When do you eat?

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Simonscat
Simonscat Posts: 249
in Health and Weight Loss
Basically, I've just been told I post a lot saying I'm hungry and gonna grab something to eat and they replied with that I may not be eating enough.
Thing is, I think I am.

I eat my breakfast upon waking up.
I eat my lunch when i can, usually after class.
I eat a snack between class and dinner
Then dinner comes around 5/6
Then after that I grab something to snack on if I'm hungry later in the evening.

I usually post asking for advice whether I should eat something when I am over my cals. But I don't think I'm not eating enough..what do you think?
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Replies

  • GinoATC
    GinoATC Posts: 60
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    Eating often doesn't necessarily mean eating enough. If you are meeting you daily callorie goals then you are eating enoug. If you are constantly under then maybe you aren't eating enough.
  • antipholous
    antipholous Posts: 116
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    I'm not sure how much you're eating, but you should probably be eating at least 1,100-1,200 calories a day (minimum) if you're exercising regularly. Your body needs some fuel in order to burn fat.

    That being said, assuming you're eating enough calorically, some foods stay with you longer than others. I eat a pretty restricted caloric intake, and in order for me to remain full throughout the day I have to drink plenty of water, and eat foods with tons of protein and fiber to keep my stomach from growling. Foods low in fat and high in protein, fiber, or both tend to have more volume per calorie, and they take longer to digest; two reasons to why they keep you full longer.

    As for your original question:

    I eat breakfast around 6:30AM
    I eat lunch at 11:15AM
    I eat a snack at 3:30PM when I get home from work, before I hit the gym (energy to burn)
    I eat dinner sometime between 5 and 7 depending on when I get hungry or when I'm through working out.
    If I have calories left over, I'll eat a snack around 8 or 9.
  • jaybaileys
    jaybaileys Posts: 317
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    How many calories do you eat? How about a snack mid-morning. They say you should eat 5- 6 small meals per day to keep your metabolism firing all day. That's every 2-3 hours or so. I personally eat like this:

    Breakfast 7ish
    Snack 10ish
    Lunch noon or 1
    Snack 3 - 4 oclock
    Dinner around 6
    Casein protein shake before bed
  • dawnkitchen
    dawnkitchen Posts: 161
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    I eat breakfast at 8:30 (which is much too late since I wake up at 6:00.. gotta figure this one out)
    Snack at 11:00ish
    Lunch at 12:30
    Snack at 3:00ish (especially on gym days)
    Dinner at 6:30 1/2 the week and 4:30 the other half (6:30 days require another small snack)
    Usually a snack again around 8:00
    Sleep at 9:30!


    Snacks are usually granola or sunchips. I'm still working on the "snack" portion of nutrition.
  • miriamcpweg
    miriamcpweg Posts: 19 Member
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    I eat something every four hours. Breakfast, lunch, snack then dinner. I keep in my calorie range, I plan ahead. Don't eat carbohydrates at night, they can disrupt your body from releasing growth hormone at night which can help you loose weight.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
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    I don't eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I eat when I'm hungry, and refrain when I'm not. Often my first meal of the day won't be until noon or so, and then my next meal is around 6.
  • Hannastyrbjorn
    Hannastyrbjorn Posts: 343
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    I eat when I am hungry, under or over kcal. limit. I can separate the feeling of hungryness and the one of just wanting something cause I'm bored. So if you can do the same thing Eat whenever you are hungry but not till you are full. Eat till you are not hungry again - makes any sense?

    Best of luck!
  • jennylynn84
    jennylynn84 Posts: 659
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    Breakfast @ 6:30ish
    Snack @ 10:30ish
    Lunch at noon
    Snacks @ 3, 4 and sometimes 5
    Dinner: Gym nights at around 7. Off nights around 6
    After dinner snacks... if I have one its at around 9
    Bed between 10:30 and 11.

    If you're hungry and you're meeting your calorie goals, it might not mean you're not eating enough. I get hungry all the time (as evidenced above). It might just be that whatever you ate isn't something that stays with you enough to keep you full. I'd experiment with some different food. Hi protein and fiber for filling.
  • Tomhusker
    Tomhusker Posts: 346 Member
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    When I wake up I have a piece of fruit. An hour or two later I will eat my breakfast.I then have lunch between noon & 1:00. Another snack about 3:30 and dinner between 5 & 7. If I don't have desert, I'll have a treat about 9.
  • togden
    togden Posts: 324 Member
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    6am breakfast roughly 300 cals
    9am snack roughly 200 cals
    12 pm lunch roughly 400 cals
    3pm snack roughly 200 cals
    6pm dinner roughly 500 cals
    8pm snack roughly 100 cals

    Is my intended schedule .... Normally it gets all mixed up but I do stick to eating a total of 1700 calories a day before exercise.
  • MomsDaily140
    MomsDaily140 Posts: 116
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    Basically, I've just been told I post a lot saying I'm hungry and gonna grab something to eat and they replied with that I may not be eating enough.
    Thing is, I think I am.

