beneficial for people whose training is sufficient to fully deplete their glycogen (i.e. over an hour of intense cardio training).

    But that's precisely the problem. There is a subset of people for whom this works. But like every other diet tip out there, it's being presented as blanket advice for everyone, and bolstered by anecdotal evidence and bro-science.

    I'm sure that had OP lead the post with "If you are having difficulty reaching your calorie goals, or you find that your blood sugar runs low in the day, try the following approach", and had skipped the bro-science, there wouldn't have been such a reaction.

    Many people are here because they are sick of prescribed restrictive diets, and have realized the reality that if it's all about eating less than you burn. Period. They don't like being told what to do, and they don't like seeing 'their' forum used to further disseminate myths dressed as universal truth.
  • julesxo
    julesxo Posts: 422 Member
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    What athlete eats only 800-900 calories a day?!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    FIRST. This is the healthier way to help your metabolism. I have plenty of friends who are part of collegiate athletics who follow this routine during their "off" season.

    I think all of your tips are good as tips. But they are not necesary and not necessarily healthier. Other than drinking plenty of water, they are simply tips and tricks that work for some people.

    Finding an eating pattern that keeps you on track and happy is the best tip. That will not be the same for everyone.
  • porkchop_13
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    can i log the slow chewing as exercise? how many calories do you think i could log for this? :noway:
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
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    *facepalm* :noway: No, just no.

    This!
  • notenoughspeed
    notenoughspeed Posts: 290 Member
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    *facepalm* :noway: No, just no.

    Right there with you. I eat when I want to, and I do just fine. Sometimes, I don't eat for 12-18 hours. Other times, I'm eating very 1-2 hours. My metabolism seems to keep working round the clock.

    To each his/her own.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    I don't know why everyone jumped down this girl's throat. Eating a large breakfast and snacks every few hours doesn't sound absurd or anything, and I've heard similar ideas touted before - not so much for weight loss, but for people with blood sugar issues and athletes. I eat this way. Partly because I train really hard, and I do a lot of cardio, and my blood sugar does drop off quickly, so eating frequently does help. Also eating a larger meal once a day with enough time for it to fully digest before your main workout helps resupply your glycogen (or so the running magazines would have be believe). Again, this is beneficial for people whose training is sufficient to fully deplete their glycogen (i.e. over an hour of intense cardio training).

    Those are very specific circumstances and/or personal preferences. There were incorrect facts in the OP also.
  • EKN1417
    EKN1417 Posts: 34 Member
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    1. OP used to an athlete who ran the hurdles. While a lot of posters have stated, most athletes need to consume a whole lotta calories to perfrom at optimal levels- including swimmers, MMA fighters, etc. The one possible exception to this rule is runners where carrying less weight can be an actual advantage. Look at marathoners or cross-country runners. Many serious runners I know find weighing less a huge advantage, and it would make sense that eating less to get to that point may make sense for that sport.

    That said- I think OP is consuming too few calories to be healthy and her intake may actaully be counter-prodcutive. Yes, I undrestand many athletes eat that way and sitll perform OK, but I think they may be able to perfrom better by consuming slightly more instead of just trying to eat as little as possible.

    2. I second what everyone else has said about OP's "tips." These are tips that worked for her in the past and people she knows, not scientific fact. OP, the tips you listeed may make it easier for you to lose weight, control hunger, and eat less, but scientifically they do not improve your metabolism and will not be effective for everyone.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    I''ll never understand why some new posters come on first thing and put up lists of myth and broscience like this and think it's helpful and get all defensive when it's criticized. Do people like the OP really think we are all just looking for then to arrive and enlighten us all? Never have seen one of these g o well.
  • barrattandrew
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    I do exactly none of that. OK, I drink a lot of water, tea, and coffee. Definitely not small meals, I don't eat breakfast, I don't chew slowly, etc. With eating enough calories, getting good nutrition, and exercise I was able to increase my bmr by several hundred calories over the course of a couple months though. Thanks though. I'll keep on keepin on.

    this, this is me too!
  • gwenmf
    gwenmf Posts: 888 Member
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    Damn why is everybody so snappy?

    The OP is just posting some TIPS that might be of use to some and not so much for others! Thank you! :)

    Agreed. And I actually do the tips she's posted. The smaller "meals" are really snacks and keep your blood sugar (and all the hormones that go with that) in check. I agree with the original poster.