How do you eat?

ReenieHJ
ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Let me clarify the question. :) I'm a 6 mini meal a day eater or all day snacker, however you see it. I cannot sit and eat a dinner or lunch and be good until the next big meal that's probably at least 4 hrs.+ away so I tend to eat snacks all day. But I'm always keeping an eye on if I feel I've had enough veggies/fruits/protein, etc. and make up for that.
I know it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of calorie deficits but just curious how you guys do it? :)
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Replies

  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I go with the flow usually according to hunger and convenience. I eat breakfast first thing, then sometimes snack if I'm hungry, protein filled lunch or a meal shake, sometimes another snack, dinner is with family.. lots of veggies, protein and carbs. A treat before bed or a snack in the middle of the night. I try to get enough protein, fibre and veggies..lately I am failing but working on it.
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,856 Member
    Like @sardelsa I go with the flow. I am usually not a morning eater, but some days I may go to 3pm before I eat anything (other than coffee), other days I may eat three times between 10am and 5pm. It depends on what I am doing and how I am feeling. As long as I hit my protein and stick close to my calories, it's all good.

    Yesterday I had a (rare) latte while grocery shopping in the late morning, a large meal around 3pm with loads of protein and veg, and in the evening I had a cold brew coffee with cream and unflavored protein powder and half a pint of enlightened Vanilla ice cream with baked apples over the top.

    Tomorrow (work day), I have to take all my food for the day with me and I only get a 30 minute lunch break in my 12.5hr shift (which I like to spend half walking), so I have to plan stuff I can eat easily almost on the run. I have 3 hardboiled eggs, raspberries, celery with cheese spread, chicken mushroom soup (my lunch), and some leftover pork tenderloin and brussels au gratin.

    Very situational.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    My ideal is three meals and about three snacks but that generally means a calorie surplus so mostly two meals and three snacks.
    Breakfast is very optional for me - I like it but don't miss it as it doesn't make me any more or less hungry by lunchtime.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,836 Member
    I tried the 'six small meals' thing, but it's not for me, I just ended up eating more instead of less.

    So now I skip breakfast 95% of the time. I still get quite hungry in the morning, but I have no issue with that.
    First meal of the day is lunch, sometimes a small afternoon snack, then dinner and one or two snacks in the evening.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I really don't do well with mini meals throughout each day. When I've tried it, I just felt vaguely hungry all the time and never quite satisfied.

    For me what works best is a small breakfast (around 200 calories) and then a fairly large lunch and dinner. I rarely snack...if I do have a snack it's eaten as part of my lunch or dinner rather than at a separate time.

    I don't believe there's any kind of "magic" to eating earlier in the day but I usually eat dinner pretty early like 5-6 pm and don't eat after that. And I definitely am a breakfast person...I MUST eat before 9 am, always, or I'm crabby.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,222 Member
    Varies lots. Usually 2 (common in Winter) or 3 meals (common in summer), but occasionally 4. Snacks randomly, if I'm feeling peckish and it's not coming up on mealtime soon (getting extra hungry can be an over-eating trigger for me), or if my meal spacing is weird on a particular day, or sometimes just if presented with a sensible opportunity (coffee or a beer while out and about, maybe meeting a friend to socialize, for example). Once in a while, I have a pre-bed snack if I have calories for it, especially if I need a nutritional box(es) checked.

    I'm retired, so my schedule lacks a rigid structure (hmm, I say that like it's a bad thing . . . but it's not ;) ). My meal structure tends to follow.

    3 meal pattern is usual if I have a significant planned workout in the AM (rowing in summer, spin class all year), because fasted workouts s**k, for me. In Winter, my night owl tendencies take over, and I sleep in a lot if it isn't spin class day, leading to the 2 meal pattern in most cases. 4 meals is a random thing, happens if I have calories and get hungry for more than a snack, at an odd time (usually at least one, maybe 2, of the 4 meals are lighter).
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    edited December 2019
    About 90% of the time it’s small breakfast (usually late morning/early afternoon), smaller lunch, large dinner. Very few snacks. I am hungry at night and really need a full belly to sleep. I am satisfied with just enough to stave off hunger pains the rest of the day.

    I do eat more before (and after) very long runs (3+ hours) and will have a banana or something if I need it before a regular run or workout.

