"to snack or not to snack: That's the question"

malena43
malena43 Posts: 31
in Health and Weight Loss
I find myself hungry between meals and I snack because I think if I dont snack i slow down my metabolism, or will end up overeating in the next meal. But I'm reading a book and she doesnt talk about snacks, she only talk about 3 healthy sustancial meals. And also there is people who say you have to go to bed hungry in order to lose weight, and there is people who say to eat protein before bed.
What the heck!! I am so confuse!!!! HEEEEEELP !!!!!
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Replies

  • mikegales
    mikegales Posts: 32 Member
    Bump. In NO way is my opinion expert. I eat healthy snacks when I am active and little or no snacks on sedentary days. Also I have a sweet tooth and a small unhealthy snack at night ( a girl scout cookie) keeps me from binging.
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  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    Meal/macro timing/frequency/size is irrelevant. I eat one huge meal right before I go to bed and nothing else except maybe a little coffee in the morning. Eat when hungry.
  • weephees
    weephees Posts: 27
    I am not really a snacker however I think you should consider what you are snacking on, if I do find I want something in-between meals it is usually fruit or vegetables like frozen peas which are a lot healthier than other icy treats. I just make sure anything I eat fits in with my calories and relatively healthy but everyone needs a wee treat now and then.
  • malena43
    malena43 Posts: 31
    Thanks for the advice folks!!
    I survive yesterday without snacking only a protein shake after workout and I felt good. I am trying to not snack. And I don't eat before bed because a trainer said that on TV, (Dr Oz)...
  • aliceclutz90
    aliceclutz90 Posts: 151 Member
    I totally relate to this OP, you can't get a straight answer can you?

    The thing that personally has worked for me is TO snack in between meals, ensuring the snacks contain an element of protein. The eating every 3 -4 hours seems to really work. Things like celery and houmous or a small amount of nuts with some berries taste nice :) But yeah, that's just what has worked for me
  • Moonbeem11
    Moonbeem11 Posts: 32 Member
    I'm an expert by proxy - my good friend is a Naturopathic Dr. The optimal way to eat is many small meals in a day. It keeps your metabolism going. I also heard this from someone who owned a gym. He was always eating, in the middle of the night, whenever - but not really big meals. I eat before bed if hungry, no harm, personally I believe this keeps the metabolism going.
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  • MasterKat
    MasterKat Posts: 149
    I snack... I usually throw in an apple between lunch and dinner. Sometimes after dinner I find myself snacky around 7 so I usually go for a Greek Yogurt (helps the sweet tooth too). I like salty, crunchy snacks too :blushing: ... I found these things at Costco called Veggie Straws....a handful of those and my craving is gone.

    I just know, FOR ME, that if I sit down at a meal starving I will over eat...I know I should stop but I just can't make myself sometimes.

    Dieting can be full of trial and errors... find what works for you...just try not to go through it all, hungry. :bigsmile:
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    The timing and spacing of meals has no effect on how much weight you lose. Your total caloric intake is what counts.

    Read up on intermittent fasting research (e.g., the effects of Ramadan-style fasts on insulin regulation and so on).
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    In the last year and a bit, I've done it all - snacked, eaten every hour, intermittent fasting, eaten only set meals. Some things I've learnt:
    1) I can lose weight irrespective of what I do
    2) I won't die if I go for 3 hours or more without eating even if I feel hungry :noway:
    3) Snacking keeps acidity levels up in your mouth which keeps my dentist in business
    4) I can get fat irrespective of what I do

    At the moment, I'm sticking to 4 set meals, no snacking at all. It's funny because prior to that I was eating every hour or so. Now each meal feels like a real feast.

    As long as I eat within a set calorie range and keep my protein intake at a minimum of 120g, I'm happy.
  • jfauci
    jfauci Posts: 531 Member
    I agree that it's a personal preference. I am a snacker. I rarely go more than 4 hours while I'm awake without eating. I prefer much smaller meals more frequently. If I eat too much at once, I feel horible.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    You have to figure out what works for you. Some people get hungrier at night, some people in the morning, etc. I pretty much like to eat all the time so I keep my meals small and eat loads of low cal snacks. That's what works for me.
  • kikiboniki
    kikiboniki Posts: 398 Member
    if you feel hungry, eat! listen to your body. Eat a little or eat a lot, but EAT
  • 5n0wbal1
    5n0wbal1 Posts: 429 Member
    Eating small snacks (like fruit) keeps me from overeating at dinner. I only eat them if I get really hungry and it's too long before dinner. I don't go to bed hungry at night, or I can't sleep. Then I'll feel the need to stuff myself in the morning.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    I guess it also depends on what you do. If you have a set amount you're going to eat for dinner and you are happy to eat that, then great. If you find that you've eaten the set food you planned but cannot resist grabbing more, then perhaps snacking's a good idea for you. If I'm hungry after eating my allocation of food, then I'll drink green teas etc. Also, if you can't sleep when you're hungry, then you'll have to snack especially if you wake up in the morning and binge. As I say, depends on what you do.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I eat small meals and a lot of snacks. Keeps me from binging.
  • KathrynKennewell108
    KathrynKennewell108 Posts: 72 Member
    The trouble with this is, if you go read 10 different books, blogs etc, you will invariably get 10 different opinions on what to do or what not to do. A drop in metabolism is overrated as a reason to just go eat. Learn to feel hunger between meals. Personally, I eat 3 squares and a top up around 3 - 3.30 in the afternoon - so roughly 4 hourly feeds. Eat protein with each meal, keep carbs down, esp simple carbs (to be avoided in general), don't forget your healthy fats (that includes saturated fats), limit your fruit intake to 1 - 2 serves a day (you don't need the fructose - get your fibre from veg), eat as much salad and veg as comfortable for you when you have your meals, and after all that, hunger should not be an issue between meals if your daily water intake is sufficient (30ml per kg body weight) and evenly spread over the course of the day. The age old "eat like a king for breakfast, eat like a prince for lunch and eat like a pauper for dinner" should take care of the snacking issues.
  • MercenaryNoetic26
    MercenaryNoetic26 Posts: 2,747 Member
    I stopped "snacking". I throw the "snacks" in with my meals. I used to think I needed snacks and bkfst and all that ****. But I don't.
  • mistesh
    mistesh Posts: 243 Member
    I think if I dont snack i slow down my metabolism, or will end up overeating in the next meal.

