Eating routine

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chrisso802016
chrisso802016 Posts: 26 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've tried the eating 9 times a day thing, and I've tried eating once a day, to the normal 3 times a day. Are the really any benefits to a bunch during the day? I've read that it boosts your metabolism, but wanted to see what peoples thoughts were.

For me, I enjoy the 3 times per day thing. The snaking all the dang time during the day is really hard for me to do, while working in the service industry. I'm not starving when I eat 3 times, and I'm certainly not hungry when I'm eating 9 times a day. I more or less had to force myself to eat that often.

THoughts?

Replies

  • socioseguro
    socioseguro Posts: 1,679 Member
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    Timeline of the food ingestion is irrelevant to weight loss
    If you wish to lose body weight, you have to eat at a deficit ( calories burned higher than calories ingested).
    If you like to eat 3 times a day, do so.
    Buy yourself a food scale, weigh all your food, log it at MFP ( I prelog, so I know in advance about my calorie deficit for the day).
    Good luck in your healthy journey
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
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    Naaa. Metabolism is an overrated phenomenon. Just eat below your calorie goal to lose weight...
  • chrisso802016
    chrisso802016 Posts: 26 Member
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    eldamiano wrote: »
    Naaa. Metabolism is an overrated phenomenon. Just eat below your calorie goal to lose weight...

    Thats kind of what I was thinking, since I havent seen it mentioned here on MFP hardly at all.

    I have 3 scales, and am starting to weigh every bit of food, and staying at my maintenance of 1670 which is set to allow up to 2 lbs per week of loss.

    Thanks for the input!
  • drpsamin
    drpsamin Posts: 265 Member
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    I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks... I don't find it annoying as I'm hungry and I feel like munching between meals.
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
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    I don't define my eatings as meals anymore, except the dinner with my family. That's the only "meal". I just eat and drink a couple times during the day, not necessarily at consistent time, to deal with cravings and hunger and energy management while being able to stay on deficit.
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
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    socioseguro wrote: »
    Timeline of the food ingestion is irrelevant to weight loss
    If you wish to lose body weight, you have to eat at a deficit ( calories burned higher than calories ingested).
    If you like to eat 3 times a day, do so.
    Buy yourself a food scale, weigh all your food, log it at MFP ( I prelog, so I know in advance about my calorie deficit for the day).
    Good luck in your healthy journey

    All of this. Do what works for you. I personally don't eat breakfast. Some people gotta have it. It's all personal preference.
  • kthompson601
    kthompson601 Posts: 174 Member
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    When you eat doesn't matter--how much you are eating, calorie-wise, is what matters.

    I also experimented with my eating schedule, sometimes adding snacks, eating later or earlier in the day, trying multiple but smaller meals. What ultimately matters is whatever suits you best. If you don't like breakfast, skip it and eat later in the day. If you run out of steam at 3 pm, have a smaller lunch and add a substantial healthy snack for your 3 pm sloth. Maybe you do best with smaller meals at regular intervals. Maybe you get by fine with just 3 squares a day.

    What works for you is what works, period. Find what you think you can do regularly, for a long, long time. That's success and the "right" way to do it.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Do what works best for you. Personally eating a bunch of tiny meals just makes me seriously hungry. I never feel satisfied.
  • ReaderGirl3
    ReaderGirl3 Posts: 868 Member
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    socioseguro wrote: »
    Timeline of the food ingestion is irrelevant to weight loss
    If you wish to lose body weight, you have to eat at a deficit ( calories burned higher than calories ingested).
    If you like to eat 3 times a day, do so.
    Buy yourself a food scale, weigh all your food, log it at MFP ( I prelog, so I know in advance about my calorie deficit for the day).
    Good luck in your healthy journey

    This is spot on!
  • lisakhouck
    lisakhouck Posts: 13 Member
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    I've tried doing the eating many small/tiny meals a day and honestly it's just time consuming! I can't stop every couple of hours to eat. I eat the normal 3 meals a day and throw in a couple snacks and I've been losing weight just fine.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    It does boost your metabolism, but it's pretty minuscule...it's not like if you eat 6 times a day you're able to consume hundreds more calories...it's overblown. Eat in a way that will work best for you.

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