[ambabs]

Ok I have a stupid question about snacks and just wanted to know how you guys handle it.

I know most of us say eat 5 or 6 small meals or 3 meals and a couple of snacks. I've been eating about every 2-3 hours even if it's just a yogurt. Well today around 3:30 I was thinking about starting dinner and I realized that I hadn't had a snack all day, just breakfast and lunch, and I wasn't all that hungry

So my stupid question is, if your not really all that hungry do you eat a small snack just to keep your metabolism going?

The whole concept of eating when your not physically or mentally hungry is very odd to me so I thought I'd ask.

[flipafart]

okay this is only my personal opinion but here goes. I do not sleep when I am not sleepy, or use the bathroom when I do not have the urge to go and I do not eat if I am not hungry. For me when my stomach growls that mean feeding time. It doesn't growl I don't eat. So far it has worked for me. Some days I will eat more because I work harder. That is how I deal with it.

[ambabs]

I guess my main concern was that I was only at 500 calories for the day before dinner and I was a little worried about consuming too few calories.

[GonnaLooseitagain]

I personally eat around the 2-4pm time frame even if I am not hungry. Just to keep my calories up and to keep from getting ravenous (sp) before dinner. Hope this helps.

[jillybean720]

Originally Posted by ambabs

I guess my main concern was that I was only at 500 calories for the day before dinner and I was a little worried about consuming too few calories.

Don't worry about too few calories for a day (or even a couple of days). Don't let it fall so low every day, but your body won't go into "starvation mode" after just a day or two of low calories

[Tani]

I don't eat if I'm not hungry, it all evens out in the end

[mandy71480]

I agree, why eat if you aren't hungry? i think our bodies are built to tell us when we need to eat. Same goes with water. I am not chugging down 32 oz in a sitting because some website or magazie says I need to. I will drink when I am thirsty daggummit!

[lucky]

I don't eat if I'm not hungry - that's how I got fat to begin with. IMO, it is far more important to learn your body's cues than to force down scheduled snacks for the sake of your metabolism. If you find this happening more than every now and then you might want to evaluate your calorie distribution over the course of the day, though.

Also, while I completely understand the science behind eating often I don't think it is necessary for everyone. I've always been a three squares a day girl and it never inhibited my weight loss. I eat several small meals now because I can't physically eat much in one sitting anymore. But, in the beginning, I found that I felt more satisfied on three larger meals than several smaller ones. It was what worked for me so it is what I did. And that's the key - learn what YOUR body needs and do it. As long as your overall calorie level is in check you should be fine.