How many meals per day

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hbunting86
hbunting86 Posts: 952 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all

This is something I frequently get confused by - how many meals I should be eating per day.

Currently I end up under my calorie target as I'm a bit of a pain and always skip breakfast.... (shocking, I know). I just can't stomach food first thing in the morning!

Any ideas?

H :)

Replies

  • kandy80cat
    kandy80cat Posts: 29
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    Hi,
    im the same as you, i cant eat breakfast so i either have a smoothie or a slim fast milkshake for breakfast, then i have a snack then lunch then snack then tea/dinner then snack

    so i eat 3 meals on normal unless i have a early aerobic class then i have lunch at 11am and tea/dinner at 4pm and then a stirfry when i get back from the class
  • Kate_UK
    Kate_UK Posts: 1,299 Member
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    You'll get loads of varying opinions on this, some say 3 square meals a day is best, others a combination of meals and snacks, some say 6-8 mini meals a day. I think you have to go with what your body tells you. I'm not a morning/breakfast person either. I do eat breakfast, but its usually 10-10:30 am, and usually just a yogurt. I tend to have 4 meals a day. Breakfast at around 10 :30, lunch at 1 ish, mid afternoon snack/small meal at 4(when my toddler has her dinner) and my real dinner at 7-8pm.
  • hbunting86
    hbunting86 Posts: 952 Member
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    Yeah I might start making smoothies as need to kick start my metabolism - I have a sensitive stomach for quite a few foods, so it's always a bit of a pain! I think that generally puts me off eating too much but has the opposite effect when I'm doing exercise, as this puts the body in starvation mode which is no good!

    Think I also need to 'up' the dairy, as I eat very little of it.

    H
  • kOiFiSh_KiMmY
    kOiFiSh_KiMmY Posts: 22
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    Hi!

    Have you tried eat "little healthy lunches" throughout the day? A very health conscience person told me that if you eat small (yet healthy) food potions throughout the day, you are most likely to feel statisfied, but not weighed down as opposed to eating 2-4 huge meals a day....especially around breakfast time. Your inital meal for a day (breakfast) should be something healthy, filling, but not heavy. You dont need something to slow you down before you can start your day. LOL!

    Good Luck!
  • kandy80cat
    kandy80cat Posts: 29
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    im sensitive to alot of foods too, i cant eat to much wheat, milk and cheese as they make me bloated and ill but a fresh fruit smoothie is great 1st thing.

    berry blast
    whatever berries i have to hand ,
    small amount of fresh juice
    banana
    mango
    ice
    and blitz in a blender
  • hbunting86
    hbunting86 Posts: 952 Member
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    Thanks I'll give that recipe a whirl!

    Yep I'm intolerant to wheat and some dairy - although I get by ok with wheat I do need to either eat more dairy I can tolerate, or substitutes. I don't fancy osteoperosis in later life...!!
  • BigBeaver
    BigBeaver Posts: 858 Member
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    its most important to eat the breakfast, even if you grab a meal bar of some sort, because it starts your metabolism working. I have heard, and often follow you are suppose to have between five and six small meals a day. The number of small meals help to keep your metabolism moving and burning those calories.
  • SueGeer
    SueGeer Posts: 1,169 Member
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    3 meals & 3 snacks for me - all healthy of course! I let myself have a treat for evening snack if calories allow :smile:

    Sue x
  • IdleJack
    IdleJack Posts: 16
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    I have three meals: Breakfast between 07:00 > 08:00, Lunch any time between 12:00 > 13:00 and Dinner around 18:00.

    Then I also have three snacks around 10:00, 15:00 and 20:00.

    Whilst I do use protein shakes/smoothies I do try to stay clear of them. When I'm having fruit in the morning I would rather have whole berries, fruit in a dish than blitzed in a blender. The reason is that if you are feeding your body whole foods it actually takes more calories to break down/process them than it does food consumed in liquid form (shakes, soups etc). Anyhoo that's just moi!

    Keep up the good work and here's to achieving your goals!! :smile:

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