How often should I eat?

Hey Amy! how much is MFP telling you to eat daily? if you are wanting to lose weight just eat 500 calories less than your maintenance each day. Since you are active you will need more calories than a non active person.

You should eat at least every 3-4 hours. Fill up on protein and healthy fats and veggies/fruit. Lean meat too.

Eat less sugar and fried food.

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http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants 

As far as meal timing/frequency. This is a very personal thing. In terms of weight loss, timing will not have an effect. As far as what is sustainable for you and what will satisfy and keep you on track, that is what matters. What distance between meals/size do you find makes you feel best? I tried little meals throughout the day but I found, for me, that bigger meals helped me feel satiated longer and gave me more energy. Some find the opposite.

Eat at whatever frequency makes you happiest and helps you best adhere to your daily nutrition goals.

I'm a big believer in listening to your body - so when your belly rumbles (and I mean actually physically rumbling, not you feeling a bit bored and fancying a snack) that is time to eat. I personally eat my 3 standard meals a day, and have a snack around 11am and another protein based snack around 4/4.30pm to help me through my evening's exercise. All topped up with LOADS of water. Dont worry about this '5 small meals' idea or 'never snack, only eat 3 meals per day' - different systems work for different people. So listen to your body, if you find that exercise is too difficult and you are feeling dizzy/getting the shakes then that's a sign you havent eaten enough recently so have a pre-workout snack. And vice versa - if you feel sick eating too close to a workout then dont eat pre-workout. Find what feels right for you - that is the best way.

In terms of number of calories, MFP gave me 1200 per day however I'm more active than that (I have a horse and ride/trudge through fields in mud etc) so 1200 isnt enough for me to function properly on. Instead I've decided on 1400 calories which is easily achievable for me and since Thursday (when I started) I have lost 4.4lbs, so I think I have found the right balance. I have got a lot more weight to lose than you though (39lbs).

What to eat? Well technically a calorie is a calorie, so in theory you could eat all 1200 of your daily allowance in chocolate and lose weight. We all know that's not healthy though and probably wouldnt work! A protein based breakfast is always going to be the ideal (i.e. some sort of eggs or lean meat) but for someone like me this isnt feasible working in an office and eating breakfast in the office - so I have a bowl of cereal. I choose a high-fibre, un-sugared cereal like bran flakes. Lunch can be what you want - but as a general rule try and keep it low carb and high protein, low fat and low sugar. Same rules apply for dinner.

A lot of this is trial and error, but generally as long as you are picking fresh healthy choices and they are low-ish in carbs, fat and sugar then you should see results. Low fat doesnt mean zero fat though - the body needs fat, but just choose healthy ones like olive oil, nuts and oily fish. I try and avoid processed food at lunch and dinner (unavoidable at breakfast) and dont have anything else to drink other than water (definitely no alcohol at the moment).

As long as you stick to your calorie allowance, dont eat your exercise deficit (the calories you burn when exercising) and try and choose fresh healthy options where possible you will be fine. Good luck!