[natenkayliesmom]

Help me out y'all!!!

Okay.. in most every *diet* plan I've read & studied, I have found out that it is important to eat breakfast & small meals throughout the day for many reasons... to jump start your metabolism, to make your body not think it's in starvation mode, etc.

However... here's my dilemma. Do I eat b-fast or even small meals or snacks throughout the day if I am NOT hungry? I can say that I can honestly go a day sometimes without feeling hunger. So, do I still eat something small? Or do I not eat? I'm not saying that I don't want to eat as a starvation thing... I'm not wanting to starve myself to lose weight... I am going to do this the healthy way. But I can honestly sometimes go without getting hungry.

The reason I ask is because I've just started reading a book that a friend gave me called "The Weigh Down Diet" by Gwen Shamblin. She says in that book that you shouldn't eat if you aren't hungry. Which makes sense to me. But I also see that you need to eat to keep the ol' bod thinking you aren't doing starvation.

What's your opinions?

[Valerie Joy]

Personally I think you should eat even if you're not hungry. Try to follow 3 meals and 2 snacks.

[Sheila53]

Yes, to maintain an even blood sugar level and help with your metabolism, you should eat even when you're not hungry.

[goalnorolls]

I have asked this question before. I do eat breakfast usually within an hour of waking up or after working out. I try to eat a couple- three hours later then I do lunch within a couple hours and then snack within a couple hours and sometimes dinner will come around and I'm not hungry. I normally will not eat. This happens once a week where I literally do not feel like eating. keep in mind the aren't full meals like we are used too- these are small meals and snacks.

I do not suggest skipping breakfast-
Also- starvation mode is extreme. If you aren't hungry you aren't hungry. But try to eat everyday even if its less calories one day its okay- its when you eat very low calories every day that your body will go into starvation mode. I ate one night when I wasn't hungry, measured out my dinner and ate it. I was not hungry at all and I was so miserable all night and had a stomach ache and everything else. Just listen to your body and I think you have the right idea- one day is fine or even if its just one meal no big deal. Just don't make it a habit.

I went to a dr once who made me fast on mondays(liquid broths juices etc...) but I had a free day on saturday. I don't know what good that did- its not advice its just to show everyone has different theories! I give myself a free day to plan for. I will want something and save it. I'm not perfect so I do slip and fall and fall and fall but I get back up and try it again. I find the free day helps me not feel so deprived. I don't want to see something and hear in my head 'I can't have that' so it works for me. Because I can have mexican food- on saturdays and I can drink wine- on saturdays...

[DishyFishy]

I agree with Valerie Joy and Sheila. You don't need to force down a large amount, but it's important to keep your blood sugar levels on a fairly even keel to discourage nasty illnesses like diabetes. From what I understand, going for long periods without food will cause your blood sugar to spike when you do eat, and can knock insulin production out of kilter if you do this on a regular basis.

[~~Sunshine~~]

Yes I think you need a little something to eat!

[icedragon6669]

My personal trainer i used to have at the local gym, used to say the reason for eating small meals every 2-3 hours is to get the body into thinking "No i don't need to store fat, there is always a meal coming soon", keep the furnace burning.
He said if you only eat 3 times a day in between the body then says to itself.. its 6 hours till lunch! we had better store some of this for later!
He said that if you stuck to eating 5-6 meals in the end the body will not store the fat at all, and anything you did not need energy wise you just expel, for the body cannot see the reason to store, since there is always food available.

Whether or not this is true, i have no idea, i must say he was lean and good looking!!!!
I could never stick to it, so instead i used another idea of his and that is to use a meal replacement shake as my mid meals! (slim fast, body talk, optifast) they are nutritional suppliments and offer 170-220 cals! perfect if I couldn't be bothered preparing anything.

5-6 meals a day is perfect for controlling blood sugar! appetite! you will not find yourself getting dizzy nausious, or any of the usual diet dillemas.

I would still eat something even if I was not hungry , but I would probably not eat as much. by totally missing meals, you will be defeat the purpose that you are aiming at!

[natenkayliesmom]

Thanks guys for answering this. I tried this yesterday just to see what would happen. I wasn't hungry when I woke up but I ate a light b'fast after reading the first couple of posts & then continued to "snack" lightly every few hours... hungry or not. What happened absolutely amazed me. I had so much more energy. I wasn't bouncing off the walls or anything but my house is cleaner now. I've just been more motivated to DO stuff. So, I've kept it up today. I think this may be the puzzle piece I've been missing.

[howie6267]

I have listened to her on the radio and may have even read her book I can't remember. I know she talks about learning to know when your body needs to eat and when your body is hungry. I don't think she would recommend going without food though. I never used to eat breakfast because I never was hungry in the morning. I have found that since I started and have followed it for a year now that I am hungry in the morning. It will take awhile for your body to adjust to your new eating habits but breakfast and small meals throughout the day really is the way to go.