Eating every 3 Hours
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I eat approximately every 3 hours starting at about 9 AM and ending about 9 PM. I don't do it because it is supposedly "best" for weight loss, I do it because it is what works for me, both to keep from feeling hunger and to keep my blood sugars fairly steady over the course of the day.
As everyone else has said, timing and the number of meals is a personal thing determined by your own body and its rhythms.0 -
The 3 hour nonsense is only sustainable for professionals and people with no job/social life in my opinion.
To be fair I eat every 3-4 hours and I have a very busy job and active social life.
If you are picturing "eating" to be going out to a restaurant every 3 hours then yeah okay, but for me eating is having a pre-prepared sandwich or a shake or a protein bar while I sit at my desk.
That's true, certain jobs may allow it but many don't. I work in a lab and don't care to eat in it (plus you can't) and I'm there to work and not eat. And when I'm out with my friends it'd be annoying to set my 3 hour time and interrupt what we are all doing so I can eat some food.
Saying it may not be possible in every job/social situation is a lot different than saying it's only possible if you have no job and no social life.
I've got a desk job-- I prepare my food before I leave for work and I eat at my desk while I'm working. I don't consider it an imposition; it's how I like to eat. I definitely don't set an alarm; I just eat when I'm hungry. But if I let myself go too long then when I do sit down to eat I end up having a lot more calories than I planned.
it's true, I probably drew a thicker line in the sand than what called for it. What you described isn't quiet the same though. You eat, when you are hungry and are fortunate enough to have a job who doesn't mind you interrupting work to throw down some food.
That's not the same as what was described, that is a strict adherence to a 3 hour time frame for eating. A strict 3 hour pattern is likely to fail for the vast majority of people because of life. It's a stupid myth that does little for your metabolism and fills people full of stress.
There are a million of exceptions of course. People with amazing social lives and friends who also think they should eat every three hours on the dot could adhere without causing much of a problem, etc. My point is a strict adherence is silly and can cause a lot of people to ditch dieting because they don't have the time.0 -
The 3 hour nonsense is only sustainable for professionals and people with no job/social life in my opinion.
To be fair I eat every 3-4 hours and I have a very busy job and active social life.
If you are picturing "eating" to be going out to a restaurant every 3 hours then yeah okay, but for me eating is having a pre-prepared sandwich or a shake or a protein bar while I sit at my desk.
That's true, certain jobs may allow it but many don't. I work in a lab and don't care to eat in it (plus you can't) and I'm there to work and not eat. And when I'm out with my friends it'd be annoying to set my 3 hour time and interrupt what we are all doing so I can eat some food.
Saying it may not be possible in every job/social situation is a lot different than saying it's only possible if you have no job and no social life.
I've got a desk job-- I prepare my food before I leave for work and I eat at my desk while I'm working. I don't consider it an imposition; it's how I like to eat. I definitely don't set an alarm; I just eat when I'm hungry. But if I let myself go too long then when I do sit down to eat I end up having a lot more calories than I planned.
it's true, I probably drew a thicker line in the sand than what called for it. What you described isn't quiet the same though. You eat, when you are hungry and are fortunate enough to have a job who doesn't mind you interrupting work to throw down some food.
That's not the same as what was described, that is a strict adherence to a 3 hour time frame for eating. A strict 3 hour pattern is likely to fail for the vast majority of people because of life. It's a stupid myth that does little for your metabolism and fills people full of stress.
There are a million of exceptions of course. People with amazing social lives and friends who also think they should eat every three hours on the dot could adhere without causing much of a problem, etc. My point is a strict adherence is silly and can cause a lot of people to ditch dieting because they don't have the time.
I completely agree with you here. :flowerforyou:0 -
Poop on that. Forcing food down your throat when you aren't hungry (just because it's time to eat) and not eating when you ARE hungry (because it's NOT time to eat, lol) would probably have more of a negative effect on metabolism than a good one.
That being said, meal timing is a complete non-issue.0 -
Are you planning on waking up through the night to eat?
Tell your trainer he "must" better educate himself on nutrition and weight loss management.
It is very important for him to understand the difference between the necessity to eat and meal timing preference.0 -
It's totally personal preference. I have a desk job now and graze at my desk all day. I use up about 1000 calories during the day, eat about 400 for breakfast, and that leaves me 400 for dinner. Sometimes though, I'll save calories up and just eat two meals or even just one. Totally up to you.0
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Personally I eat about every two hours, small healthy snacks that fit into my calorie target each day.
But I also listen to my body and feed it when it's hungry. Don't eat just to eat... eat when you're hungry.
