How many times a day do i eat?

TheForsakenNinja
TheForsakenNinja Posts: 4 Member
edited November 26 in Health and Weight Loss
I was wondering how many meals y'all have a day including snack time.I get hungry when im bored or stressed so sometimes i have tk change my goals.How many meals do y'all eat a day?Which is the most effective?

Edit:I plan joining MA soon

Replies

  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    I eat three full meals and like to have a snack at 9:00 AM.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    You aren't hungry when you get bored or stressed. This is appetite and formed by habit. Change those habits.

    Hunger comes on slowly and is your body's need to fuel. Appetite is sudden and driven by habits, emotions, hormones. A key to successful weight management is understanding the difference and developing coping strategies to respond to appetite signals.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    once a day, 27 times a day... makes no difference... if you eat in a deficit you will lose weight.

    i eat breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, pre workout snack, tea, supper sometimes
  • alyssa_rest
    alyssa_rest Posts: 276 Member
    Everyone is different.

    My schedule goes:
    10am snack
    1:30pm lunch
    4pm snack
    7-9pm dinner

    It works for me. But what may work for me, may not work for you.
  • jflongo
    jflongo Posts: 289 Member
    It really depends on if you are trying to hit macros too. For example, if you are trying to get in 250 g protein per day, 2 - 3 meals would be very difficult. If you are just trying to get 100g protein, then you get get away with 2 - x meals.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    You have to see what works best for you.

    I eat 6-8x per day which works for me. Usually 2 larger meals and the rest small meals or snacks.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,142 Member
    As many as you like to keep you feeling full and energised, it makes no direct difference to weight loss.

    On weekdays I have:
    • Before I leave for work - OJ & Greens and Protein Bar
    • Around 10am - Breakfast
    • Around 1pm - Lunch
    • Around 3pm - Fruit/Nuts
    • Around 8-10pm - Dinner
    • Occasionally an evening snack

    On weekends I have:
    • When I wake up - OJ & Greens
    • Around 11am-2pm - Brunch
    • Around 5pm - Dinner
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    I eat 6-7 times a day; bfast, lunch, dinner with 3-4 snacks. This is not more or less effective. I just like to eat.

  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    If you are one of the "normal" people you may find that 3 meals a day plus a mid-afternoon snack is a good schedule. The bigger meal is usually at night. I have a unique medical condition that requires me to be less conventional.

    You may need to tweak the conventional schedule though based on your activity levels and when they happen in the day and controlling your hunger.
  • Momepro
    Momepro Posts: 1,509 Member
    edited April 2018
    I generally eat 2 or 3 full meals, 1 or two small snacks and usually something before bed, depending on how hungry I am and how many calories are available still.
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
    Personally, I eat 3 meals a day and a snack before bed. This fits my life and schedule best and keeps me feeling satisfied as far as appetite is concerned.
    It’s best to do what will work in your life.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    2 to 6, lately it seems mostly two meals and a snack, but that is because we have been sleeping in, so breakfast doesn't happen until lunch time.
  • MishMashMisha
    MishMashMisha Posts: 39 Member
    3-5ish times on weekdays and 2-3 times on weekends

    Typical Weekday:
    • Pre-workout breakfast (coffee & sometimes yogurt or cereal)
    • Real Breakfast (eggs and sausage, usually in omelette form)
    • Snack (maybe)
    • Lunch (size depends on planned dinner)
    • Dinner (size depends on what I had for lunch)
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Its going to vary from person to person, do what works for you. The main thing is eating the right amount of calories to lose, the timing or number of meals doesn't matter.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    TheForsakenNinja wrote: »
    I was wondering how many meals y'all have a day including snack time.I get hungry when im bored or stressed so sometimes i have tk change my goals.How many meals do y'all eat a day?Which is the most effective?

