How often do you eat?

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msJNFR
msJNFR Posts: 7
in Food and Nutrition
I was on Medifast on & off for about six months & one guideline for the diet is that you must eat every 2-3 hours in order to keep your metabolism from slowing down. Even if you aren't hungry, you are supposed to eat.

I'm no longer doing MF--instead I'm simply watching my caloric intake and exercising--but I have noticed that I am following the same routine I was before: breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, evening snack. Even if I'm not necessarily hungry, I will eat something every 3-4 hours.

So here's the problem.... I am hardly ever hungry during the day, but I CRAVE food at night. & By the time dinner rolls around, I have already consumed MOST of my calories for the day, usually leaving only enough for a small evening snack.

I'm wondering, should I only eat when I'm hungry (which is probably result in skipping breakfast and lunch and having most of my food between 3:00 pm & midnight)? Should I only eat very small meals during the day so that I have more calories available to consume at night? Or should I just keep doing what I'm doing, and fight through my hunger at night?

What do YOU do?

Replies

  • Jess0218
    Jess0218 Posts: 138
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    I have the same prob w/ not eating til 3pm or after and up til midnite so I'd like to see responses too :)
  • Jilly78
    Jilly78 Posts: 7
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    Thats tough, I too sometimes get cravings late at nite, so I go to bed to avoid eating. I have heard the same thing about eating something every 2-3 hours, I try to eat only snacks that are 100 cals or less.
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
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    I'm saying this not as a diet and nutrition expert, but based purely on MY experience which might be worth something less than a plateful of dry garbanzo beans...

    *I* would try an experiment for maybe 3 months or so. I'd shift my eating times to what my body is demanding, but keep the calories on track. See what happens.

    This is actually what I did soon after embarking on my weight loss journey. All my life, I'd been locked in to having dinner be the biggest meal of the day. But my body wants BREAKFAST!!! For myself, if I eat the bulk of my daily calories before noon, I'm rarely hungry later. I'll "graze" or have a small dinner, but big dinners: bleah. Not into it.

    I think everyone may have different needs and patterns, and maybe if we find what works best for us as individuals, we'll be healthier in the long run.

    /end theory
  • RoadDog
    RoadDog Posts: 2,946 Member
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    I just eat once a day. From the time I wake up until bed time.
  • vzepol
    vzepol Posts: 131 Member
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    I eat every two hours, it helps. I am supposed to eat 2200 calories a day and come no where near that number. On average I may eat 1400 a day and that is with eating every two hours, including at night. I eat a lot of vegetables, some meat and less than 100g of carbs per day.

    Look around with not too much effort you may be able to do the same.
  • flyawaybyebye
    flyawaybyebye Posts: 250
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    I was on Medifast on & off for about six months & one guideline for the diet is that you must eat every 2-3 hours in order to keep your metabolism from slowing down. Even if you aren't hungry, you are supposed to eat.

    I'm no longer doing MF--instead I'm simply watching my caloric intake and exercising--but I have noticed that I am following the same routine I was before: breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, evening snack. Even if I'm not necessarily hungry, I will eat something every 3-4 hours.

    So here's the problem.... I am hardly ever hungry during the day, but I CRAVE food at night. & By the time dinner rolls around, I have already consumed MOST of my calories for the day, usually leaving only enough for a small evening snack.

    I'm wondering, should I only eat when I'm hungry (which is probably result in skipping breakfast and lunch and having most of my food between 3:00 pm & midnight)? Should I only eat very small meals during the day so that I have more calories available to consume at night? Or should I just keep doing what I'm doing, and fight through my hunger at night?

    What do YOU do?

    Are you actually hungry at night, or just experiencing cravings? One way to tell: is there something specific you want to eat, or would anything satisfy you? Could you eat steamed veggies, or plain fruit, or something like that, at night, or do you feel like you have to have some specific comfort food? If you could eat anything and be satisfied, odds are you're actually hungry. I'd honor that and eat at the times your body wants you to. If, on the other hand, you're craving specific things at night, that's not real hunger, and I would try to find a non-food alternative that gives you the emotional satisfaction you want (comfort, relief from boredom, whatever it is) without resulting to food.
  • polo571
    polo571 Posts: 708 Member
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    Have you ever tried drinking 16 ounces of water when you are really hungry and waiting 15 minutes to see if it disaapears? Sometimes we are thirsty and we mistake it for hunger. My day usually is food at 7am, 8;30 am, 10am, 11:30 am, 1:30pm, 3pm, and 6 pm. It works for me and helps me do this. I do 4 times of 150cals to 280cals and 3 times of 350cals to 550cals. It made a huge difference for me. I also burn about 500 cals to 800cals for exercise 6 days a week and drink a minimum of 120 ounces of water.
  • Laceylala
    Laceylala Posts: 3,094 Member
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    I eat breakfast, lunch, sometimes a snack, dinner and a snack.
    So at 8:30ish, 11:30ish, sometimes 2ish, 6-6:30ish and 8ish...

