3 square meals or snacks throughout?

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Drueru
Drueru Posts: 46 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've always eaten 'mini' meals, having snacks throughout the day. There are set times where I forbid myself from eating just to give my digestive system a break.
My naturopath suggested that because eating anything solid at all (even veggies) spikes insulin levels, I may want to try having 3 square meals a day with my last meal being at 7pm. This to me is a foreign concept. The only thing I have done differently before is the Warrior Diet. For anyone unfamiliar with the warrior diet, you don't eat until late evening, and then you eat all of your food! Now, I did feel amazing on this diet but was also doing kickboxing, mma, jiu jitsu and karate 6 days of the week, so was very active.

Question: What do you guys do? Do you prefer snacks throughout the day or are any of you used to eating only breakfast, lunch and dinner?
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Replies

  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
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    I only eat lunch and dinner...sometimes with a snack between...
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    I need a morning snack and its always almonds. I can usually make it through the afternoon without.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    I don't think it matters (well, it matters for personal preference and what is easier for you to sustain), but I have mostly eaten 3 main meals and nothing else and vastly prefer that. The idea of just snacking all day seems awful to me, and I know from personal experience that I tend to eat more that way. But other people like one meal or two or eight or just grazing -- it really depends on you. It's not going to affect metabolism or whether you put on fat or anything (unless it affects how much you eat).

    Schedules that mess with sleep patterns can be harmful, but in part at least because people tend to eat more when tired (body uses food as a source of energy, after all).
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    Lunch, dinner, and dessert works best for me, with sometimes a small snack between lunch and dinner. Eating little meals throughout the day makes me feel more hungry. I also don't have that many opportunities to sit down to eat, or the time to prep that many meals!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    I'll start with the question you aren't asking: Does this make any sense?
    I'd say it doesn't. Your digestive system doesn't need a break, it's constructed to digest food.
    Insulin levels is a thing, but it doesn't affect us to such a degree that we should micromanage our intake (or try to live on liquids, which doesn't even makes any difference for insulin levels).

    You can eat as many meals you like, and eat whenever you like. You just need to get in proper nutrition, preferably pretty evenly from day to day.

    I have eaten 6-7 mini meals, ate 4 for a long time, and now I'm on 3 most days. All work fine. 4 provides most variety. 3 meals is the most practical.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited March 2017
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    I eat breakfast, lunch, a mid afternoon snack, dinner and popcorn later. This is how I eat to lose weight, AND this is how I will eat at maintenance.

    Find something that you can stick with long term because you don't want to get to goal and say "now what?"
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
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    I only eat lunch and dinner and then snack all evening.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    I eat breakfast, second breakfast, workout snack, lunch, big snack or sometimes two smaller ones, huge dinner, dessert. This works for me. I pretty much eat the same if I am bulking, cutting or maintaining just decrease the portions or maybe cut out one of the breakfasts.
  • JB035
    JB035 Posts: 336 Member
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    Breakfast, AM snack, Lunch, Mid Day Snack, Supper, PM Snack

    Each one is roughly 500 cals

    Most of the time the PM Snack is not needed, but sometimes it saves the day.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Drueru wrote: »
    My naturopath suggested that because eating anything solid at all (even veggies) spikes insulin levels,

    Step 1: WTF is that even?

    Step 2: Eat when you need to in order to feel the most satisfied. It doesn't matter WHEN you eat, it matters HOW MUCH you eat. As long as you are in a calorie deficit, you could eat one ginormous meal in a small window of tie (see Intermittent Fasting), or spread out your food throughout the day.

    Step 3: What works for you might not be what works for everyone else.

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    edited March 2017
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    Jruzer wrote: »
    You're receiving bad advice from your naturopath.

    Agreed...

