So I've been trying to do the Abs Diet, more or less, and a couple of the main tenets are to combine "power foods" at meals, and eat steadily throughout the day, about 6 times (three meals and three healthy snacks). (This article on MSNBC is where I got the info)

The problem that I've discovered is that in order to have three snacks, I have to eat when I'm not hungry. I feel like this is giving me calories I don't need -- why eat if you're not hungry?

Here's a sample of what I might eat throughout the day:
Breakfast:
- Microwaved Oat Bran Cereal
- Raw Almonds
- The whites of 2 hard-boiled eggs (I don't like the yolks)

Lunch:
- Chunk Light Tuna with salt and pepper (I don't like mayo)
- Celery
- Lowfat cottage cheese

Dinner:
- Baked Fish (I don't eat meat other than fish) w/ herb-crust
- Veggies sauteed in olive oil
OR
- Black Beans
- Brown rice, Spanish style (with a can of tomatoes added)
- Low fat shredded cheese
OR
some similar combination of a protein (fish, shrimp, beans, lentils, tofu, etc.)
with a vegetable, in the form of

Snacks might include:
- an apple, orange or banana
- canned fruit in a juice pack (pears, peaches, mandarin oranges, pineapple)
- unsweetened applesauce
- celery w/ peanut butter
- celery w/ lowfat cream cheese
- a serving of raw almonds
- a slice of lowfat cheese

So if I find myself not hungry when it is time for my snack, do you think it is ok not to eat it? Or will that screw up my metabolism and wreck the diet?

I say if you are not hungry during snack time to wait a little while. But, you want to make sure you are hitting your calorie range, if you skip a snack and it puts you under calories you may begin to stall your weight loss. Also, nobody ever said you have to eat certain meals at certain times. So, if your not hungry at snack time and its getting close to dinner, eat your snack when you get hungry and eat dinner later then usual when you are ready for it.

It boosts your metabolism!

Well, there's all kinds of not hungry. If you're still full, I definitely wouldn't eat. If you're only a little hungry, I would have only a little. You can always have more later if you get a little hungry again. When you eat very little (I don't know if that has been you), your appetite adjusts down, and sometimes you have to do a little "scheduled" eating to get it alive & well again. But you can do that gradually, and I would never get overfull. But this is all from a general perspective. I can't speak directly of the Ab Diet. Snacking is a very popular diet pattern these days, but not the only healthy one.

this is alwayas tricky for me because im a natural grazer so ive altered my plan to accomodate that i wouldnt say you cant lose weight by snacking when you arent necessarily hungry, but snacking throughout the day probably doesnt suit everyone

Honestly, I know a man who is extremely fit and toned. He plays Squash everyday! He eats ONE MEAL a day. It's a 3,000 calorie meal, but that's it. He doesn't eat beside that. And he stays hydrated throughout the day.

I always hear "You HAVE to eat breakfast" or "You NEED snacks between meals to boost your metabolism." Actually, NO, you don't. Do what's right for YOU!! You'll be the expert on what makes you lose. Why not skip the snack and have a little more at meal time? Or have your snack as dessert instead?

I don't see any value in eating when you're not hungry unless you have a problem where you need to gain weight or if you're not taking in enough calories overall to lose.

I don't eat breakfast, I have coffee...
then I have a mid morning snack that is about 200 calories. It works for me. And I don't eat dinner until late usually around 9pm.