    I eat my breakfast upon waking up.
    I eat my lunch when i can, usually after class.
    I eat a snack between class and dinner
    Then dinner comes around 5/6
    Then after that I grab something to snack on if I'm hungry later in the evening.

    I usually post asking for advice whether I should eat something when I am over my cals. But I don't think I'm not eating enough..what do you think?

    Are you within your caloric range? It also depends on what you eat,.. not just caloric intake. High Fiber Foods will keep you fuller longer. Also try spreading your calories out more evenly throughout the day. If you are taking in enough calories, sometimes thirst is the real issue. So drink a glass of ice cold water, wait 15 minutes and then if you are still hungry, then eat.

    Good Luck :wink:
  • Simonscat
    Simonscat Posts: 249
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    Very interesting!
    I luke how different people have different plans!
    Like some of you have plans for how many calories you eat within that meal and others timing..

    I eat 1200 a day without exercise. And try to up it to around 1500 with exercise.
  • Simonscat
    Simonscat Posts: 249
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    Basically, I've just been told I post a lot saying I'm hungry and gonna grab something to eat and they replied with that I may not be eating enough.
    Thing is, I think I am.

    I eat my breakfast upon waking up.
    I eat my lunch when i can, usually after class.
    I eat a snack between class and dinner
    Then dinner comes around 5/6
    Then after that I grab something to snack on if I'm hungry later in the evening.

    I usually post asking for advice whether I should eat something when I am over my cals. But I don't think I'm not eating enough..what do you think?

    Are you within your caloric range? It also depends on what you eat,.. not just caloric intake. High Fiber Foods will keep you fuller longer. Also try spreading your calories out more evenly throughout the day. If you are taking in enough calories, sometimes thirst is the real issue. So drink a glass of ice cold water, wait 15 minutes and then if you are still hungry, then eat.

    Good Luck :wink:

    That happened to me today!
    Ate dinner at 5 and by 7pm I was hungry, so drank a lot of water and i was full, then was hungry at half 9 and tried the water but I got even more hungry, so that was when I grabbed a bowl of porridge :)
  • MomsDaily140
    MomsDaily140 Posts: 116
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    I also eat as you do,....

    Breakfast

    Mid - Morning Snack - usually an apple

    Lunch

    Mid - Day (sometimes)

    Dinner

    Evening - Usually my herbal tea and something really low cal
  • Simonscat
    Simonscat Posts: 249
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    I eat when I am hungry, under or over kcal. limit. I can separate the feeling of hungryness and the one of just wanting something cause I'm bored. So if you can do the same thing Eat whenever you are hungry but not till you are full. Eat till you are not hungry again - makes any sense?

    Best of luck!
    It does thank you!
    Will try keep that in mind :D
  • Simonscat
    Simonscat Posts: 249
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    I also find that if I have 6am starts, I eat more calories through the day and end up going over! So when that happens, I try not to fret.

    But also, I sometimes get days when I just want to count and eat what I want...and that stops me from becoming sad :)
  • MomsDaily140
    MomsDaily140 Posts: 116
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    [/quote]
    That happened to me today!
    Ate dinner at 5 and by 7pm I was hungry, so drank a lot of water and i was full, then was hungry at half 9 and tried the water but I got even more hungry, so that was when I grabbed a bowl of porridge :)
    [/quote]

    Most times it does work, but there are those times.... but at least you went for something low cal :smile:

    I have had those days I went for the CAKE! LOL
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    I looked at your food diary and most days you're getting significantly under your calorie goal. You need at least 1200 net calories (calories consumed minus calorie burned), but you should really be trying to meet your goal. MFP sets your daily calorie goal based on the information you submit. It gives you a specific goal because that's what you should get to keep your body healthy and still burn fat. It looked like most days you're getting 800-900 net calories and that just isn't enough.
  • Samana06
    Samana06 Posts: 107
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    I eat when I'm hungry ... a lot of times I don't eat breakfast because I'm not hungry, lunch (if at work) noon, when the kids do.. if not at work then around 10 or 11. And dinner is between 5 and 6 on week days (so the kids can go to bed on time) and on weekends when ever my boyfriend cooks!
    If you try to stick to a schedule then you begin to obsess about it (by you I mean ME) listen to your body and eat when you're hungry. If you are under your calorie goal then you're under it... If you you're over, then you're over it. As long as you eat when you're hungry and try to eat as healthy as you can you'll do fine!
    Good Luck to all!
  • MomsDaily140
    MomsDaily140 Posts: 116
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    I also find that if I have 6am starts, I eat more calories through the day and end up going over! So when that happens, I try not to fret.

    But also, I sometimes get days when I just want to count and eat what I want...and that stops me from becoming sad :)

    There's no point in getting upset about any of it. It happens, we all have those days. But I get up at 4:30 every morning, so I don't eat normally until after 7 and that is a push. Up until that time I am all about my coffee. My worst times for eating are between.... noon and around 5pm...

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