How often do you guys eat?

kmayers143
kmayers143 Posts: 56 Member
edited November 11 in Health and Weight Loss
I know eating frequently helps boost metabolism. How often is too often? If I don't feel hungry, should I still snack on something light every couple hours or so??
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Replies

  • Roxiegirl2008
    Roxiegirl2008 Posts: 756 Member
    I think it is up to you and your hunger feeling. I eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and a morning snack and afternoon snack. I find that I feel hungry at those times. If I am not hungry (not likely to happen) I just don't eat that snack. I am more of a grazer though and it works for me.
  • Lasmartchika
    Lasmartchika Posts: 3,440 Member
    I eat til I'm hungry... breakfast could be at noon. LOL!! Dinner last night was at midnight. I don't believe frequency of eating has anything to do with weight loss, only a calorie deficit. Eat when you want. :drinker:
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
    Eating frequently doesn't boost metabolism and doesn't do anything for weight loss, actually. Women's Health has lied to you (and me at one time).

    Eat as often as you are comfortable with it.
  • SandyBVTN
    SandyBVTN Posts: 367 Member
    I eat two or three meals (sometimes breakfast, always lunch and dinner) a day, and sometimes add a snack. I'm not in the "eat often" camp. Works for me!
  • Alairissa
    Alairissa Posts: 160 Member
    @Lasmartchika How has weight loss been for you? Because that is similar to something I am trying to follow?
  • ace1028
    ace1028 Posts: 3 Member
    Agreed with what's said here - eat when you're hungry. That's going to be a better way of knowing how to go about it. Good luck!
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    You can't "boost" your metabolism without altering your body composition fairly significantly. Eat when you're hungry.

    I tend to skip breakfast, have a smallish lunch, eat a light snack, have a big dinner, and maybe a bedtime snack, just because that's how my hunger cues go. There aren't any rules about it, though.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    kmayers143 wrote: »
    I know eating frequently helps boost metabolism.

    They used to think that, but it's been disproven. If you care to read geeky studies on it, here are a few:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9155494
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19943985
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11319656

  • epido
    epido Posts: 353 Member
    Like everyone else said, I eat when I'm hungry. Typically that means a small breakfast, small lunch, bigger dinner, and then a snack sometime before bed.

    Whatever works best for you is acceptable!
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
    I'm usually not hungry until lunchtime, so I have something little like nuts or a string cheese with coffee in the morning, then do a bigger lunch and smaller dinner.
  • Lasmartchika
    Lasmartchika Posts: 3,440 Member
    Alairissa wrote: »
    @Lasmartchika How has weight loss been for you? Because that is similar to something I am trying to follow?

    I don't follow a plan, I just eat at random times... I don't have a set time for my meals. Some days I eat 3 meals and snack, other times I only eat 2 meals. I've been losing weight, slowly since I changed my goal from 1 lb to .5 lb since December. I get as many calories as possible and still lose weight. I've lost a total of 23 lbs as of this week.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    I eat every 3 hours or I get evil. My BF eats one big meal a day and 1-2 small snacks. Neither of us has any issue losing/maintaining weight. Do whatever works for you.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I eat breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack, a post workout snack, and dinner...sometimes desert also.
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
    Breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, lunch, tea, dinner, supper... I think that about covers it...
  • EmmieBaby
    EmmieBaby Posts: 1,235 Member
    I eat when I am hungry, so my pattern seems to be breakfast around 10amish lunch around 12-1pm small snack around 4ish and dinner around 6-7pm
  • bmele0
    bmele0 Posts: 282 Member
    I had GD while pregnant and the nutritionist recommended eating three small meals with 2-3 snacks. So I eat about 6x a day and that is not to boost metabolism, it had more to do with keeping the blood sugar stable.

    Even though I don't have diabetes and I'm now out of risk range, this type of schedule helps me from becoming too hungry. I'm not full or stuffed, but not hungry either.
  • kmayers143
    kmayers143 Posts: 56 Member
    Thank you guys for all of your answers! :)
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I typically eat twice a day.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    kmayers143 wrote: »
    I know eating frequently helps boost metabolism. How often is too often? If I don't feel hungry, should I still snack on something light every couple hours or so??


