Is it ok to eat a big meal??

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mschichi26
mschichi26 Posts: 12
in Health and Weight Loss
Ive been told I should have 6 small meals in a day to keep my metabolism going.. the problem is, I just dont feel hungry 6 times a day.. to be honest Ive been eating lunch and dinner and thats it.. I still get all in my daily calories in... I dont really like breakfast and usually eat dinner at like.. 7 or 8pm :/

Is this ok? Should I just force myself to eat even when Im not hungry... Thanks

Replies

  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    As long as you are within your goals for the day, you should lose weight. Make sure you are eating healthy too. It's not just about the calories. :flowerforyou:
  • cekeys
    cekeys Posts: 397 Member
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    One of the goals of eating 6 times per day is to curb your hunger. If you're not feeling hungry during the day then don't eat 6 small meals, eat your regular 3. Just make sure your calorie goals are met.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
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    i dont think that everyone needs 6 small meals a day - you can eat 3 big meals, or just snack all day as long as you get your calorie goals and macros covered.
    that said - i usually eat 2-3 meals a day (sometimes i skip breakfast) and 1 or 2 snacks. i just find it easier to eat when my kids eat. i find that most times (even if i dont FEEL hungry), eating makes me feel better (more energy, less tired etc). if im to the point that i feel stuffed and really could not possibly be hungry, then i dont eat any more. i normally eat dinner around 7pm as well.
  • HonkyTonks
    HonkyTonks Posts: 1,193 Member
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    There is no metabolic advantage to eating 6 meals a day. You can eat 3, 2, 1 or 10 meals a day. The important thing is calories in vs calories out. Unfortunately there is a lot of junk science out there and people are still believing this '6 meals a day' thing, or that you need to eat breakfast to lose weight, etc.

    Here is a useful article for you http://www.theiflife.com/eating-more-meals-does-not-speed-up-your-metabolism/
  • holeshottdr
    holeshottdr Posts: 364 Member
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    Meal frequency and timing is irrevelant. 95% of the time, I only eat one meal a day. Like rockerbabyy stated, hit your calorie goals and macros. How you do this througout the day doesn't really matter.
  • cgrout78
    cgrout78 Posts: 1,679 Member
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    I usually eat one bigger meal a day and snack all the time, but that's just how I roll. You can eat however and whenever you want.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
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    I normally graze throughout the day as I feel hungry. Sometimes I stick to three meals a day, and there are some days (usually when I'm more bored) that I eat smaller amounts much more frequently.
  • rlysrh
    rlysrh Posts: 244
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    Just do whatever you find works for you. I eat a relatively big meal (700 calories or so) every night at 7-8pm and I'm losing weight fine. Just so long as you stay under your daily calories.
  • mrh1227
    mrh1227 Posts: 37
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    It really is a matter of personal preference, but ensure that your large meals are earlier in the day if you can. Your body will digest it very slowly if you eat it at night, as it will still be in your stomach when you go to sleep. Everyone's body is different though, so just figure out what works for you.
  • scott1080
    scott1080 Posts: 109 Member
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    the way my dr told me how i should be eating and for the most part am which must be working because i lost over 40 lbs with 20 to go but starting to slow down. anyway hear it is and it kinda makes sense. your metabalism is at its peak in the morning so breakfast should be your biggest meal of the day second lunch and small dinner because your metabalism is at lowest peak. now of course thats in a perfect world when you have time to make a big breakfast i usually just have oatmeal and a cup of coffee and im good for half the day..lol
  • Hotmess2012
    Hotmess2012 Posts: 37
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    The purpose behind the 6 times a day thing is to keep your metabalism and your energy up and you can do that by eating more often. The trick is in exactly what your eating. If you skip breakfast by lunch time your body is already in starvation mode so anything you put into it is stored as like a holding tank. I gained a lot of my weight by starving myself because I was too busy to eat and then when I go home from work I was starving and at what ever I wanted as much as I wanted to satisfy my hunger, then I would be so stuffed that I would just sit on the couch bloated and then go to bed and sleep on ALL that food I just ate. NOT Good, or helpful at all when your trying to lose weight. Hope this helps.
  • HonkyTonks
    HonkyTonks Posts: 1,193 Member
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    The purpose behind the 6 times a day thing is to keep your metabalism and your energy up and you can do that by eating more often. The trick is in exactly what your eating. If you skip breakfast by lunch time your body is already in starvation mode so anything you put into it is stored as like a holding tank. I gained a lot of my weight by starving myself because I was too busy to eat and then when I go home from work I was starving and at what ever I wanted as much as I wanted to satisfy my hunger, then I would be so stuffed that I would just sit on the couch bloated and then go to bed and sleep on ALL that food I just ate. NOT Good, or helpful at all when your trying to lose weight. Hope this helps.

    This is incorrect. Your body will not go into starvation mode if you don't eat every few hours. Eating all the time does not give you a metabolic advantage. It is calories in vs calories out. Meal timing is irrelevant. If you starve yourself and eat a big meal you won't gain weight unless you eat in a caloric surplus. Then you will. Hope this helps.

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