    If I’m very hungry or something else is going on, I’ll go with whatever is happening.
  • estherpotter1
    estherpotter1 Posts: 141 Member
    Breakfast ,lunch and dinner.Snacks if Im hungry in between,Im not usually.Always get hungry late at night and need a snack.
  • Shortgirlrunning
    Shortgirlrunning Posts: 1,020 Member
    3 meals a day. Bigger breakfast/dinner, small lunch. Pretty much no snacking.
  • andrealnicholson4215
    andrealnicholson4215 Posts: 7 Member
    I’m a six small meals person. I can’t manage big plates so eat little and often. Usually have a late breakfast (yoghurt and fruit, or 40g Bircher muesli), snack on raw veg, fruit, hummus, nuts (but not too many!), maybe a little cheese. Lunch is usually soup, dinner is usually protein and veg- salmon, tofu, steak, chicken with e.g. spinach and broccoli, or e.g squash with chickpeas and a bit of goats cheese, or a lentil aubergine bake. Sometimes I just have an omelette with a salad or garlic roasted tomatoes. I sometimes take left overs in for lunch, and I usually have a square of chocolate as a treat. And then like everyone I have those says where all I want is pasta and cake! ;) I don’t worry about those days as long as I’ve been relatively good the other ones.
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    During a typical week 2 larger, balanced meals (mid-morning and late afternoon) with no snacking works great for me.

    Snacking and small meals were a tease for me. Now when I eat, I eat. lol

    My maintenance calories are high, so sometimes I do need to add a smaller meal or I'll carry my calories over for another day.

    The weekends varies depend on what I have going on.
  • shaf238
    shaf238 Posts: 4,022 Member
    Usually 4 or 5 equally sized meals (about 600 or 700 cals). But if I get busy I might have a 1000+ cal meal and have snacks for others.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    I vary anywhere between 2 and 6 meals a day depending on the day. I tend to prefer smaller meals too, as I find it keeps me satiated longer, but I usually aim for 1 meal that is bigger during the day. I find that if I have 2 bigger meals, I tend to struggle staying within my calories. I'd say my average meals are 4-5 most days.
  • kristen8000
    kristen8000 Posts: 747 Member
    I'm a 3 meal, 3 snack person. In Maintenance, about 1800 calories/daily.

    Breakfast is usually about 250 - 300, snacks are about 100 - 150 each, lunch is 400 - 500, dinner is 300 - 400. Breakfast at 7, snack at 9:30, lunch at 12, snack at 2, dinner at 6, snack at 8. Bed at 9.

    I try and have weekends and weekdays match (important for my sleep schedule, which I do believe helps boat loads with weight maintenance and well being). Of course, there's always those outliers that you can't control.
  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,940 Member
    I can’t imagine finding things to eat 6 times a day! Kudos to anyone who has the organisational skills and time to prep, cook and eat that often! Twice is enough for me!

    Generally I’ll not eat breakfast, never really been a thing for me. I do wake up starving, which I welcome because it means I didn’t eat too much the day before! But a couple of mugs of black coffee seem to do the trick.

    I’ll grab 3 or 4 crispbread topped with something (houmus, cottage cheese, vegetable spread etc and cucumber/tomato, around 2-3pm. Late-ish for lunch but it helps me to get through prepping and cooking the family dinner without nibbling while I’m in the kitchen!

    Later, maybe 7-30pm to 8pm I’ll make my main meal. Veg heavy, vegetable protein and usually spicy in some way,

    I’m not a snacker, something I’ve trained out of myself over the years. Lots of black coffee and fruit tea all day though!
  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 2,023 Member
    edited December 2019
    I am semi retired now and am single, so I spend a good portion of my day at home. From 7 am to 7 pm, I eat something almost every hour. When I was obese, I would eat so much at a time, I would make myself sick..and it was rarely healthier choices of food. now I stick to small portions , and never go over my calorie deficit (other than Thanksgiving day ;)
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    Usually 2-3 meals a day and no snacks for me.
  • gallicinvasion
    gallicinvasion Posts: 1,015 Member
    I like the best of both worlds. I need both satisfying meals and a few snacks here and there.

    On weekdays, I have a small breakfast of 250 cals around 8am, a lunch of around 500 cals at 12, a few snacks (totaling 200 to 400 cals) in the afternoon, a dinner (cals vary), and an after-dinner snack (which I try to keep between 100 and 450 calories). I plan out my breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks, half-plan dinner (unless something fun or different comes up), and then use my after-dinner snack as a way to finish off my calories with fun foods. My maintenance calories are around 2200, and I’m in maintenance now.

