I'm just wondering what the general consesus is on meals. I've read some places that it's best to stick to three meals only, per day, and not to snack in between. On the other hand, some plans suggest you eat several small meals a day, as long as they are healthy ones.

What is your opinion/preference?

Snacks. I cannot deal without snacks. I get too hungry otherwise. My standard day looks like this:

Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Pre-workout snack (something small - a banana or a boiled egg)
Post-workout snack (always a protein smoothie)
Dinner
Snack

On non-workout days, I might skip the protein smoothie and just have a lighter pre-dinner snack.

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It completely depends on the individual. Some like 3 meals per day, and others like smaller meals, so that they can have a snack or two-and others even eat 5 or 6 "mini meals" instead of larger meals and snacks.

What is best, is what works for YOU, and your lifestyle and eating habits.

I usually have 3 (what i consider) regular sized meals a day. Also 2-3 snacks. My snacks usually arent big, but something to keep my mouth occupied and tide me over till meal time. Some days i dont snack cause im not hungry. And other days i eat up to 10 times cause im hungrier. I agree with aphil. Do what suits you and listen to your body. If you are hungry and you still have 2 hours before dinner eat a snack.

I was told by a past personal trainer that you should eat every 3-4 hours to prevent your body from going into famine mode and storing calories. I find I'm a natural grazer anyway so I eat about 6 times a day about 2-4 hours in between (my work schedule sometimes forces me to only wait 2 hours). My largest meals are lunch and dinner.

This is when I am eating well... and unfortunately when I am eating poorly.

I have 3 (slightly smaller than normal) meals, and 3 snacks.
breakfast
snack
lunch
dinner
snack
I spread them between 2-3 hours apart. I usually am not hungry between eating and having to look forward to food within the next hour or so keeps me from binging and wanting to eat off plan.

I eat 6 meals.

breakfast - eggs, oatmeal, grapefruit etc.
am snack - whey
lunch - fish/chicken/tuna
pm snack - usually post workout whey
dinner - fish/chicken/tuna
late night - cottage cheese+peanut butter or casein protein

the key is not going hungry. i try to eat every 2.5 to 3 hours. if you wait till you get hungry, you are going to need a lot more food to get that satisfied feeling. be proactive!

I eat every two hours, and stop eating by 6 PM. I know I have a very slow metabolism, so by eating every two hours I'm keeping it going. I have a decent breakfast so that I can take my multivitamin and get the full benefit, then every two hrs after breakfast I have a small snack. I try and make sure those snacks are either fruits or veggies so I get my serving of those, then for my last meal (dinner) I eat something a little bigger (grilled chicken, baked potato etc).

So I'm eating about five meals a day, but they're all pretty small.

I eat at least 6 times a day. It takes me from the time I get up until I go to bed ( what ever that time may be ) to eat enough to get the required amounts of the four basic food groups eaten.

Pre Breakfast
Workout
Breakfast
Pre Lunch
Workout
Lunch
Pre Dinner
Workout
Dinner
After this I may have to eat eat eat to get all my food in and make sure I have at least 1200 calories in. I was told I am to eat several times a day and 6 times was a good amount from my doctor because of tummy problems. This way I am never very hungry either.

6-7 times a day.
I try to make sure I get a balanced meal or snack at each eating occasion (30/30/40 - fat/protein/carb)

My snacks range from 100-200 calories, and my meals are in the 300-400 calorie range.

I tend to be a grazer too. I figure out what I am going to eat in the day and basically eat it when I am hungry. I am trying really hard to learn what being hungry feels like though...so I go a while and make sure I am hungry. I have heard that you are hungry, really hungry ...when an apple sounds just as good as pizza.

I am also working hard on breaking the habit of not eating in the morning. I have found since I started eating in the AM, I am not eating as much later in the day.

A day for me may look like:

Early AM: high fiber cereal with soy milk and banana or berries

Mid AM apple or other fruit and a yogurt...add an LF string cheese stick if I have a workout that morning

Lunchish time: some combination of protein, whole grain, vegetables - might be a turkey sandwich, could be a salad of some sort, could be canataloupe with cottage cheese and some sort of fiber crisp/wasa/TLC crackers

Afternoon - veggies, fruit, maybe some ww crackers of some sort, green tea...maybe my square of dark chocolate, maybe a smidge of peanut butter or other nut butter on the crackers or on fruit slices,

Dinner - fish/chicken/turkey/eggs/vegetarian casserole/veggie burger - one of before, whole grain ...ie rice/ww pasta/ or yams vegetables fruit

Evening: hard time..depends on what I have left in my plan, or how hungry I am.

Okay so having said that..I guess I eat three meals and three snacks ...sort of

Just 3 meals for me. I used to need snacks but I tried the No S diet for awhile and it really changed how my body needs food, you can train it to be hungry at certain times so now I only eat 3 meals a day, small breakfast and lunch and I like dinner to be large but only one plate and I never do seconds etc.. but again, this is me and doesn't work for everyone