    Edit:I plan joining MA soon

    Most effective for what? How many meals you eat a day doesn't really matter for anything other than your own personal preference.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Figure out what you like. I hate snacking, and eat 3 full meals most days, but on Fridays or the weekend I often eat only twice (on Friday's I may go to a restaurant before the theater or symphony, so eat lighter before that, and on the weekend I may wait and just have a late breakfast/early lunch instead of breakfast and lunch). I sometimes skip breakfast if in a hurry, it doesn't bother me, but I usually enjoy having a nice breakfast.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Weight loss comes to down to having a calorie deficit. How you divide and spread your calories out depends on what works best for you and your lifestyle.

    If you are eating when you are bored or stressed you might want to try different coping stategies instead of altering meal times.
    Like meditation, music, art, talking to someone, journaling, exercise, or cleaning for example.

    I generally eat like this:
    Breakfast 8 am- 100 to 300 calories
    Lunch noon- 400 calories
    Dinner 6 pm- 500 to 600 calories
    Snacks 3-4 pm and 8-9 pm- 100 to 300 calories



  • jefamer2017
    jefamer2017 Posts: 416 Member
    Sometimes once a day sometimes 6 times a day. Normally I eat 3 meals and a snack or two. For myself I like smaller breakfast and lunch and a larger dinner. I'll have a snack between lunch and dinner and if calories allow a snack after dinner while binge watching Netflix. I like eating at night it has became a habit for years so I plan accordingly. My schedule is all over the place. I just stay in a deficit.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Meal timing doesn't matter in terms of weight loss. But it does tend to matter in the day-to-day, because finding out what foods, eaten how often, keep you feeling full and satisfied. You might have to experiment a bit to find out what works for you.
  • kq1981
    kq1981 Posts: 1,098 Member
    edited April 2018
    As many times as you want as has been said. As long as you're within your calorie allowance. I eat when im hungry and make sure the calories im eating keep me satistfied
  • LifeWithPie
    LifeWithPie Posts: 552 Member
    I never eat breakfast.
    I'm a night eater. So my schedule looks like this when I'm home. I travel a lot for work so it varies when I'm on the road.
    I'm trying to lose 3 to 5 vanity pounds so I'm in a small defecit. I eat around 1500-1600 cals.

    Lunch around 11am (almost always less than 400 calories)
    Snack around 3pm (usually a banana or clementines or some pretzels or Fiber One brownie)
    Big dinner around 5pm because my kids like to eat early(always with a lot of veggies or a big salad to bulk up the volume)
    Snacks or another small meal around 9pm-11pm during TV time (I usually have a lot of calories saved so its ice cream or something with peanut butter or chocolate or a bowl of cereal or english muffin pizzas)

    I like to go to bed feeling full.
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
    TheForsakenNinja wrote: »
    I was wondering how many meals y'all have a day including snack time.I get hungry when im bored or stressed so sometimes i have tk change my goals.How many meals do y'all eat a day?Which is the most effective?

    Edit:I plan joining MA soon

    When I'm hungry
  • AndrewTech8
    AndrewTech8 Posts: 10 Member
    I generally have a coffe and a muffin in the morning. And maybe a croissant and protein bar in the middle of the day. I can’t do lunch anymore because I just pass out.

    Then after work I’ll have a protein bar or 2 and then gym. Protein shake and a veggie burger post work out.

    I try to eat small and work or hard. It works for me. I tried “bulking” and was the most miserable human ever.
  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,678 Member
    I'm a perpetual snacker. I can't keep track of how many times I eat... it's like a steady stream of lil bits here and there into my mouth. haha

    One interesting thing... while that may not be a bad thing fitness wise - it's horrible for your teeth. When you eat (especially fruits and acidic veggies), it softens your enamel, and it takes about half an hour for the enamel to harden again. Constant snackers tend to have more cavities as a result.

    Damned if you do, damned if you don't, hey?

    In the long run, it's how MUCH and WHAT you eat in a day that really matters not WHEN.
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
    edited April 2018
    How many times a day do you eat? I don't know.

    How many times a day do I eat? All. Day. Long.
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