Little and Often?

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irNathaniel
irNathaniel Posts: 178 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Sorry for the Wall of text - I am looking for some advice really.

So I am on MFP - Obviously have an issue with weight. IM 6ft 2 - 250Pounds - Heaviest was 303 Pounds so I am down 53 Pounds, But I now find myself stuck.

I still have a real issue with my weight - Ideally I want to be around 200 Pounds, because I play football and I am pretty active.

Sorry recently my diet has been a little something like this : (this is the target)

Breakfast: Porridge - Lunch: Spag Boll or Jacket patatoe and Beans - Dinner: 800 - 1000 Calorie dinner.


I have found during feeding Times i am starvin, This leads to uneccassary snacking - Over eating in the evening etc. So I have been doing some researching recently and have found numerous blogs about setting up for eating - as weightloss should be more about food.

My activity levels are high - Just not routine - I will be trying to get my excercise into a routine of 6 days a week, but different sections.

Monday - Football
Tuesday - Weights at gym
Wednesday - Football
Thursdays - Gym
Friday - Evening distance Run
Saturday - Weights at Gym
Sunday Rest.

So really my question is have you experienced change and/or any difference when you eat little and often? I will be trying to eat back atleast half the calories i burn for max deficet, but I will be eating up to 8 times a day of significantly small portions.

Any advice?

THANKS FOR READING SORRY IF ITS CONFUSING

Replies

  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    The times you eat and frequency make no difference to weightloss. So do what works well for you.
  • a_stronger_me13
    a_stronger_me13 Posts: 812 Member
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    The times you eat and frequency make no difference to weightloss. So do what works well for you.

    This.
  • David_AUS
    David_AUS Posts: 298 Member
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    I find eating more frequently leads me to over consuming my calories; I also found it (personally) not supportive in appetite suppression. I eat the bulk of my calories later in the day and drink fluids in between when I feel "hungry", so when I get the evening nibbles I can indulge a little then with any spare calories I have left - if not then my default is lime iced water. Others find more frequent eating works for them but to me it is too much like hard work as I would have to set-up little portion control packs to stop myself having another handful etc.... try it - if it works for you then great.
  • irNathaniel
    irNathaniel Posts: 178 Member
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    I find eating more frequently leads me to over consuming my calories; I also found it (personally) not supportive in appetite suppression. I eat the bulk of my calories later in the day and drink fluids in between when I feel "hungry", so when I get the evening nibbles I can indulge a little then with any spare calories I have left - if not then my default is lime iced water. Others find more frequent eating works for them but to me it is too much like hard work as I would have to set-up little portion control packs to stop myself having another handful etc.... try it - if it works for you then great.

    Considering this was the only proper answer, Thank you. It is something I am going to try, As i hope to supress my appetite through the day. Im not saying Im not going to have meals - I will eat properly.


    I know it makes no actual difference to Weight Loss - But my hope is to stop myself from snacking on biscuits and extra fruit - If i have a set limit through day I know I can stick to it.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    The times you eat and frequency make no difference to weightloss. So do what works well for you.

    Agreed. When I eat little and often I just want to eat all the time. Eating larger meals later in the day helps me control my appetite so it works for me. The whole "rev up your metabolism" theory is a bunch of bogus. However, if you feel happier eating frequently and small then by all means go for it. However you intake your calories and feel the most satisfied is the right way for you.
  • a_stronger_me13
    a_stronger_me13 Posts: 812 Member
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    I find eating more frequently leads me to over consuming my calories; I also found it (personally) not supportive in appetite suppression. I eat the bulk of my calories later in the day and drink fluids in between when I feel "hungry", so when I get the evening nibbles I can indulge a little then with any spare calories I have left - if not then my default is lime iced water. Others find more frequent eating works for them but to me it is too much like hard work as I would have to set-up little portion control packs to stop myself having another handful etc.... try it - if it works for you then great.

    Considering this was the only proper answer, Thank you. It is something I am going to try, As i hope to supress my appetite through the day. Im not saying Im not going to have meals - I will eat properly.


    I know it makes no actual difference to Weight Loss - But my hope is to stop myself from snacking on biscuits and extra fruit - If i have a set limit through day I know I can stick to it.

    You have a BMR of about 2300 assuming you don't have some medical condition. So you can eat quite a bit and still lose weight. Set a moderate deficit from your TDEE, get a food scale, measure everything you eat, find an eating schedule that allows you to stay within your calorie goals, hit your macros, lose weight. I'm not suggesting that you're undereating overall, you'd be losing weight still if you were, but if you're eating at your calorie goal of 1600 + some of your exercise calories for a few days in a row you might be compensating over the following few days by increased and out of control snacking. And snacking can be difficult to quantify at times, especially if you're feeling ravenous. You might need to look at things beyond a 24 hr schedule and look at it more on a weekly basis. In some ways, it's a mini and not necessarily intentional restrict/binge cycle.

