mini meals or 3 square meals??

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  • silvergurl518
    silvergurl518 Posts: 4,123 Member
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    i like a good bfast and a good lunch. dinner i can do with our without, depending on the day. and i'm definitely a snacker so i don't get cranky when my blood sugar dives. do what works for you!!! :)
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    Three large meals with an evening snack if I have the calories left. I fit those meals in between 12 or 1PM to about 8 or 9PM, sometimes later. I tried the many small meals, and was hungry all the time. Then I did some research on meal frequency and weight loss and found meal frequency made no difference.
  • Michelle_M2002
    Michelle_M2002 Posts: 301 Member
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    Different people have different needs. For ME.. my need is to eat about every 3 hours. So I have 4-5 smaller meals throughout the day.

    When I don't have small well balanced snacks between meals, I get hungry, shaky and irritable. Because for ME, it causes my blood sugar to dip. Then I'm fighting off carb cravings and I'm also hungrier so am more likely to over eat.

    When I eat every 3 hours or so... my blood sugar stays stable, I don't have carb cravings, and I'm eating right about the time I'm just STARTING to get hungry, so it takes less to satisfy me.

    A typical day for me:

    9am, breakfast: 2 to 3 units of protein, 1 unit of carb
    12pm, lunch: 4 units of protein, 1 unit of carb, 2 units of healthy fat
    3pm, snack: 2 units of protein, 1 unit of carb
    6pm, dinner: 5 units of protein, 1 unit of carb, 2 units of healthy fat
    Evening snack (time varies): this is usually a "treat" that fits into my calorie plan for the day, but I still try to keep it balanced.

    Note: 1 unit of protein = 1 oz of meat, fish, or poultry, 1/2 oz of nuts, 1 tablespoon of nut butter, 1 egg, 2oz greek yogurt
    1 carb = 1 piece of fruit, 1 piece of swg bread, 1/2 swg bagel, 1 cup of vegetables, 1 cup of berries, 1 cup whole fat milk, 2oz regular yogurt
    1 healthy fat = 1 oz of cheese from grass fed beef, 1 tsp butter from grass fed beef, 1tsp olive oil or coconut oil

    That is the type of meal plan that works for me. And also, that is an "average" day for me. Some days I need a bit more, some days a bit less. Some days I need an extra serving of carbs, while other days I need a bit extra protein.

    Also very important ESPECIALLY for women, any time you have sugar, you need to temper it with a decent amount of healthy fat. So for instance, if you put sugar in your coffee... you should put full fat milk, half and half, or cream in your coffee to slow the sugar absorption so you don't cause your blood sugar to go up and start the cycle of the blood sugar roller coaster.

    Again.. I realize that not everything works for everyone. My nutrition is based off of the Diet Solution Program for protein types who need 1600 calories a day, and it's what works for ME.

    God bless!
  • jslmom1
    jslmom1 Posts: 21 Member
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    Different people have different needs. For ME.. my need is to eat about every 3 hours. So I have 4-5 smaller meals throughout the day.

    When I don't have small well balanced snacks between meals, I get hungry, shaky and irritable. Because for ME, it causes my blood sugar to dip. Then I'm fighting off carb cravings and I'm also hungrier so am more likely to over eat.

    When I eat every 3 hours or so... my blood sugar stays stable, I don't have carb cravings, and I'm eating right about the time I'm just STARTING to get hungry, so it takes less to satisfy me.

    A typical day for me:

    9am, breakfast: 2 to 3 units of protein, 1 unit of carb
    12pm, lunch: 4 units of protein, 1 unit of carb, 2 units of healthy fat
    3pm, snack: 2 units of protein, 1 unit of carb
    6pm, dinner: 5 units of protein, 1 unit of carb, 2 units of healthy fat
    Evening snack (time varies): this is usually a "treat" that fits into my calorie plan for the day, but I still try to keep it balanced.

    Note: 1 unit of protein = 1 oz of meat, fish, or poultry, 1/2 oz of nuts, 1 tablespoon of nut butter, 1 egg, 2oz greek yogurt
    1 carb = 1 piece of fruit, 1 piece of swg bread, 1/2 swg bagel, 1 cup of vegetables, 1 cup of berries, 1 cup whole fat milk, 2oz regular yogurt
    1 healthy fat = 1 oz of cheese from grass fed beef, 1 tsp butter from grass fed beef, 1tsp olive oil or coconut oil

    That is the type of meal plan that works for me. And also, that is an "average" day for me. Some days I need a bit more, some days a bit less. Some days I need an extra serving of carbs, while other days I need a bit extra protein.

    Also very important ESPECIALLY for women, any time you have sugar, you need to temper it with a decent amount of healthy fat. So for instance, if you put sugar in your coffee... you should put full fat milk, half and half, or cream in your coffee to slow the sugar absorption so you don't cause your blood sugar to go up and start the cycle of the blood sugar roller coaster.

    Again.. I realize that not everything works for everyone. My nutrition is based off of the Diet Solution Program for protein types who need 1600 calories a day, and it's what works for ME.

    God bless!
  • jslmom1
    jslmom1 Posts: 21 Member
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    Thank you...just what I was looking for
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I snack all day, then have one "meal" in the evening. I may have 3 snacks or I may have 5 or even more. Basically, I start the day with a cup of soy milk and then just grab something when I'm hungry. I nearly always eat something at noon when I'm at work because that's my lunch time. My diary is open if you want to look. With this I had a 1 lb a week weight loss for about the first 20 lbs then about half that (.5 a week) for the next 6. Now I'm losing at a slightly lower pace (1-2 a month). I met my goal which wasn't really weight related, so now I'm just sticking with this plan that is working for me and I figure I'll stop losing when I'm at my ideal weight.
  • Missy0104
    Missy0104 Posts: 77
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    I graze. Works best for me......
  • PantalaNagaPampa
    PantalaNagaPampa Posts: 1,031 Member
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    mini meals work best for me, although on the weekends I tend to graze more than anything.. just little bits of this and that as the day goes on.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    The key thing to remember is when it comes down to it, meal frequency does not affect your metabolism at all, so eat the number of meals that works for you whether that is 1 or 9 or something in between. As long as it is good quality vitamin rich food and you stay within your calorie budget.

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