Once or twice a day is enough for me. Five very small meals a day can certainly work. I once had a colleague who ate slowly and steadily all day long. I guess you'd call it grazing or nibbling. It really boils down to how you define a meal.
I do better with three meals and snacks as needed. BUT when it is hot, it might be two meals. ‘Cause no appetite due to the heat. If I eat out, it will be five meals in two days because the meal so big.
Meals tend to be smaller—400-500 calories. Currently breakfast is hot and often a quesadilla. Lunch and dinner are a parfait (fruit, yogurt, maple syrup and granola or nuts) or a huge vegetable salad.
Snacks tend to be either to increase hydration (grapes) or high protein (cheese). Coffee that is blinged out or a pastry may happen at Starbucks.
Meat isn’t a big aspect of my diet. Previously, I did barley, beans and cheese; cottage cheese and pineapple. For awhile potatoes were daily.
I feel beat with volumetric diet concept—lots of volume for the calories. I repeat a lot because it is easier and I live alone. Repetition reduces food waste.
Eating once a day led to heavy, rich meals. It was too much fat and too much processed carbs. I gained weight and had carb crashes.
It used to be 2 plus a bedtime snack. Then I was pregnant with GD and the guidance was 3 small meals plus 3 snacks- that was a tough adjustment! I also needed to intentionally I crease my calories. Now I’m nursing and I have 3 meals plus 4-5 small snacks (a snack for each nursing session including overnight). Hoping I’ll be able to get back to 2-3 meals once I’m done nursing, but I’ve gotten in the habit now.
I did notice my snacks were healthier when I ate more during the day. My previous bedtime snack when I had 2 meals was usually something sweet and calorie dense.
5 sounds absolutely exhausting, though that's at least partially because I have to prepare everything. If there were more shelf stable, affordable foods that didn't make me sick, I might see this differently.
I tend to eat a pretty filling breakfast and dinner. Whether lunch is more of a snack or a light meal depends on how busy and how hungry I am. And what time of day all these happen depends on when I wake up, which isn't the same every day.
Well. I'm glad we cleared that up
Once or twice a day is enough for me. Five very small meals a day can certainly work. I once had a colleague who ate slowly and steadily all day long. I guess you'd call it grazing or nibbling. It really boils down to how you define a meal.
1.5 to 2
I do better with three meals and snacks as needed. BUT when it is hot, it might be two meals. ‘Cause no appetite due to the heat. If I eat out, it will be five meals in two days because the meal so big. Meals tend to be smaller—400-500 calories. Currently breakfast is hot and often a quesadilla. Lunch and dinner are a parfait (fruit, yogurt, maple syrup and granola or nuts) or a huge vegetable salad. Snacks tend to be either to increase hydration (grapes) or high protein (cheese). Coffee that is blinged out or a pastry may happen at Starbucks. Meat isn’t a big aspect of my diet. Previously, I did barley, beans and cheese; cottage cheese and pineapple. For awhile potatoes were daily. I feel beat with volumetric diet concept—lots of volume for the calories. I repeat a lot because it is easier and I live alone. Repetition reduces food waste. Eating once a day led to heavy, rich meals. It was too much fat and too much processed carbs. I gained weight and had carb crashes.
1-2 2 is perfectly fine, 1 is usually a mistake.
2. 12PM and 7-8:30ishPM
2 now it’s summertime but usually one —dinner
It used to be 2 plus a bedtime snack. Then I was pregnant with GD and the guidance was 3 small meals plus 3 snacks- that was a tough adjustment! I also needed to intentionally I crease my calories. Now I’m nursing and I have 3 meals plus 4-5 small snacks (a snack for each nursing session including overnight). Hoping I’ll be able to get back to 2-3 meals once I’m done nursing, but I’ve gotten in the habit now. I did notice my snacks were healthier when I ate more during the day. My previous bedtime snack when I had 2 meals was usually something sweet and calorie dense.
5 sounds absolutely exhausting, though that's at least partially because I have to prepare everything. If there were more shelf stable, affordable foods that didn't make me sick, I might see this differently. I tend to eat a pretty filling breakfast and dinner. Whether lunch is more of a snack or a light meal depends on how busy and how hungry I am. And what time of day all these happen depends on when I wake up, which isn't the same every day.
I have very small meals and no snacks. 4 small meals.