[couponmom85]

does anyone else have this or had this issue?
I'm usually not hungry until 5pm! then i eat either a late lunch then dinner at like 10pm.
or i just eat dinner at 8pm.
(dh works odd hours and i enjoy eating dinner with him)

I'm trying to readjust and I'm not used to eating so much.
I'm used to barely getting 1000calories a day from not eating enough, or going through a binge and getting so full its uncomfortable.

I'm sure this not getting enough calories has caused the weight to stick. and the random binges don't help.

i started on the 1st, eating every 2-3hours. (piece of fruit, oatmeal, sandwich and such, with a decent dinner.)

my sleep schedule really needs a fix. I'm sick of being up til 3am and waking up after 10-11am.

so has anyone else tried to take it slow and get your body used to these changes before restricting calories too much?

i have been tracking what I've been eating and trying to make it a habit.
is this crazy or does it make any sense?
I'm just trying to keep myself from getting burnt out too quickly.

any insight on this would be great.
thanks.

[DixC Chix]

A long time ago, I was in my early 20's and hitting the clubs every night. At that time I would want to use my calories for drinking at night so I would starve myself all day with just coffee and diet sodas. That style of behavior really took its toll on my skin, my hair, my stomach and eventually my metabolism and overall health.

Think of your metabolism as a wood burning stove. You have to feed it regularly to keep it going.

Just try this for a week - set your alarm and get up earlier (I guarantee a few days of this and NO napping will change your sleep patterns) and eat something right away. And continue eating something throughout the day every 2-3 hours. Enjoy eating a small something while DH has his dinner meal. You can visit with him and enjoy his company without eating the same thing as him or the same amount.


When I committed 100% to changing my relationship with food, I dove in the deep end. I wanted to shake up my body, mind, and work on the emotional and mental stuff and get it right this time. I didn't want to leave any room for excuses or rationalizations or justifications, etc. I've wasted too much time already. It wasn't easy in the beginning but living life as a morbidly obese person is not easy either. It got easier as I got in my groove. The benefits (there are sooo many and new ones pop up everyday) definitely outweigh the minor and relatively brief discomfort of changing my old ways.

I had to write out the timetable I would keep with taking meds and eating which foods and exercising to maximize the benefits. I had to refer to the schedule for 2 weeks before I had it down pat. I pretty much have a standard menu everyday for breakfast, snack, lunch, and snack. Dinner is my chance to make different stuff. I like the routine of it but thats not for everybody.

So I guess this is the long answer (sorry) to your question - No I did not take it slow.

[Ciao]

Hopefully it works out for you!

I can't eat throughout the day.
I'm so use to eating three meals
a day. And with school it'd be
really hard to eat every 2 - 3
hours. I do know that eating
throughout the day has helped
a lot of my friends. Maybe one
day I'll give it a try.

[EvilGidget]

I sort of have the same experience. Since I started this journey (again)... I find myself not even thinking about food till after 1pm. I get up normally about 7am. That's very odd for me because before I was hungry all the time morning noon and night lol. Anyway... now... I have to force myself to eat something (usually a breakfast granola bar) in the morning.

Then I have to force myself to have lunch around 12 or 1.

But... by dinner, I'm pretty hungry usually... so night time for me is the hardest and of course that's when I'm at home and can do the most damage.

I think exercising does something to your appetite. Like I said, before I was hungry all the time, and it shocks me that I have to remind myself to eat now usually.

Good luck, just don't starve yourself... maybe that's why I'm stuck??

[timkerbelle]

Originally Posted by Tessa

Eatingevery 2-3 hours is ideal because it keep your metabolism going at agood pace and keeps fat burning. If you go all day without eating your body automatically stores what you eat as fat because your body has no clue when you are going to feed it again. The body is very smart especially when it comes to energy and nutrient intake. I would say try to eat every three hours but if that is not possible at least every 4 hours. Eating more frequently can help you lose weight quicker. Your meals and snacks want to consist of some kind of protein which helps keep you fuller longer but also helps you burn fat more rapidly.

I'm sure this is true for a lot of people. I would just like to say that not everyone works the same, and that there is nothing wrong with that as long as it works for you.
I eat 3 times a day. Never more, sometimes less. It makes me feel in control, and I have leeway to eat a bit more during my meals. Snacks do nothing for me but waste calories, they don't fill me up enough and it makes me constantly think about food.
With 3 meals I'm happy and relaxed about my eating, and brings me as close to feeling "normal" as I think I ever will.
I have done the "6 small meals per day" thing, and it did nothing extra for my weight loss what so ever. (comparing this with the same daily allowance of cals but eating 3 times per day)

[nelie]

Actually latest research indicates that it doesn't matter if you eat 3 times per day or 5-6 times per day, there is no difference in calories burned. So I say figure what works best for you.

[JMSilver]

Work on your sleep first and foremost. Wonky sleep, lack of sleep, etc can knock you out of sync so easily... You might even find you actually get hungrier before 5 once you've settled into a regular sleep pattern.

Creating a schedule can be a very good thing. It's helped me heaps. But also keep in mind that if you feel like you're forcing yourself to eat a few weeks into the new routine, then lighten up a bit. Each body is different and needs tweaking.

For me, I never got hungry until about 1 or 2. As an experiment more than anything else to see if breakfast made that much of a difference, I started having a meal replacement within an hour of waking up. It was the easiest way to get myself to eat something and was balanced, low carb and no fat. Not too shabby.

Since I've started exercising in the morning, I've found that my body has come to expect that meal replacement. So maybe a bit of regular exercise should be on the horizon as well.