    The ONE thing that helps me make through the day is that I log my evening dessert/snack first thing in the morning if I want one. Usually it is a skinny cow icecream sandwich and I look forward to it all day long and it enables me to not overeat during the day, and let my brain know its not going to bed hungry either.
    Because I'm learning its more about my brain than my actual stomach! Go figure.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
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    6 times a day
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    My schedule on days I workout is:
    9am - Breakfast
    12pm - Lunch
    2pm - Snack
    4pm - Snack
    6:30pm - Snack
    8:30pm - Dinner
    9:30pm - Dessert

    Days I don't workout it's:
    9am - Breakfast
    12pm - Lunch
    3pm - Snack
    7pm - Dinner
    9pm - Dessert

    I very rarely get random cravings in between or late at night. But I also drink water constantly throughout the day, from the moment I get to work at 9 to when I go to bed. And I typically try to head to bed around 11, even if I don't fall asleep that fast. And even on nights I stay up later, it doesn't matter cuz I always make sure to eat my calories no later than 10pm, so even if I do get a random munchie urge, I don't have any calories left anyway, so I just drink water and take it as a sign I should just brush my teeth and get in bed.
  • SirJFK
    SirJFK Posts: 49 Member
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    Hey,

    I have been doing Power 90 and that is pretty much the diet that they follow 1: around 7am eat a good breaky (not big, Good) 2: have a snack around 10am 3: lunch around 12:30 1pm 4: snack between 3 - 4pm 5: supper 5-7pm and their biggest rule is to not eat anything 3 hours before bed... you may feel a bit hungry but your body then feeds off the stored fat and not whats in your stomach, thus losing instead of maintaining or gaining... course you wake up hungry and are supposed to eat breakfast within the 1st hour of getting up. I've been doing this for a bit now and have seen a big difference... even though I and more into fitness now I still love to sit and play my WOW and CODBlackOPs games and that is usually the times I would stuff my face then go right to bed, but the last week or so following this and not eating gave me a huge loss (though I gained some of it back hangin with the boys :)) but still it is good in theory :)

    John
  • JennaK
    JennaK Posts: 43 Member
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    I try to eat every 2-3 hours too, to keep my metabolism running. Sometimes I have a major snack attack at night too, but I think for me personally, it's just that I'm busy during the day working so I may not feel the need to eat, but at night I'm relaxing and out of boredom think about food lol. If that makes any sense.

    I find eating every 2-3 hours makes me feel better during my evening workout and also prevents an afternoon crash that I would always have after a big lunch! :)
  • bigsal911
    bigsal911 Posts: 23
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    I just eat whenever. Going low carb WILL curb cravings and you'll eat because you remember you need to eat and will stop binges.
  • rcurien
    rcurien Posts: 9
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    My usual eating day is
    - 8:00 - breakfast (make sure its within 1 hour of waking up - very important for metabolism)
    - 10:00 - snack (like strawberries, or almonds, or rice snacks)
    - 12:30 - lunch
    - 2:00 - snack (yogurt)
    - 4:00 - snack (not fruit - you should avoid eating fruit in the afternoon as it weights heavy on your stomach)
    - 5/6:00 - gym for about 1:30 hours
    - 8:00 - once home a glass of vege juice.

    Because Ive consistemtly eaten throughout the day, I dont get hungry at night.

    Hope this helps!
  • BigBoneSista
    BigBoneSista Posts: 2,389 Member
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    I eat every 2 to 3 hours.....5 meals a day.
  • Sara7Taylor
    Sara7Taylor Posts: 112 Member
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    I usually have a small breakfast, a yogurt and granola bar or fruit
    A light lunch, usually leftovers, or a half a sandwich and some fruit, or some sort of soup, usually tomato.
    An afternoon snack during class lectures. (very convienent) usually fruit or granola bar.
    A hearty dinner, around 600 - 700 calories
    An evening snack, low fat/calorie popcorn, trail mix, ect...

    And I do 30 min. per day on an ellipical trainer, about 3 miles. I burn off around 580 calories each day and am around 1400 calories by bedtime.

    hope this helps. :smile:
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
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    I eat consistent small meals all day long. With my largest meal at lunch. I find that I'm only hungry at dinner if I'm tired, or thirsty or bored. I hate eating after 7:00 PM, so really never evening snack.

    I would say watch your calorie snacks and make them smaller or eat just veggies for those snacks.

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