    Why do you think so? Your exhaustive answer is most appreciated!
  • lisamarie1780
    lisamarie1780 Posts: 432 Member
    Eating little and often is good and keeps your metabolism going at a good pace. If you're hungry then eat! just make sure its something healthy that will give you energy. A few nuts, a piece of fruit or some carrot sticks. Whoever heard of no snacks? As long as they're healthy I don't see the issue.
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    You're not going to slow down your metabolism if you go 4 hours without eating... In any case, you have two choices if you find yourself hungry between lunch and dinner (or breakfast and lunch, or after dinner, etc.) - either eat more at that meal, or have a healthy snack! If I eat a large lunch, then I can usually push through until dinner. However, I rarely eat a large lunch and prefer to space out my calories with snacks throughout the day. As others have already said, it's the amount of calories that matters the most. It's not rocket science.
  • ordnaj3la1
    ordnaj3la1 Posts: 49 Member
    It does not matter when you eat, what you eat, if its 3 big meals, 5 small meals, before bed, none of this matters. Obviously its better to eat healthy nutritious meals, but as long as you're in a caloric deficit you'll still lose weight.
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,472 Member
    I try not to snack. In fact my first few pounds were lost purely by giving up most snacks.

    I aim for three meals a day, but in practice I like to save a fair bit of calories for the evening meal. If there are any calories left over, I'll have a snack later in the evening. But as a rule, I don't snack between breakfast and mid-day meal, or between mid-day meal and evening meal.

    I usually find that when I get to my next meal I'm glad I didn't snack and I like having the "extra" calories for mealtimes. I do get a bit hungry between meals sometimes and usually I'm OK with that (I'm really not OK with it, I'll eat!). Sometimes if I get hungry and don't eat I find the hunger fades for a while.
  • epie2098
    epie2098 Posts: 224 Member
    I am a snacker. Between needing to be on a low-fat diet due to minor medical issues, and having hypoglycemia and hitting low blood sugar very quickly, I cannot sustain a day without a snack. For me, it's about snacking smart. I usually have a good-quality granola bar in my purse for hunger emergencies, and I plan a healthy snack a day - usually greek yogurt/trail mix/mixed nuts and dried fruit/fresh fruit... I vary it obviously.

    Different people have different approaches. Find what works best for you - every body is different. Listen to yours.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
    Basically, there isn't scientific evidence to prove that one method works better than another. Eat big meals a few times a day or divide your intake into as many small snacks as possible, matters not. Time of day you eat doesn't matter either. Whatever works for you is appropriate. See this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/health/23really.html?_r=0
  • Mamalea32
    Mamalea32 Posts: 134
    I workout daily and I I find that eating 3 modest meal with 3 healthy snacks in between is best. I never go into starvation mode, I avoid the feeling of deprivation which leads to binging. So snacking is good. Plus I have a metabolism that is totally fired up.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Eating little and often is good and keeps your metabolism going at a good pace. If you're hungry then eat! just make sure its something healthy that will give you energy. A few nuts, a piece of fruit or some carrot sticks. Whoever heard of no snacks? As long as they're healthy I don't see the issue.
    Whoever heard of no snacks? Pretty much everyone who lived before 1980. Snacking between meals is a pretty recent phenomenon. People used to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And that was it. Going back about 200 years, people ate one meal a day. So over time we've started eating more and more often, and obesity has been getting worse and worse. Coincidence?
  • RecoveringToHealthy
    RecoveringToHealthy Posts: 51 Member
    Personally, I can't sleep if I go to bed hungry (I already have sleep problems and have to take sleeping pills that hardly work) and i'm likely to binge during the night if I'm not full (because I wake up, like, four times every night :grumble: )
  • RecoveringToHealthy
    RecoveringToHealthy Posts: 51 Member
    Eating little and often is good and keeps your metabolism going at a good pace. If you're hungry then eat! just make sure its something healthy that will give you energy. A few nuts, a piece of fruit or some carrot sticks. Whoever heard of no snacks? As long as they're healthy I don't see the issue.
    Whoever heard of no snacks? Pretty much everyone who lived before 1980. Snacking between meals is a pretty recent phenomenon. People used to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And that was it. Going back about 200 years, people ate one meal a day. So over time we've started eating more and more often, and obesity has been getting worse and worse. Coincidence?

    Yeah, you know, they were pretty poor and sick back then too... Coincidence? :wink:

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