How often do you eat???

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elephanteee
elephanteee Posts: 19 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
How many times a day do you eat and at what frequency? I struggle with this A LOT! On my days off (like today) I feel like I am just sitting around just waiting until it feels reasonable for me to eat again. It's not that I'm hungry after a small meal but I'm not full, thus not satisfied and can't get my mind off of it. What do you do to feel full? I am at about 1300 calories a day right now.

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  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,028 Member
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    I am for 3 though lately the past couple weeks it's been 2. I eat usually as soon as I'm up and downstairs, then a second time around lunch-ish, and then dinner. I usually only snack inbetween if I feel the need, but usually when I keep my meals fulfilling the snacking tends to ebb off. Usually try to hit all 4 food groups in my meals and that gives me the best effect for feeling full.
  • mehreen_xo
    mehreen_xo Posts: 78 Member
    edited July 2017
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  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    elephanteee wrote: »
    How many times a day do you eat and at what frequency? I struggle with this A LOT! On my days off (like today) I feel like I am just sitting around just waiting until it feels reasonable for me to eat again. It's not that I'm hungry after a small meal but I'm not full, thus not satisfied and can't get my mind off of it. What do you do to feel full? I am at about 1300 calories a day right now.

    If you're not truly hungry, then it's a psychological issue, not a diet one. Find activities to keep you occupied and you mind off food. Trust me I get it, I'm a serial snacker and volume eater, if I'm not STUFFED after a meal, I get panicky and my brain tells me to eat MOAR FOOD NOW, even though I know I just had plenty. It's a mind-struggle, and something we'll just have to re-wire our brains to be ok with. It does get better after a few weeks of consistency, though.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    I eat 2 x per day. If it eat more often, all I think about is when I'm going to eat again. I don't mind not eating breakfast. I have a protein and fruit smoothie or eggs and bacon around 12 or 1 and a big dinner. That is just my preference, helps me manage my calories and I find satisfying. It is technically, Intermittent fasting. I just do it because that is what works best for me.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    edited July 2017
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    But to get back to the topic question: I usually skip breakfast because I don't care for it and prefer to work out on an empty stomach. Then I have a protein shake post-gym as an AM snack. Light lunch with lots of lean protein and vegetables, a small PM snack, and that usually saves enough extra calories for a bigger dinner with my husband, or for a small dessert.
  • elephanteee
    elephanteee Posts: 19 Member
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    AllOutof_Bubblegum wrote: »
    But to get back to the topic question: I usually skip breakfast because I don't care for it and prefer to work out on an empty stomach. Then I have a protein shake post-gym as an AM snack. Light lunch with lots of lean protein and vegetables, a small PM snack, and that usually saves enough extra calories for a bigger dinner with my husband, or for a small dessert.

    Thanks for your responses! I am the same with the needing to feel absolutely stuffed. I really need to work on that lol.

    Just curious, is your weight loss story posted anywhere on MFP?
  • wonderchu
    wonderchu Posts: 53 Member
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    I eat 3x per day and at more or less at the same time so I know when the next meal is coming and don't obsess about it too much. Works for me.
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
    edited July 2017
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    I always eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, and usually an afternoon snack and an evening snack as well. Occasionally I'll have a morning snack, but not as often. (Frequency was the same when I was eating at a deficit--my general goal was 1350 cals/day, though I also ate back 1/2-2/3 of my exercise calories--as it is now at maintenance, eating closer to 1800/day.)
  • LVNF04
    LVNF04 Posts: 2,607 Member
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    I usually eat something for breakfast, with a protein drink, then nothing for lunch and sometimes dinner and a protein shake before bed. If I get hungry I eat otherwise that's what I follow. But I will say majority of my day consists of walking, climbing, lifting all day. Only on time off I don't do anything and still I feel inclined to lift or some other exercises.
  • BarneyRubbleMD
    BarneyRubbleMD Posts: 1,092 Member
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    I'm following what I call a "moderate carb" plan, which for my 2000 calories/day comes to 150 g carbs (30%), 150 g protein (30%) and 89 g fat (40%). I'm also a T2 diabetic (& take insulin) who has found it best for me to eat 4 meals/day spaced 3 hours apart from about 9am to 6pm in an effort to keep my "carb load" at each meal fairly consistent which helps to normalize my insulin injections. I've also lost 63 pounds since Jan2017.
  • FieryIntuition
    FieryIntuition Posts: 6 Member
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    I am currently doing intermittent fasting, eating only between noon and 8pm though I admit sometimes i just have to have something in the morning or I get stressed so I'll snack at night. So I only have lunch and dinner, with moderate snacking usually twice a day.
  • Shana67
    Shana67 Posts: 680 Member
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    I also am an intermittent faster. I have coffee in the AM and my first meal at 1pm. Then I eat a fairly good dinner and snack between 6:30 - 7:30. Works well :)

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