Weight Loss Support Give and get support here!

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 09-11-2011, 06:36 AM   #1  
Member
Thread Starter
 
TL0812's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 94

S/C/G: 265/185/160

Height: 5'6

Default Scheduled meals or intuitive eating

I'm considering switching from intuitive eating (meaning I eat when I feel hungry) to eating on a set schedule (every 3-4 hours).

I've found that lately I feel hungry ALL the time. Sometimes it is likely because I am bored and thinking about food but when I eat a meal or a snack it is usually very small so I am hungry again within two hours for sure. I always stay within my allotted calories but constantly grazing makes me more likely to choose the wrong foods.

What do you guys prefer a strict schedule or do you trust yourself to eat only when you are hungry?
TL0812 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2011, 06:58 AM   #2  
Just Yr Everyday Chick
 
JayEll's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Florida
Posts: 10,852

S/C/G: Lost 50 lbs, regained some

Height: 5'3"

Default

Let's just say I didn't become obese by trusting myself to eat only when I am hungry.

It took awhile before I could sort out what real hunger feels like, as compared to boredom, anxiety, excitement, or just habit.

Scheduled eating works better, I think, especially if someone is used to grazing all day long.

Jay
JayEll is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2011, 09:35 AM   #3  
Wastin' Away Again!
 
Beach Patrol's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: on the beach
Posts: 2,313

S/C/G: 192/170/130

Height: 5'3" 50 years old

Default

I stick to scheduled eating, but having said that, I don't eat just because "it's time to eat" - I must be hungry because food is for sustenance.

On the other hand, my best friend has found that grazing works best for her. She grabs a few bites of whatever here & there & rarely sits down to have an actual "meal". She & I are about the same size (weight & height), age, etc. and we're both losing weight at about the same speed.

So there ya go.

My advice? FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. Always.
Beach Patrol is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2011, 10:06 AM   #4  
Senior Member
 
juliana77's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: California
Posts: 659

S/C/G: 285/211/165

Height: 5'6"

Default

I usually have 3 meals and 3 snacks. I sort of do a combination of the 2 strategies. For example, I'm not allowed to have my morning snack until 9:30. I don't have to eat it, but if I want it, I need to wait until the set time. I eat a filling breakfast and if I'm busy, I am not physically "hungry" until lunchtime, but some days that snack is all I can think about! Other days I don't think of it until lunchtime. I am trying to learn to recognize true hunger and boredom hunger, it's definitely a mental challenge.
juliana77 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2011, 10:42 AM   #5  
Senior Member
 
kelly315's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Columbus OH
Posts: 2,524

S/C/G: 290/ticker/145

Height: 5'4"

Default

I can't go with complete intuitive eating, because my fat kid voice drowns out the intuition, and I can't tell which is which. Using calorie counts to keep me anchored throughout the day, I eat meals every few hours. I make sure to always eat right after I get up, but the rest of the day isn't prefectly scheduled. I usually don't wait until I'm "hungry," (not that I'm full or anything), because when I start to feel like that I overeat. Instead, every few hours works for me.
kelly315 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2011, 11:02 AM   #6  
Melissa
 
berryblondeboys's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 6,367

Height: 5'6.5"

Default

I refuse to do scheduled eating. My mother in law does that and it makes no sense to me. She eats because she knows it's time to eat. And she'll even say, "i'm not hungry, but it's time to eat." But, at the same time, she NEVER feels hunger pangs. Intuitive eating wouldn't work for her because she would forget to eat (and sometimes she does and that's a problem).

Me, on the other hand, eat when I'm hungry and eat what I feel I'm hungry for. Some days that means I eat only 1100 calories and other days it means I eat 1700 calories, but it makes sense that I'll be more hungry on some days than others and so I eat if I'm hungry and eat less if I'm not. And, it's been working for me so far on this journey.

But.. I do keep my eating on the lower carb side of things (aiming for 100 net grams of carbs or less). And my snacks (if I have them) I keep really low carb.
berryblondeboys is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2011, 11:12 AM   #7  
Member
 
Sued1971's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 54

S/C/G: 197/190/135

Height: 5'6.5'

Default

I stink at intutive eating. I have started doing IF. and I don't eat before noon. I realized how much eating I do because I am bored. I never want to eat before lunch on work days. Even by lunch most of the time I am not really hungry (I eat because I know I will be hungry around 2pm if I don't eat lunch and I can't eat at 2.) When I eat lunch at 12, I am HUNGRY at 4, and can eat somethign light (not really hungry but enough to keep me going) around 7. This works great during the week. Weekends, not so much. I will not eat before 12 on weekends, but on days like today (don't have a lot of stuff planned, and home all morning) I feel hungry. I know I am not, I am just bored, but doesn't feel that way.
Sued1971 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2011, 12:37 PM   #8  
Senior Member
 
lin43's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,669

Default

I've tried intuitive eating many times, usually when I'm burned out from dieting and want to give myself permission to eat what I want. Inevitably, I fail at. After a while, it becomes like a "diet" itself--e.g., if I eat when I'm not hungry, I feel like I've failed.

