How Often Should I Be Eating?

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  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    FitnessFreak_69 wrote: »
    The goal is to loose weight so you want to keep your metabolism up. You should be eating healthy foods about every three to four hours, and they should be small meals. 100 or 200 calorie meals at max. When you eat more frequently it helps you burn that unwanted fat. Also make breakfast the biggest meal of the day. That way you have all day to burn off that first meal. Plus you need to "break the fast" or else your body will go into starvation mode and you will end up gaining weight. You should also eat the most carbs during breakfast and the least carbs before bed. Good luck to you!

    ISSA Personal Fitness Trainer

    The bro-science is strong with this one.

    This might be the most MFP bingo squares in one post in the history of MFP...

  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    FitnessFreak_69 wrote: »
    The goal is to loose weight so you want to keep your metabolism up. You should be eating healthy foods about every three to four hours, and they should be small meals. 100 or 200 calorie meals at max. When you eat more frequently it helps you burn that unwanted fat. Also make breakfast the biggest meal of the day. That way you have all day to burn off that first meal. Plus you need to "break the fast" or else your body will go into starvation mode and you will end up gaining weight. You should also eat the most carbs during breakfast and the least carbs before bed. Good luck to you!

    ISSA Personal Fitness Trainer

    banghead.gif
  • iLoveMyPitbull1225
    iLoveMyPitbull1225 Posts: 1,691 Member
    edited January 2015
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    when you are hungry. I personally eat every 2 or 3 hours. If you aren't hungry, then don't eat. However, if you are hungry, I think you should eat at least a little something. If you are too preoccupied with timing or if you let yourself get too hungry, it may lead to over eating.
  • AngryViking1970
    AngryViking1970 Posts: 2,847 Member
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    Hornsby wrote: »
    FitnessFreak_69 wrote: »
    The goal is to loose weight so you want to keep your metabolism up. You should be eating healthy foods about every three to four hours, and they should be small meals. 100 or 200 calorie meals at max. When you eat more frequently it helps you burn that unwanted fat. Also make breakfast the biggest meal of the day. That way you have all day to burn off that first meal. Plus you need to "break the fast" or else your body will go into starvation mode and you will end up gaining weight. You should also eat the most carbs during breakfast and the least carbs before bed. Good luck to you!

    ISSA Personal Fitness Trainer

    The bro-science is strong with this one.

    This might be the most MFP bingo squares in one post in the history of MFP...

    I actually LOL'd at this.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    It depends on you. Some people do better with regular snacks, for others that inevitably leads to over-eating. Some people do better with a fixed schedule, others do better winging it.

    You need to figure out what works best for YOU.

    :drinker:
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    FitnessFreak_69 wrote: »
    ISSA Personal Fitness Trainer

    Isn't that the cert you earn with an open-book test?


  • arlojwiley
    arlojwiley Posts: 10 Member
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    Typically, I eat a small breakfast at 9 AM, lunch at noon, a small snack some time after that, a bigger snack around 3:30, dinner around 6:00 and another snack before bed. It took some time for me to discover this is the routine that works for me; as others have said, it's important for you to figure out what works best for you.
  • micbegin
    micbegin Posts: 9
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    Eating 5-6 meals a day is annoying to me. I have a hard enough time planning three healthy meals. I wouldn't feel like I every had an actual meal if I had to divide 1300 calories into 6 meals.
  • blukitten
    blukitten Posts: 922 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I say like every one else does- when you get hungry. The only issue with this philosophy I have found is that it doesn't really work for me because with my body- if I let myself get hungry- I go from wanting a snack to super HANGRY in like 60 seconds. So I eat three meals with one every 5 hours and a light snack if I am hungry but its not time for a meal yet. Some days I need the snack some days I don't, some days I eat the snack in the morning, some days I eat it in the evening..... let your body tell you what it needs
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    FitnessFreak_69 wrote: »
    The goal is to loose weight so you want to keep your metabolism up. You should be eating healthy foods about every three to four hours, and they should be small meals. 100 or 200 calorie meals at max. When you eat more frequently it helps you burn that unwanted fat. Also make breakfast the biggest meal of the day. That way you have all day to burn off that first meal. Plus you need to "break the fast" or else your body will go into starvation mode and you will end up gaining weight. You should also eat the most carbs during breakfast and the least carbs before bed. Good luck to you!

    ISSA Personal Fitness Trainer

    Actually the best way to increase metabolism with food is to avoid eating any for about 3 days.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10837292
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2405717

  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    JustMimi215 wrote: »
    GiveMeCoffee wrote: »
    Don't worry about specific times to eat, focus on your calorie goal. If you like eating breakfast and having snacks do that. If you like to eat 1-2 larger meals that's okay too. Find what works best for you, and keeps you heading towards your goal.

    For me, I eat my first meal around 1 pm, and a bigger dinner a couple hours later, it works for me. Don't over think this or make it more difficult that it has to be.

    Thanks i appreciate how blunt you were and yes i do tend to over think it. Plus since im at 1800 calories i thought maybe i needed to start in the morning and have 6 meals...I am new to this and i dont know what the heck i am doing....But i am learning, thats why im here on MFP

    You're welcome. I understand the over thinking I did my share of it when I was starting out. But honestly keep it simple works the best.