    I eat 3 meals and 1-2 snacks per day. I tend to get hungry every 3-5 hours until bedtime. I'm not doing it to boost my metabolism. That is just my normal pattern. I've been losing weight steadily.
    If you are sticking to your calorie goal and feel good then you can eat as many or as few times a day as you want.
    If you are having a hard time eating enough calories frequently and have a lack of appetite often then you might want to try smaller meals more frequently to see if that makes it easier.
  • kristen6350
    kristen6350 Posts: 1,094 Member
    Breakfast, Second Breakfast, Lunch, Snack, Dinner, Bed Time snack. Not because it boosts metabolism, it makes it so I never get Hangry, which I tell you this, is a real thing.
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    kmayers143 wrote: »
    I know eating frequently helps boost metabolism.

    LOL - you'd better check what you think you "know" then, right?

    My preference is once a day, but when in a good calorie deficit, and especially in high-mileage training weeks, I get too hungry to wait for that once a day, so switch to eating when hungry. That might be twice. That might be nine times. That might still be only once. Every day is different.

  • Zedeff
    Zedeff Posts: 651 Member
    I try to eat once per day. If I'm at work and find that my hunger is getting distracting (I'm usually not hungry until 4 pm, but it happens) I have a small snack like hummus and crackers, or some veggie salad rolls that our cafeteria sells. I think that there is some benefit to intermittent fasting and also I would rather than 1, 1000+ calorie meal than 3-4 400 calorie, unsatisfying meals per day.

    I personally find this works well for maintaining a social life. My wife and extended family and friends are not on a diet. By keeping 1000+ calories available to me for dinner, it means that when the wife says "let's order pizza" or the friends say "let's hit the pub" I can say YES without reservations or excuses. Other nights it means I can eat a big steaming bowl of pasta and meat sauce instead of a tiny little side portion that is more of a tease than anything.
  • DanoMammal
    DanoMammal Posts: 3 Member
    I've read somewhere that every 2-3 hours is a good start, and that's the schedule that works for me (3 meals, 3 snacks). Though it will largely depend on when you exercise and your own daily routine. Also very helpful: drinking a big glass of water before each meal/snack, and eating until you're not hungry rather than when you're full.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    kmayers143 wrote: »
    I know eating frequently helps boost metabolism. How often is too often? If I don't feel hungry, should I still snack on something light every couple hours or so??

    Nope. That is a myth.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,009 Member
    kmayers143 wrote: »
    I know eating frequently helps boost metabolism.
    This is a myth...
  • strongeriam
    strongeriam Posts: 4 Member
    I try to eat as often as possible within my limit. This just works for me.
  • rickloving
    rickloving Posts: 90 Member
    I eat every 2-4 hours, 3 decent sized meals around "normal" times with small snack meals in between. I base how much I eat on my calorie goals for the day with planned exercise. There are days where I eat 8 times...small snack meals of 100-200 cals and bigger meals of 300-400 depending on how much I have exercised. I go for high volume with low calories, egg whites, broccoli, turkey breast, asparagus, green peppers & onions, etc...I also drink protein shakes.
  • davis978
    davis978 Posts: 103 Member
    I NEVER eat if I am not hungry, no matter what. I tell myself that every time I eat when I am not hungry, that's a time I am going to have to NOT eat when I AM hungry later. It's not worth it!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Good thread on the subject, with links to studies:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/820577

    Personally I eat about 4 times per day. There have been times when I have eaten more or less often; it just depends on how my preferences run at the time.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    kmayers143 wrote: »
    I know eating frequently helps boost metabolism. How often is too often? If I don't feel hungry, should I still snack on something light every couple hours or so??

    What you "know" isn't knowledge unfortunately, it's rubbish

    Eat when you wish to, 1 meal, 50 meals make no odds as long as you stick to your calorie defecit
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