It seems like everyone has the time to eat 5 meals a day to keep their metabolism up, however its really hard for someone like me who is constantly out or busy with something. For example, I wake up at about 6, eat breakfast, then have classes from 8 to 11:30. Now its very hard to get food in around schooltime. After that honestly it is absolutely unpredictable. I end up having to go somewhere last minute meaning I CAN'T plan out when I can eat. How am I supposed to drive all the way home at 2:30 just to eat an apple with peanut butter...? And I don't feel very comfortable with the idea of making little packages of things and carrying them along with me in my bag. It's not big enough and most of the things I eat are fresh therefore shouldn't really be carried around all day in a container. Typically I can only fit in so many times to eat a day. By the end of the day when I'm actually at home, I've either eaten way too little calories or end up binging. What can I do to get healthy with such a hectic schedule? Its upsetting!! I have no time for these 3-hour apart meal plans!! Help!!

This is exactly why I follow an intermittent fasting plan!!! I'm out of the house until 3pm every day. I'd have to eat on the run, and it's harder to make good choices... so I don't complicate my life with that. I eat between 5pm and 11pm. Usually 2 big meals.

I've maintained this way MUCH easier than I did trying to force myself to eat ever couple hours. You should look into it!

ETA- I was afraid I'd binge at home, too. But once I got into the mindset that it's OK to feel a tiny bit physically hungry, I was fine. The hunger doesn't hit me nearly as hard, now. Sometimes I look at the clock and it's 6 and I still haven't had my first meal. True physical hunger feels so much different than the feeling I associated with hunger, before. Knowing the difference, made all the difference!

Yeah, its soo hard because everyone says so much stuff about metabolism and all this stuff but it is literally impossible for me. People want to hangout, boyfriend, etc. What do I do, drop all of them to go steam vegetables for my 4o clock meal? Lol its not fair to everyone else or me. Something needs to change. I cannot be alone in this.

It can be done, but first you must want to do it . Do you have access to a refrigerator ? Could you keep a small picnic/ice chest in your car? In the refrigerator or ice chest you could keep yogurt, laughing cow cheese wedges, jello an apple or orange, cheese sticks , cottage cheese any number of things. It is not necessary to go home. The way to stay in your calorie limit is to plan your days menus and stick to it, that will avoid binges and over eating your calories.

No ice chest or refrigerator access :l

The metabolism stuff is WAYYY overblown. If eating 5 meals a day doesn't work for you, it doesn't work for you.

You would seriously have to eat NOTHING. Not a cracker or a nut or a pea for DAYS for your body to throttle your metabolism to any significant degree.

IF works for me as well. I usually eat between 1 pm and 6 pm. I loathe bfast.

I thought when I first read your post that you were looking for a way to eat 5 times a day as has been suggested to you. You know what ? You don't have to do that if you don't want to. The best diet plan for you is the one you can and will follow.

So basically, I only eat when I have the time, no need for certain hours or set plan? That sounds too good to be true. If it were up to me, I would eat as much calories as possible 1. at breakfast and 2. when I get home at night. Lol. It sounds sort of like intuitive eating.

As long as you watch how much you're eating you can eat it whenever you want.

Conventional advice didn't work for me and I broke a lot of rules. I still do. When I tried following diet "rules" I would fail.

Same! You know I try and try to make these meal plans but just can't follow through. Isn't it also a lot less stressful when you just eat right, whenever you feel hungry? Instead of making it apart of your weekly planning and stuff?

I am becoming to believe that this several meals a day thing is hogwash!
For one, eating that many times keeps me constantly thinking about food!
For two, eating small meals all the time never fills me up, and leaves me wanting mre.
For three, I don't have that much time to give all that thought and effort into make sure I eat that many times and what I am going to eat
For Four LOL, VERY hard for me to stay on limited calories when eating that many times a day!

So I have been skipping breakfast and/or only eating a banana. I have a large lunch and a medium size dinner. I don't snack, except for maybe 2 nights a week after dinner, if even that.
I also cycle a bit, where I eat more calories some day and way less as I approach weigh-in day.

As others have said, if eating that many times a day isn't working for you don't sweat it, do what works!!
Best of luck!

I was told by an olympic athlete that by skipping breakfast (not eating within an hour after waking) you're screwing your metabolism for the entire day. I believe it but I don't take his advice. I like to sleep late in the morning before work and then down coffee when I get there. I don't eat my first meal until about 1pm.

I'm coming to the realization that as long as I'm consuming my amount of calories for the day, no matter what sitting, seems to be the least stressful thing ever. We'll see how it works.

I've lost 65lbs (and yo-yo'd much more) by eating 3 small meals plus 3 smaller snacks a day. When I skipped snacks or breakfast, I gained, thus the yo-yo effect. Then again, I'm diabetic. I have no choice, I have to maintain a consistent blood sugar level — or pay the consequences!

It took a l-o-n-g time to convince my brain and stomach that eating often was a good thing. I fought overeating at meals, which is counter-productive to the cause. I skipped snacks thinking, I'm not hungry, why eat? My brain didn't know what hungry was. My stomach thought hungry was not finishing the whole lasagna in one sitting.

It is a lifestyle change. But unless I want insulin needles to be something I have to plan my schedule around, or remember to carry along with me, then I have to change. Snack packs or insulin... I choose snack packs.