A piece of my plan is failing, or, I am failing it...
 

I hear you should eat several times a day. I did this for months and as my ticker can prove I have been losing weight. However lately life's been hectic and I seem to only get a decent breakfast, a small lunch and a pretty heavy dinner in. Granted, the dinner is all protein and veggies so its not awful but I am scrambling to meet my 1200 cal minimum with the bulk of food at night. My weight has not stalled (yet) but I defiantly needed to write this down to make it more "real" so i start to actually correct myself.

Thoughts, concerns, comments?

Anyone else struggling with the eating several times a day thing?

I personally find it more helpful to eat when you are hungry. I'm only hungry 2-3 times a day and it works for me.

I think the several times a day idea comes most into play to avoid hunger, because hungry people veer off plan if on-plan food isn't available (e.g. pretzel at the mall if they didn't have a snack at home before shopping.)

Large and/or late dinners do not work for me. I have a second job I work in the evenings, which means that one or two evenings a week I don't have an opportunity to eat dinner until after 8 pm. I did this for two or three weeks in February and my weight loss really slowed down. Now on the days I work the second job I just have a snack (about 200-300 cals) before going to work. My calories are lowish on those days but I feel okay. On "normal" days I eat dinner at about 5 pm, and it's usually slightly smaller than my breakfast and lunch.

Some people seem to do fine with eating virtually nothing all day and then eating a huge dinner. I'm not one of them. You'll probably just need to track things and see how different calorie distributions affect you.

That's the way I was raised, honestly. Though your reasons and food choices are much healthier. I just can't eat a large amount of food in the evenings any longer. Is there a way to pack a more caloric punch in your breakfast?

I am certainly no expert on this. But from my personal experience, it hasn't mattered. When I first started I was having three small meals and snacks in between (2 protein shakes and 1 bar). Now I have a protein shake for breakfast, a lunch and a dinner. I drink coffee in between meals. Sometimes I might grab a few almonds here and there.

There is absolutely no reason to eat several small meals a day unless that's what you want to do. Calories are calories no matter how they are broken up.

I have lost 228 pounds consistently eating a small breakfast, small lunch and a HUMONGOUS dinner with nothing in between.

Jen

I think you should probably eat as many or as few times a day as whatever works for you. I eat often, but in smaller amounts, that's just what works for me. If you are still losing, and are feeling great then keep doing what your doing. There is no need to stress about the times of day you are eating as long as you eat good things!

My plan has me eating several small meals a day too. I managed it by going by the clock. I am supposed to have something every 2-3 hours to keep blood sugar level, so I have something at 8, 10, 12, 3, 6, and 9. If you get in the habit, it's not too hard. I always keep a small mini meal or snack with me: a pre-made shake, a protein bar or muffin, a light string cheese, a hard boiled egg, or a small amount of nuts. That way if I forget, it is right there to grab.

I have the same problem...the thought of food in the morning makes me sick so a cup of cantelope, a banana, or a cup of cereal with 1% is about all I can manage to get down. I forced myself this morning to eat about 500 calories for breakfast, hoping I won't be as hungry throughout the day.

I had been eating the bulk of my calories at night - I usually would eat about 500-600 during the day and then have 600-700 calorie dinner (lots of protein and veggies - all good foods, but still) and a 100 calorie treat of some sort. I wrote myself a note and tacked it on the fridge - "NO FOOD AFTER 8 PM." That's been reminding me to eat dinner right after work, not wait until 7-8 o'clock like I used to. And this week I am going to try to eat more during the day so I'm not so hungry at night.

I hear so many things from different people, I think it ultimately depends on what is working for you!

Ditto. Apparently naturally thin people usually only eat when they are hungry. They don't have to think about food as much; that must be very freeing.

I do not make sure I eat several times a day. I eat a small breakfast with some protien, a lunch, and dinner. Usually there is no snack in there and if there is it's just fruit or veggie. Good luck. Your doind great so far.

I'm agreeing with this too. Depending on your differing energy expenditure on different days, you'll need more food on some days and less on others. Eating only when I'm hungry works for me. Do you have any staple healthy foods that you enjoy eating regularly, that are easy to prepare and transport around? It could be an idea to prep these on less busy days, then have them available for when you're hungry the rest of the time.

This.

I think eating lots of smaller meals can be good if it keeps you from going off plan but doctors I've talked to say that really the most important thing is calories in vs calories out.

Thanks guys, I'm going to stop worrying about it so much. I guess I am just falling into the habit of eating when I am hungry which is a good thing. I think I;m just going to listen to my body more than relying on numbers to dictate my eating habits :)

As usual, you guys are a lot of help.