Originally Posted by jendiet:
this is NOT good for those with hyperinsulinemia or any tendency for blood sugar spikes. Especially if you have reserves to burn. The reason being is because with a steady supply of blood glucose and even glucose not being ushered into your fat cells for energy by insulin--you will never burn up stores. You will just be using a steady supply of blood sugar.

Sorry, but that's simply not true. You've got the science wrong. Frequent meals is highly recommended for hyperinsulinemia and blood-sugar control specifically because it eliminates hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia; eating small, controlled quantities of protein and carbohydrate together leads to lower production of blood glucose, thus lower production of insulin.

Originally Posted by WarMaiden:
I eat 6x per day, but I also eat a lot more calories than most of you do. Currently I'm averaging around 2000 per day. Also, I eat a ton of veggies and fruit, so the volume of food that I eat is very large. Between that and the calories, I stay pretty well satisfied.

:oI eat 2200 normally :o but in trying to go down to the next level I'm thinking giving up the 100 cal yogurts and the 50 cal cheese sticks, I can have more bang for my caloric buck at mealtimes.

Maybe I just wasn't doing it right? Only eating 100 or 50 at each snack guaranteed I was hungry again 2 hours later. Of course, for me, the big question is mental or physical hunger?:dizzy:

Originally Posted by goodforme:
:oI eat 2200 normally :o but in trying to go down to the next level I'm thinking giving up the 100 cal yogurts and the 50 cal cheese sticks, I can have more bang for my caloric buck at mealtimes.

Maybe I just wasn't doing it right? Only eating 100 or 50 at each snack guaranteed I was hungry again 2 hours later. Of course, for me, the big question is mental or physical hunger?:dizzy:

What are you eating, specifically, at your meals and snacks?

I was very prone to blood sugar problems (spikes and drops) before switching to more frequent, small meals (or snacks, depending on how you want to look at it).

I do best (physically) when I don't ever eat enough in a sitting, for most folks to call it a meal. Eating every three hours (but never eating an actual "meal") works very well phsycially (especially when I'm eating relatively low carb).

Mentally, I'm still working on the concept of "no meals." I have to remind myself that I don't need to fill a plate (even with low-calorie foods).

I do well about 5 days out of 7. It's not always the weekends, but usually at least twice a week I want a "real meal," and it's the real meals that are slowing down my weight loss. If I could give up the idea of meals entirely, or redefine a meal to be always under 200 to 250 calories, I think I'd do a lot better.

Ugh, I HATED the frequent small meals. That being said, I usually have four "meals." I have a large breakfast, small lunch, large dinner, and then a few snacks in the evening. I know a lot of people discourage night time eating, but personally, planning two or even three snacks in the evening keeps me from going off plan. As a calorie counter, I don't really think it matters when I eat the calories, just so long as they're counted.

Here's what has worked best for me:

Large late breakfast: Usually something carby like cereal or oatmeal around 10am
Lunch: Small lunch around noon, maybe a small turkey and veggies wrap and small cup of soup
Dinner: Biggest official meal at 5-6pm. Usually just protein and veggies. Big chicken breast and 2 cups of steamed veggies
2 or 3 Evening snacks: Between 7-9pm, maybe yogurt, fruit, Skinny Cow ice cream bar, peanut butter on a grahm cracker, etc.

Certainly wouldn't work for everyone, but it keeps me happy and satisfied and on plan everyday :)

the reason your not feeling full.. is because of what your eating..
6 meals a day... small meals.. but they have to have a "complex" carb and a protein... when you mix those 2 they are generally very low in calories but higher in nutrition and give you that feeling of being full.

Fortunately, there is more than one correct to lose weight. What works for one won't necessarily work for another. It is up to us as individuals to find out what does work for us - and what doesn't.

I do like to eat often, so for me, frequent small-ish meals and snacks works really well. I am never stuffed, though always satisfied and *not hungry*. I like knowing that before you know it, more food is on the way. Really helps to keep me on plan. I also really need/want to avoid ever getting hungry. And eating frequently is how I do that.

Originally Posted by luciddepths:
the reason your not feeling full.. is because of what your eating..
6 meals a day... small meals.. but they have to have a "complex" carb and a protein... when you mix those 2 they are generally very low in calories but higher in nutrition and give you that feeling of being full.

Eh, not really. For me it's a mental thing. I could eat 3lbs of protein and complex carbs and still be obsessively waiting for my next meal if I ate every few hours. It's not a matter of being full for me, it's just the fact that I was eating every two or three hours which led me to constantly watching the clock for my next meal. I was living from snack to snack, and I couldn't think about anything but my next mini-meal.

I now eat larger less frequent meals on a regular routine and that leaves me full, and not constantly waiting to eat the next snack.

I eat a smallish breakfast, a medium lunch, a larger dinner and occasionally a small evening snack.

Honestly, this works better for my day. My eating needs to fit in with the rest of my lifestyle; i can't be snacking during classes, so I can't add in a four pm mini-me and I don't wake up early enough to justify breakfast AND a snackl. I don't think there is any one "right" way, just the best option for each person.

my theory is that small meals mean your stomach is small since it never has to cope with too much, therefore it feels full on less, therefore its easy to stay satisfied all day (guess the tricky bit is if you're just starting the process, you're going to feel hungry all the time whilst your stomach adjusts)

the drama's with small meals as others have said, is that it doesn't fit well into 'normal' peoples routines!

Originally Posted by ange82much:

the drama's with small meals as others have said, is that it doesn't fit well into 'normal' peoples routines!

Luckily, I've no need to be *normal* anyway. ;)

I feel best on six equal meals per day. Small snacks are like appetizers. :rolleyes: I can no longer eat a "big" meal and that's fine with me!!

I am/was insulin resistant and this works best for my blood sugar. No more spikes.

Originally Posted by mkendrick:
Eh, not really. For me it's a mental thing. I could eat 3lbs of protein and complex carbs and still be obsessively waiting for my next meal if I ate every few hours. It's not a matter of being full for me, it's just the fact that I was eating every two or three hours which led me to constantly watching the clock for my next meal. I was living from snack to snack, and I couldn't think about anything but my next mini-meal.

I now eat larger less frequent meals on a regular routine and that leaves me full, and not constantly waiting to eat the next snack.

This is exactly my experience.

Originally Posted by rockinrobin:
Luckily, I've no need to be *normal* anyway. ;)

I couldn't agree more. Being "normal" (like everyone else) led to me weighing 289 pounds!

My doc told me the small/frequent mini meals were a good way for me to go. I will let myself eat a regular dinner in order to sit down w/my hubby or family - that's very important to me. I have to say that, depending on how I feel, I can go back and forth. However, it was the frequent meals that helped me stay away from my nighttime binges when I first began healthy eating (dieting). I used to eat way too much right before sleep - my doc called it the "sumo" diet! Not happy he compared me to a sumo but I get his point.