And yeah... I am hungry about every two hours or so. If I'm not, I don't eat.0 -
Also, everyone is different. Remember to get to learn about YOUR body and how YOU feel before/after workouts, rest days, etc... This is a journey to get to know what works for YOU.0
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Thanks everybody! Saved me some time on research that I didn't really care to do. Sounded like BS anyhow. I ended up being hungry right at the 3 hour mark so I ended up eating a snack. Seemed logical to eat after my workout anyhow. It'll probably depend on the day. Oh and fyi everybody...so not my trainer...I work out at home. Its just a facebook 2 week challenge group where you log in that you exercise everyday and share with other group members. Just needed an extra push to get back on track...and its working. He's got some other bs too...I can ignore all that for an extra reminder to try harder.0
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eat even if you're not hungry0
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Are you going to wake up every 3 hours to eat at night then? Trainers are the worst people for spreading myths like this. Meal timing is personal preference with what fits into your life. Your metabolism does not need waking up or restarting it happily chugs along 24 hours a dayI joined this facebook group for a 2 week challenge. The trainer that runs it says the one must eat every 3 hours. my 3 hour time to eat again is here and I'm just not hungry. He says that eating every 3 hours helps with metabolism. Thoughts? Fact or fiction? Trying it just for today just to see...
so the breakfast within an hour thing goes with this, too? Still experimenting what works for me, i've found that the sooner i eat breakfast the sooner i get hungry again, so i like to wait until an hour or 2 after i get to work. didn't seem to change anything from when i was eating within 30 minutes of waking, other than being easier to manage my cals. I love other people's perspective on the whole "breaking the fast" thing!
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I don't know the science behind it, but the reason I personally eat about every 3 hours is because if I don't this is what happens
1) Eat big meal
2) After 3 hours get ravenously hungry
3) Ravenous hunger makes me want to eat unhealthy things
So I really feel that this "grazing" type of thing seemingly helps peoples' weight loss because it makes them feel fuller for more time and then make healthier choices etc 0 -
Are you going to wake up every 3 hours to eat at night then? Trainers are the worst people for spreading myths like this. Meal timing is personal preference with what fits into your life. Your metabolism does not need waking up or restarting it happily chugs along 24 hours a dayI joined this facebook group for a 2 week challenge. The trainer that runs it says the one must eat every 3 hours. my 3 hour time to eat again is here and I'm just not hungry. He says that eating every 3 hours helps with metabolism. Thoughts? Fact or fiction? Trying it just for today just to see...
so the breakfast within an hour thing goes with this, too? Still experimenting what works for me, i've found that the sooner i eat breakfast the sooner i get hungry again, so i like to wait until an hour or 2 after i get to work. didn't seem to change anything from when i was eating within 30 minutes of waking, other than being easier to manage my cals. I love other people's perspective on the whole "breaking the fast" thing!
Yep, breakfast is the same. It works really well for some people to help control their mood and appetite and it makes others feel like they want to chew their own arm off. Again, as long as you're hitting your calorie and nutrition goals for the day and have no medical reason for breakfast then you should do what makes you feel best.0 -
It's not just a myth and how much you eat at a time does impact the way you feel and can also impact how much fat you store and burn. Check out starting on page 14 on the attached from the Human Performance Institute for your reference...http://www.belmontleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Corporate-Athlete-Course-29-page-handout.pdf
A lot of my success has come from managing the way I eat as well as building an overall healthy lifestyle. Good luck to you!0 -
It's not just a myth and how much you eat at a time does impact the way you feel and can also impact how much fat you store and burn. Check out starting on page 14 on the attached from the Human Performance Institute for your reference...http://www.belmontleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Corporate-Athlete-Course-29-page-handout.pdf
A lot of my success has come from managing the way I eat as well as building an overall healthy lifestyle. Good luck to you!
The myth isn't the idea that meal timing cannot have an affect on your athletic performance or the way you feel or your ability to stick to a weight loss regime personally...the myth is that there is one "correct" way for everyone and that is the way you need to do it or you are failing in some way.
I'd encourage anyone to just experiment a bit with meal timing, play with it with regards to their day and their exercise routine, see what works for them.0 -
It's not just a myth and how much you eat at a time does impact the way you feel and can also impact how much fat you store and burn. Check out starting on page 14 on the attached from the Human Performance Institute for your reference...http://www.belmontleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Corporate-Athlete-Course-29-page-handout.pdf
A lot of my success has come from managing the way I eat as well as building an overall healthy lifestyle. Good luck to you!
Not really.
The impact of meal frequency on adherence, energy and gym performance has a far, far greater benefit than any possible (and debatable) direct impact on weight loss.
How you feel is extremely individual.0 -
Are we talking about metabolism furnaces and fat in heeeeer?
Yesterday, I woke up at 6 am and didn't eat until 5pm because. ...busy.
I'm still alive.0 -
I eat something every 3 hrs or so ... so I don't get too hungry.. I made my meals smaller and in between I eat fruit, greek yogurt and more fruit. I have been doing this for most of the last 17 months as I lots 40 of the 50 I lost. It worked for me. I am not really sure it is a metabolism thing or just something that helps me from making bad choices once I get freakishly hungry.0
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