    Weekends very much depend on what we have planned (lots of social events, might be drinking). But generally I will eat my first meal around 11 or 12, so that gives me a few more calories to play with in the evening.
  • JaxxieKat
    JaxxieKat Posts: 427 Member
    I eat two main meals a day. I rarely eat an actual breakfast. I drink coffee in the morning and usually have a light snack around 11am. I typically won't snack between lunch and dinner. I like to plan ahead the day before, pre-log everything in my food diary, then leave about 400 calories open for any evening snacks.
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
    Lietchi wrote: »
    I tried the 'six small meals' thing, but it's not for me, I just ended up eating more instead of less.

    So now I skip breakfast 95% of the time. I still get quite hungry in the morning, but I have no issue with that.
    First meal of the day is lunch, sometimes a small afternoon snack, then dinner and one or two snacks in the evening.

    This is me exactly! It’s been working great for me, losing 1lb/week at 1550-1700 calories per day. I do have plenty of black coffee (decaf) in the morning, which helps with hunger.
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    I usually start eating around 11. I'll have a regular lunch, and then a snack around 3. Dinner is a little more interesting. I usually eat a snack right when I get home from work, and then I'll have 1st dinner around 6. Then, I'll have a snack around 7, then 2nd dinner around 8:30. Usually it's just another portion of 1st dinner.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    I usually have breakfast (before I leave for work, after my morning workout if I workout in the morning, so around 7), then I have lunch roughly around noon, sometimes later, and dinner around 8:30 or 9 (just due to when I tend to get home and have pre-dinner stuff done). I don't like eating more often. On Fridays and the weekend I often eat dinner earlier, and may eat a restaurant dinner on at least one of those days, so I tend to skip breakfast. On the weekend I may have lunch at more of a brunch kind of time (and it might be breakfast type food).
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    I am a strict 3 meal and 3 snack person. Breakfast around 8, snack around 10:30, lunch around noon time, snack around 2:30, dinner around 6-7, snack before bed usually around 8-8:30. Even on the weekends :smile: my eating schedule is strict but my meals and snacks are super creative and 100% plant based.
  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 702 Member
    RelCanonical wrote: »
    I usually start eating around 11. I'll have a regular lunch, and then a snack around 3. Dinner is a little more interesting. I usually eat a snack right when I get home from work, and then I'll have 1st dinner around 6. Then, I'll have a snack around 7, then 2nd dinner around 8:30. Usually it's just another portion of 1st dinner.

    Mine is the other way round. Breakfast at 6, second breakfast around 9:30, lunch, snack 4ish, dinner at 7.
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    littlegreenparrot1 wrote: »
    RelCanonical wrote: »
    I usually start eating around 11. I'll have a regular lunch, and then a snack around 3. Dinner is a little more interesting. I usually eat a snack right when I get home from work, and then I'll have 1st dinner around 6. Then, I'll have a snack around 7, then 2nd dinner around 8:30. Usually it's just another portion of 1st dinner.

    Mine is the other way round. Breakfast at 6, second breakfast around 9:30, lunch, snack 4ish, dinner at 7.

    A true hobbit.
  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 702 Member

    Mine is the other way round. Breakfast at 6, second breakfast around 9:30, lunch, snack 4ish, dinner at 7. [/quote]

    A true hobbit.[/quote]

    Definitely, some days it's close to their whole meal plan 😁
  • etherealanwar
    etherealanwar Posts: 465 Member
    I am a 2-3 meal a day person with snacks included if I have extra calories. I only eat breakfast if I am hungry in the morning, otherwise I skip and have lunch around 11-12. I then have dinner around 6-7pm, and a snack between then and bedtime if I have calories left over.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    Depends on the day. Usually 3 meals plus two snacks and a treat before bed. On weekends I tend to be busier and often times I will just eat my meals and that's it.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,464 Member
    4 meals a day. My life dictated it for years. Breakfast before school, lunch at lunchtime, good sized after school snack. Light supper late at night. Same for my kids growing up. Then a 12-9 pm work schedule, so breakfast when I woke up, lunch about 11:30, work lunch at 4, light supper after work. Now retired, but lifelong habits carry on. Don’t necessarily think it’s best, even for me, much less for everyone else, but it’s easy.
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    Like you, OP, I can't eat a big meal then wait 4-5 hours to eat again. I also can't stand to be hungry. I lose control if I'm hungry. I eat 6 times a day and now I can't eat a big meal without feeling sick (which is a downside of this way of eating). I also bring all of my food to work. That, and eating the same thing every day, keeps me on track.

    9:30am - Breakfast (Oatmeal)
    11:30 - Snack (banana)
    12:45 - Lunch (turkey wrap and yogurt)
    3:30 - Snack (half a protein bar)
    5:30 - Dinner (varies)
    7:30 - Snack (usually I hold off dessert and eat it at this time)

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