    And digestive systems don't need breaks...
  • kittens2cute
    kittens2cute Posts: 68 Member
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    I eat throughout the day. Not preplanned snacks, but coffee and yogurt for breakfast, banana for a snack, energy bite if I need a little more, lunch, veggies/fruit after lunch, cheese chips spread out through the entire day, etc. I eat when my stomach tells me I'm hungry.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    Naturopath- read that and already knew the advice would be nonsense. Ditch the naturopath.
  • AmyOutOfControl
    AmyOutOfControl Posts: 1,425 Member
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    I am a snack girl myself. I plan my snacks first and then my meals. I usually end up eating 4 mini-meals throughout the day and then one regular sized meal at dinner. Works for me - No blood sugar/diabetes/insulin issues.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    edited March 2017
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    I'll start with the question you aren't asking: Does this make any sense?
    I'd say it doesn't. Your digestive system doesn't need a break, it's constructed to digest food.
    Insulin levels is a thing, but it doesn't affect us to such a degree that we should micromanage our intake (or try to live on liquids, which doesn't even makes any difference for insulin levels).

    You can eat as many meals you like, and eat whenever you like. You just need to get in proper nutrition, preferably pretty evenly from day to day.

    I have eaten 6-7 mini meals, ate 4 for a long time, and now I'm on 3 most days. All work fine. 4 provides most variety. 3 meals is the most practical.

    Agreed.

    It doesn't matter. Eat when you're hungry and eat your calories.

    Also agreed with ditching the naturopath. What utter nonsense they're spewing.
  • KassLea22
    KassLea22 Posts: 112 Member
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    I eat a large breakfast and then several small meals/snacks throughout the day. I have a very high metabolism and I am trying to gain weight, but I have found if I only eat a regular meal times I tend to get full faster and it gets hard for me to make sure I'm getting all the calories I need/want in the day.
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
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    Whatever works best for you.

    I'm still curious why everyone is so concerned about "spiked" insulin levels, especially when they aren't diabetic.
  • Drueru
    Drueru Posts: 46 Member
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    Thanks everyone for the input, much appreciated!

    I do trust my naturopath, she has helped me so much in this past year. I hate doctors... Whenever I go to my medical doctor for advice its 'I can prescribe this' or 'go get this medication'. Also tells me I don't need bloodwork done... or allergy tests even though I am experiencing reactions from time to time and cannot seem to pinpoint what is causing.

    Very interesting to see what others do and what works for them. I think I could try the 3 meals a day, who knows.. I may enjoy it more than always worrying my next snack.
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
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    Digestive systems do sometimes need breaks, but that's typically for medical conditions (like if you had diverticulosis, WLS, etc.)... My point being, if you don't have a confirmed GI condition, it is unlikely that you will need to "rest" the intestines.
    Personally, I saw my best weight loss when employed an "every hour" snack regimen. Not huge snacks, not meals, but small things like a serving of almonds. At that time, I was trying to eat appropriately for my caloric output, and eating all of it within a few hours was completely unreasonable and unhealthy.
    The normal human stomach holds approximately 40oz of contents. Eating to capacity can be hard on digestion, and some experts believe that this can encourage early stomach emptying, poor food break down, and actually cause more issues for the intestines.

    Now, I think it's something you have to really consider for yourself and how you work. What are your goals? Are you able to meet them with a 3 meals a day pattern? That's what the real decision maker point is... If it's not feasible to meet your goals within that pattern, then it won't work.

    Personally, I've had WLS at this point and thus, have to structure accordingly. Now that I can only do ~4oz of soft foods at a time (like yogurt and shakes) and less than that in solids, I have to map my eating accordingly. What this means is that many days, I'll eat something every other hour or so, because otherwise I cannot obtain my protein intake goals. Lo and behold, me with insulin resistance and such still manages to lose weight with this pattern... and I have GI rest needs too! If you want real GI rest, all you have to do is take in easily digested things, you don't have to refrain. Even in hospitals, GI rest typically means you're giving protein supplements and broth alongside water... It doesn't mean you're full on NPO.

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