Struggling to eat 3 times a day. Advice please?

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TheMainShane
TheMainShane Posts: 23 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Because of my job, I have a very hard time eating 3 times a day.

My usual weekday routine is:
-Get up
-walk dog
-go to work
- lunch break at 10:30
- break at 12:30 every other day
- leave work around 4:30-5:30
- come home around 5;30-6:30
- walk dog again
- cook dinner
- shower
- bed

I have a hard time getting breakfast in the morning and getting lunch everyday because I usually use my 10:30 lunch break to try to get ahead on my work. I know consistency is important, but I'm wondering if its harmful to eat 'lunch' so early in the day.

Breakfast is also important so I am making efforts to get it when I wake up. But the best I can do most times is maybe a piece of toast as I'm running out to the car.

I guess my question is: do I need to increase how much I eat in the morning and how should I handle the lunch dilemma?

Replies

  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited January 2015
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    What are you trying to accomplish? How much are you eating? What are your goals? What is your current state?

    Etc etc etc etc.
  • PinkCoconut
    PinkCoconut Posts: 655 Member
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    You can definitely squeeze more food into your day without making it a huge production (and stay healthy)! Feel free to friend me and we can chat!
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
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    Are you hungry in the mornings? You could plan ahead for meals you can eat on the go or have quite quickly in the mornings. I usually prep a few days worth or oatmeal and sausage which just takes a minute to heat up, I know lots of people who will have a yogurt, nuts, and fruit for a quick and easy breakfast. Lots of options there. I would definitely encourage you to reserve 10:30 for lunch though.
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
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    There is no glory in eating three times a day. Just get your nutrition in every day so that you can function properly.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    If your goal is to lose weight, meal timing is irrelevant. Eat whenever it suits you. Focus on meeting your nutrients' requirements and not eating times.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    Don't eat three times a day. Problem solved.
  • kellicci
    kellicci Posts: 409 Member
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    Looking at your diary you just started logging so it's good you are noticing your habits now. I think getting a good breakfast is more important than making time for lunch. I'm sure some will disagree.

    Having a smoothie with added protein or making an egg dish on the weekend that can be saved and heated up in quick portions is a good option. You can pre-make a smoothie with frozen fruit the night before...put all the frozen stuff in the blender (or go nuts and put several portion in zip-lock bags for the whole week) and put it back in the freezer then just add the milk (and protein powder) in the morning and blend. Also a piece of whole grain toast isn't a bad option, try adding some peanut (or other nut if you like) butter for protein.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    You are not a morning person. Have your breakfast ready to go the night before. That might be a protein shake. Sip it in the car on the way to work. I find breakfast gives me the energy I need to motor through the rest of my day.
  • crystalflame
    crystalflame Posts: 1,049 Member
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    Eating breakfast in the morning just makes me miserably hungry until lunch, so I usually skip it and bring a protein shake with me for mid-morning. Meal timing is irrelevant. Unless you feel sluggish and hangry without breakfast, don't stress over it. Eat when it's convenient to eat, and eat bigger meals to get your calories and nutrients in.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    Can you eat at your desk? Plan your work "catch up" so that you have more reading and less typing to do at your break so you can catch up and eat at the same time. Same thing with breakfast. Plan foods that you can just grab and go with, like hard cooked eggs. I cook up a dozen at a time and peel them right away. They keep in a tupperware in the fridge so I can just grab one or two and I have a handy protein breakfast all ready to go.
  • royaldrea
    royaldrea Posts: 259 Member
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    If you're not hungry in the morning, don't eat until you are. There's no reason to eat breakfast unless skipping breakfast is detrimental to you in some way (for example, if I skip breakfast, I usually am famished by lunchtime and am more likely to make impulse decisions that will throw my goals out of whack).

    If you can't say the same, then skip breakfast, and eat when is best for you. That may mean you eat twice a day, or once a day, or 8 times a day - as long as you are within your (I assume reasonable) calorie and macronutrient allotment, then meal timing and frequency will not hinder your weight loss or health goals.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    ana3067 wrote: »
    Don't eat three times a day. Problem solved.

    This.
  • watto1980
    watto1980 Posts: 155 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Unless you are noticing a drop in performance or mood due to being hungry it shouldn't really matter. So long as you are reaching your calorie goals each day you will be fine.
  • justcat206
    justcat206 Posts: 716 Member
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    Agreed with most of the above. Try pre-logging your day to make sure you're meeting your appropriate calories and macros. Then, if you can do it, try making meals that you can eat anywhere (i.e. baggies of nuts and dried fruit, mason-jar salads, piece of fruit or baggie of veggies, sandwich, etc) to keep with you and eat when you're hungry, not when it's supposed to be meal time. Good luck!
  • Showcase_Brodown
    Showcase_Brodown Posts: 919 Member
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    I would be another in the camp of "if it's difficult to eat 3 times a day, don't."

    Your meal timing and schedule is a preference and you should do what is most convenient for you. I easily get away with not eating my first meal until afternoon, and I usually only eat twice daily.

    For a long time we've all heard we're supposed to have 3 squares to be healthy, but that's been shown over and over again to be false. Just aim for a daily or even weekly goal total.
  • trina1049
    trina1049 Posts: 593 Member
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    PinkCoconut wrote: »
    You can definitely squeeze more food into your day without making it a huge production (and stay healthy)! Feel free to friend me and we can chat!

    Are you selling Shakeology? I don't think you can do that on MFP.
  • KHaverstick
    KHaverstick Posts: 308 Member
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    I didn't read all of the responses, so apologies if this is repeat info. I struggled for years with having/making time for breakfast, and would usually just skip it. However, I started eating my breakfast on my commute to work, and it's working for me. I just stick to things that can easily be eaten in the car, and that require minimal/no prep. I eat my lunch at 10:30, which is halfway through my work day. Nothing wrong with eating lunch at 10:30. And as for eating 3 meals a day, I wouldn't worry too much about it. As long as you are eating enough and not having issues with low blood sugar, I'd say go with what works for you. What actually works best for me is smallish meals/snacks throughout the day. I don't think or function well if I go long periods of time without eating. I don't know if you have the ability to snack at work, but I like to grab a handful of nuts or a piece of string cheese or granola bar/protein bar or something like that to get me through if I don't have time to sit down and eat a full meal.

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