    Like another user mentioned, once the snacking starts, I find it more difficult to control how I eat throughout the day. I took some time to figure out when I'm truly hungry (mostly in the evenings) and decided to give myself most of my calories then. You probably just need to hone in on your true hunger signals, find out when you're actually hungry and adjust your eating schedule accordingly.

    ETA: Your food tracking has been pretty hit or miss in the last month. Not sure how long your weight loss has been "stalled out" but I would assume that inaccurate and inconsistent tracking is the main culprit here.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    I find eating more frequently leads me to over consuming my calories; I also found it (personally) not supportive in appetite suppression. I eat the bulk of my calories later in the day and drink fluids in between when I feel "hungry", so when I get the evening nibbles I can indulge a little then with any spare calories I have left - if not then my default is lime iced water. Others find more frequent eating works for them but to me it is too much like hard work as I would have to set-up little portion control packs to stop myself having another handful etc.... try it - if it works for you then great.

    Considering this was the only proper answer, Thank you. It is something I am going to try, As i hope to supress my appetite through the day. Im not saying Im not going to have meals - I will eat properly.


    I know it makes no actual difference to Weight Loss - But my hope is to stop myself from snacking on biscuits and extra fruit - If i have a set limit through day I know I can stick to it.

    and how was this "the only proper answer"? You are a 24 year old young man with a 1600 calories a day goal... no wonder you are hungry you eat less than I do and I am a 41 year old woman...think about that.

    As a man the lowest you really should be going is 1800 calories esp at your size and activity level. And you don't log consitently...how do you know how much you are actually eating?
  • irNathaniel
    irNathaniel Posts: 178 Member
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    My food tracking is bad at the minute, because as soon as i snack - i dont want to track anymore as the truth would be there.

    This makes me sound like some snotty nosed kid who cant control himself and i am ashamed. I am taking all advice in and do want to start logging correctly, I believe doing this will also help me stop with the snacking, bvut I only snack when hungry.
  • a_stronger_me13
    a_stronger_me13 Posts: 812 Member
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    My food tracking is bad at the minute, because as soon as i snack - i dont want to track anymore as the truth would be there.

    This makes me sound like some snotty nosed kid who cant control himself and i am ashamed. I am taking all advice in and do want to start logging correctly, I believe doing this will also help me stop with the snacking, bvut I only snack when hungry.

    You can probably be eating 2500 calories TOTAL and still lose weight. Easily. Sometimes having an appropriate calorie goal from the start makes the mental side of dieting so much easier. When you have a low goal it can be daunting and make you throw in the towel.

    Have you calculated your BMR and TDEE to have a better understanding of how many calories you actually burn in a day?
  • irNathaniel
    irNathaniel Posts: 178 Member
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    My food tracking is bad at the minute, because as soon as i snack - i dont want to track anymore as the truth would be there.

    This makes me sound like some snotty nosed kid who cant control himself and i am ashamed. I am taking all advice in and do want to start logging correctly, I believe doing this will also help me stop with the snacking, bvut I only snack when hungry.

    You can probably be eating 2500 calories TOTAL and still lose weight. Easily. Sometimes having an appropriate calorie goal from the start makes the mental side of dieting so much easier. When you have a low goal it can be daunting and make you throw in the towel.

    Have you calculated your BMR and TDEE to have a better understanding of how many calories you actually burn in a day?

    Just going of MFP - that gave me 1600 allowance, because I have a deskjob, I am active as much as possible tho. At the minute I play football 3 times a week, i run and weight lift etc. I think maybe a 2000 Cal goal will be better, do you have a good site to work it out properly?
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
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    Scoobyworkshop.com is a decent calculator

    This is a TDEE calculator so input your exercise amount too when figuring your calorie amount. You would eat this amount all week, irregardless of exercise and you would not eat back exercise calories worth this method. This is what I used through weight loss and maintenance
  • sue_langley
    sue_langley Posts: 63 Member
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    I'm realizing everyone has what works for them and it takes patience, research and trying to figure out what works. After many tries I finally feel satisfied after increasing my calories to match my activity level and increased my good fats and protein like beef, lamb,almond butter, olive oil.
  • a_stronger_me13
    a_stronger_me13 Posts: 812 Member
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    Scoobyworkshop.com is a decent calculator

    This is a TDEE calculator so input your exercise amount too when figuring your calorie amount. You would eat this amount all week, irregardless of exercise and you would not eat back exercise calories worth this method. This is what I used through weight loss and maintenance

    I second this. IIFYM.com is another good calculator site.
  • kazzyv
    kazzyv Posts: 30 Member
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    I think you need to go back to basics and make sure that for a week or two you weigh and log everything. Your main meal in the evening (if I read it right) sounds quite heavy on calories. Could you bulk up on green veg and reduce the calories of that meal by say 200 and give yourself 200 extra cals for snacking during the day - you can get quite a lot fruit and stuff for that ?

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