I refuse to do the 5-6 mini-meals a day thing. That keeps me food-obsessed all day long, takes up too much time and energy, and makes me feel as if I never get to sit down to a satisfying meal.

Over the years, I have become more attuned to what real hunger feels like, and I usually can wait to feel that before I eat (sometimes not). I normally eat three meals a day (sometimes two) and sometimes I eat dessert.

Last edited by lin43; 09-11-2011 at 12:38 PM.
lin43 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2011, 12:44 PM   #9  
Never surrender
 
dragonwoman64's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 2,751

S/C/G: 251 current/237 minigoal/180

Height: 5' 9"

Default

I like this q. I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks. I get hungry at times that are a little off normal. I've eaten this way for a long time, it's something I developed from WW and JC, I think (plus, grew up eating 3 meals and probably multiple snacks). I get hungry for lunch at around 11am, sometimes even a little earlier. It's fairly easy for me to wait for a 6 or 7pm dinner with an afternoon snack of an apple. so while my meals are planned, I've gravitated towards eating at the times I'm hungry.

I'm more likely to overeat if I get too hungry. at the same time, I'd rather be hungry when I eat, not eat just to eat.
dragonwoman64 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2011, 01:15 PM   #10  
Just Yr Everyday Chick
 
JayEll's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Florida
Posts: 10,852

S/C/G: Lost 50 lbs, regained some

Height: 5'3"

Default

Well, just because it's lunchtime at 12 noon doesn't mean you HAVE to eat lunch then! By scheduled eating, I mean 2 to 3 hours between meals/snacks. No fewer than 2 and no more than 3. Often I'm not hungry after 2 hours, but I guarantee that I'll be hungry after 3, unless I ate a big meal.

It doesn't have to be either/or.

Jay
JayEll is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2011, 01:38 PM   #11  
Dukanista
 
April Snow's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Denver
Posts: 2,547

S/C/G: high263/current257/ticker/198

Height: 5'7"

Default

I do a bit of a hybrid - I have my foods for the day planned out so that I have plenty of options to eat when I am hungry and stick to on plan foods. But then I go by when I'm hungry. So I will generally have foods available for breakfast, lunch, and about 3 snacks with me at work. But I may only eat breakfast and lunch and no snacks at all that day, esp. when it's a super busy day. Or I might be very hungry one day and eat all of the things I have with me.

Most days, I do tend to eat about the same amount about the same times each day, but I think it's more that my body is used to eating on that pattern so that is when it knows to get hungry.

One thing I like about my plan is that I don't have to track how much food I eat, I just have to stick with my on plan foods. So this hybrid method works perfectly for me!
April Snow is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2011, 01:56 PM   #12  
Boston Qualifier and MOM
 
ennay's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Oregon
Posts: 6,346

Height: 5'3.75"

Default

My vote is eat when you are hungry, but when you are hungry EAT. Dont eat a tiny bit of food that tides you over for 15 minutes. If you are hungry eat a meal or a snack option with a good balance of nutrients.

Somedays I have 4-5 meals, today it is 11 and all I have had is coffee. I might have breakfast by lunch time.
ennay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2011, 03:08 PM   #13  
Member
Thread Starter
 
TL0812's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 94

S/C/G: 265/185/160

Height: 5'6

Default

I think I'll try a hybrid like some of you suggested.
TL0812 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2011, 04:43 PM   #14  
little by little
 
Martina's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Fayetteville, NC, USA
Posts: 297

S/C/G: 220/215/150

Height: Five foot two

Default

I'm trying to follow Tosca Reno's version of Eating Clean, and she says you should eat every 2.5 to 3 hours. This works well for me, for a few reasons: it is kind of how my body already works anyway, and it helps keep me from binging on bad foods if I know that at this time, I need to eat these healthy foods.

In the end, you have to choose what is best for you. If more consistent eating makes you choose bad foods, then don't do that. I hope you decide what will work best!!
Martina is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2011, 05:20 PM   #15  
2 chins down, 1 to go
 
ShesLosingIt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Midwest, near a big city
Posts: 124

S/C/G: 387/228/175

Height: 5'6

Default

I suppose I do a hybrid like others have suggested or toggle between the two, if that makes sense.

I tend to keep a schedule of breakfast, light snack, lunch, semi-light snack, dinner, light snack/dessert but there are some days that I have a big or filling lunch and don't need or want that 2nd snack or I'm tired so I don't have dessert because I don't want to eat that close to bedtime.
ShesLosingIt is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Related Topics
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Beck Diet For Life/Solution – October 2009 – Support, Discussion, Buddy/Coach BillBlueEyes LA Weight Loss 260 11-01-2009 05:16 AM


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:09 PM.


We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.