Eating every 3-4 hours

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kellyfromtheblock
kellyfromtheblock Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
What would qualify as a small meal? An apple? I just started this whole eating healthy thing, so any tips are appreciated?

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  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
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    Take your calorie goal. Divide by however many meals you want to eat a day. Make adjustments for times when you know you will be hungriest. (I.e - lately I've been hungrier in the mornings, so I slightly decrease the allotment for lunch and dinner.) That will give you an idea of how much you should be eating at any given meal.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Yeah, there's no need to eat every 3-4 hours in order to eat healthy. Eat when you are hungry and keep track, or plan specific meals in advance in the quantity that you want to eat, based on personal preference and schedule. Daily (and weekly) totals are way more important than whether you ate an apple by itself at 3PM, or with your dinner at 5PM.

    In other words, base your meal sizes and quantity of meals on what will help you stick to your goals, not based on an arbitrary number pulled out of the air.
  • yowla
    yowla Posts: 127 Member
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    I try to eat 5-6 times a day. I have a desk job so in order for me not to snack on crappy foods, I make small mini meals. It keeps my hunger down. Plus I have very low calorie foods in my desk if I feel the need to eat more. If I do then I HAVE to workout to make up for it. I never eat all my workout calories either. It is all about calories in vs calories out. You need to burn more then you consume. I have always been told to eat small meals thoughout the day. You can do it however you want. Big breakfast and an apple a few hours later before your light lunch. Just make sure you are drinking a ton of water.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
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    My inbetween a larger meal snack is an apple with 1/4 cup of nuts. It is my favorite snack of the day.


    Others include:
    Greek yogurt with berries
    Protein shake with kale, carrots a banana and frozen berries.
    romain lettuce leafs rolled up with blue cheese dressing ( a little bit) and chopped walnuts
    string cheese with a couple slices of deli meat
    Ezekiel bread and almond butter with chia seeds

    I have a facebook page with lots of healthy food ideas if you would like to take a gander at it.
    https://www.facebook.com/TheSassyGourmet
  • lovemitch125
    lovemitch125 Posts: 257 Member
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    I try to eat 5-6 times a day. I have a desk job so in order for me not to snack on crappy foods, I make small mini meals. It keeps my hunger down. Plus I have very low calorie foods in my desk if I feel the need to eat more. If I do then I HAVE to workout to make up for it. I never eat all my workout calories either. It is all about calories in vs calories out. You need to burn more then you consume. I have always been told to eat small meals thoughout the day. You can do it however you want. Big breakfast and an apple a few hours later before your light lunch. Just make sure you are drinking a ton of water.

    Unless you are eating more than 1200 calories a day, I would eat back your workout calories or else you will be netting too low. If you workout and eat more, you will still lose weight faster than if you just eat a low amount of calories and not workout.
  • iLoveMyAR15
    iLoveMyAR15 Posts: 122 Member
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    try incorporating protein with every meal; it will keep you full longer. if you cant get to the 1200 cal minimum, nuts always work well
  • AIZZO4
    AIZZO4 Posts: 404 Member
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    I eat every 2-3 hours.
  • greenfalls107
    greenfalls107 Posts: 87 Member
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    I tend to graze all day. I just had a tomato, cucumber, and basil string cheese salad. I find if I eat something every few hours I feel less hungry and avoid the crash. I log my food every few hours, because without logging (I took the weekend off) I do not eat often enough and then feel like I am starving. Which results in me making poor choices and eating too much crap. In about 2 hours I will have a Light and Fit fruit on the bottom Greek Yogurt.

    I love to snack on dried fruit, fruit, and yogurts.

    good luck on your journey.
  • newcs
    newcs Posts: 717 Member
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    You have to figure out what works for you. For me, I aim for the following breakdown:

    Breakfast 300cals
    Lunch 300-400 cals
    Dinner 400-500cals
    Snacks 100-200cals each (piece of fruit, wasa w/light laughing cow, serving of almonds, toast with laughing cow, etc)
  • m4ttcheek
    m4ttcheek Posts: 229 Member
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    http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/7_steps_to_a_flexible_diet
  • buzzcockgirl
    buzzcockgirl Posts: 260 Member
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    I opt for 3 'larger meals'.... kind of the standard breakfast/lunch/dinner and then count in 2 snacks as well, 1 between each meal.
    For me, I know that I tend to eat most of my cals at night-- so I try to keep my cals lower in the day (maybe be at on;ly 700 or so by dinner) and that allows for a larger dinner, and maybe a munchie at night.
    I'd do a healthy breakfast(200 or so cals), then plan for a small snack (an apple, or a greek yogurt, maybe a handful of nuts and some carrots) for mid morning, then a regular lunch (200-300 cals) and another afternoon snack - then dinner!

    It's probably more important WHAT you eat, than how often... but I have found that if I stay 'satisfied', meaning, dont let myself get STARVING from one meal to another, I'm less likely to make bad food choices and overeat. If I only ate breakfast, and then waited 5 hours til lunch-- I'd be so hungry by then, I may opt for quick and easy (fast food) or overeat because I'm famished. So by staying full or satisfied with snacks and a ton of water-- I eat less at each sitting, and make better choices.

    Good luck!!
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
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    an apple with peanut butter
    a banana
    a piece of toast with peanut butter
    6 oz greek yogurt over half a cup of granola
    a handful of nuts
    a small bowl of soup
    a salad
    1 grilled chicken breast
    fresh raw veggies with ranch or some other dip
  • JGainingHealth
    JGainingHealth Posts: 194 Member
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    I go based on my hunger. I plan to eat 6xs/day because I typically get hungry every few hours, but some days I'm full enough to carry over until the next meal. If that happens, I just eat more at the next meal. Typical snacks for me are a piece of fruit + a handful of nuts (or a couple squares of dark chocolate) or greek yogurt with a portion of cereal. Sometimes it's a calorie-laden protein shake if I did a lot of intense exercise. There's really no "rule"... just try to meet your goals overall and you'll be fine :)

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