    Just starting out focus on staying within your calorie goals. Try different eating patterns to find what best works for you. Good luck to you!
  • ahnriedeudigren
    ahnriedeudigren Posts: 5 Member
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    While I agree that you should eat primarily as it fits your lifestyle, you also should be observant of things like spiking your blood sugar level. It is advised that you eat smaller meals throughout the day to keep glucose and insulin levels at a constant, rather than letting your blood sugar levels get low, and then eating a huge meal and putting your body under the strain of processing it all. The glycemic index helps support this balance, and this practice is one of the first things taught to new diabetics.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    When you are truly hungry. This could be between 1 & 10x a day. I prefer eating twice a day, maybe a 3rd for a snack.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    AngryViking1970 wrote: »
    Hornsby wrote: »
    FitnessFreak_69 wrote: »
    The goal is to loose weight so you want to keep your metabolism up. You should be eating healthy foods about every three to four hours, and they should be small meals. 100 or 200 calorie meals at max. When you eat more frequently it helps you burn that unwanted fat. Also make breakfast the biggest meal of the day. That way you have all day to burn off that first meal. Plus you need to "break the fast" or else your body will go into starvation mode and you will end up gaining weight. You should also eat the most carbs during breakfast and the least carbs before bed. Good luck to you!

    ISSA Personal Fitness Trainer

    The bro-science is strong with this one.

    This might be the most MFP bingo squares in one post in the history of MFP...

    I actually LOL'd at this.

    So did I. There was so much wrong with that post I didn't know where to start.
  • CaitlinW19
    CaitlinW19 Posts: 431 Member
    edited January 2015
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    There isn't one right answer to this...well I guess there kind of is. Eat when you are actually hungry. One of the biggest things a lot of people need to learn when trying to lose weight is when they are actually hungry vs. just think they are hungry. Being bored is one of the easiest things to mistake hunger for...you think about some type of food and have to have it (craving).

    The rule I've always heard is when that craving hits, find something to take your mind off it for 15 minutes...go for a walk, pick up a book...tv isn't usually the best choice as that tends to be a mindless eating trigger for most. If you are still hungry after 15 minutes than you are actually hungry and should eat something. I find this really works. If you have a snack and still feel hungry, wait another 15 mintes again...usually your brain just hasn't recieved the signal yet that you aren't hungry anymore, so give it some time.

    Another important thing (as I think someone mentioned above too) is not getting too full or too hungry. When you are FAMISHED you will likely over do it, so don't make a habit of waiting to eat when you find you are actually hungry. Then, eat slowly so your mind can catch up to your stomach and you don't over eat. Weight watchers uses a balloon to explain this...you don't ever want to be the deflated balloon and you don't ever want to be the balloon pumped to the point of popping...you want to be the comfortable ballon :-)

    For the record I have breakfast, a mid-morning snack, sometimes another, lunch, an afternoon snack, sometimes another, dinner, a late night snack, sometimes another. Haha. You get the idea. I'm a big snacker. You have to do what feels right to you and learn how to recognize it. Good luck!
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    michelleelainehaynes wrote: »
    While I agree that you should eat primarily as it fits your lifestyle, you also should be observant of things like spiking your blood sugar level. It is advised that you eat smaller meals throughout the day to keep glucose and insulin levels at a constant, rather than letting your blood sugar levels get low, and then eating a huge meal and putting your body under the strain of processing it all. The glycemic index helps support this balance, and this practice is one of the first things taught to new diabetics.

    While this may be applicable to diabetics, in a non-diabetic person, the level of blood sugar does not fluctuate much at all.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    michelleelainehaynes wrote: »
    While I agree that you should eat primarily as it fits your lifestyle, you also should be observant of things like spiking your blood sugar level. It is advised that you eat smaller meals throughout the day to keep glucose and insulin levels at a constant, rather than letting your blood sugar levels get low, and then eating a huge meal and putting your body under the strain of processing it all. The glycemic index helps support this balance, and this practice is one of the first things taught to new diabetics.

    Right, but since not everyone has problems with their blood sugar levels this goes back to personal preference and eating as it best fits your lifestyle (including any medical needs or conditions). Many people are able to skip meals without seeing the same kind of blood sugar highs and lows that you're talking about here.

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Well, diabetics have to eat by the clock. Others don't. So a diabetic or a hypoglycemic will have 5-6 meals a day (three meals two snacks), but I've seen MFP'ers who make do with one large meal and an evening snack.

    The National Weight Control registry has found that long-term weight loss is associated with those who do not skip breakfast, amongst other things.

    Don't let yourself get too hungry; learn to pay attention to your body's signals. If you don't want to add calories try drinking a glass of water first. I am most likely to be derailed right after work so I never skip my afternoon snack. I don't want to be rifling the pantry while sampling dinner and trampling over all my best-laid plans for the day.
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    Well, diabetics have to eat by the clock. Others don't. So a diabetic or a hypoglycemic will have 5-6 meals a day (three meals two snacks), but I've seen MFP'ers who make do with one large meal and an evening snack.

    The National Weight Control registry has found that long-term weight loss is associated with those who do not skip breakfast, amongst other things.

    Don't let yourself get too hungry; learn to pay attention to your body's signals. If you don't want to add calories try drinking a glass of water first. I am most likely to be derailed right after work so I never skip my afternoon snack. I don't want to be rifling the pantry while sampling dinner and trampling over all my best-laid plans for the day.

    How is this measured? Who are they surveying?

    I only ask because I rarely eat breakfast and it hasn't negatively impacted my weight loss.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    Its going to be trial and error for yo, which is one good reason why you record what you eat. Find the eating patterns and times that suit you and adjust the calories you expend. Some people prefer small meals/snacking others like 3 meals and others can do with 2 meals. You also need to think about adjusting what you eat especially if you find yourself feeling hungry.

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