Grazing ok?

[Bobbi6]

Hi. I have a question. Is it ok to have mini meals verses three set meals. I eat the same amount of calories but spread out. What’s you opinions?

[Hidden]

Yes it's fine as long as it suits you.

[Bobbi6 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks!😃

[Activity2004 Administrator]

Hi Bobbi6 ,

What do you usually eat during the day for meals/snacks? Did a doctor suggest that you have small snacks during the day? What times do you usually eat your snacks/meals?

[Bobbi6 in reply to Activity2004]

Activity 2004. Yesterday. I had a salad for breakfast. It was just lettuce, oil and vinegar. Then for lunch I had a salad with 2 ounces of chicken and oil and vinegar dressing. For a snack I had a hard boiled egg. For supper another salad. Later I had cantaloupe 1 cup and a cup of green beans for a snack. If still hungry I have another salad before bed.

[Activity2004 Administrator in reply to Bobbi6]

For breakfast, why not try two hard boiled eggs on the salad?

[Bobbi6 in reply to Activity2004]

I can do that. I do love eggs. I’ll try not to graze and instead put a specific amount of calories aside for each meal. I just always fear I’ll run out of calories and find myself hungry at then end of the day. 😜

[Activity2004 Administrator in reply to Bobbi6]

For my breakfast, I eat 2 hard boiled eggs with a Greek nonfat yogurt with fruit on the bottom. This is done every morning unless I go on a vacation. Lunch is depending on if I'm at home or at my job. At home, I may have tuna fish/egg salad with something that is low carb. on the side. At work, I may either have a meal that gets dropped off, or I bring a protein bar and a piece of fruit.

[Bobbi6 in reply to Activity2004]

Thanks for the example. Protein seems to be key to staying satisfied. I’ve been shorting myself that way.

[Activity2004 Administrator in reply to Bobbi6]

What else do you like that is protein?

[Bobbi6 in reply to Activity2004]

Activity 2004 I like chicken, tuna and pork. But I limit pork for my hearts health. I love protein just don’t like all the calories in them but chicken and tuna are low in calories. I stick to 2 oz once or twice a day.

[S11m in reply to Bobbi6]

It is actually fat that makes you feel satiated, full-fat yoghurt is better for you... and Do Not Eat All Day - See:

healthunlocked.com/fasting-...

Calorie restriction suppresses the metabolism, (Intermittent) Fasting stimulates it.

[Bobbi6 in reply to S11m]

Makes total sense to me. Thanks. Grazing bad/ Fasting good. I increased healthy fats yesterday and today. Made a huge difference. I’m much more satisfied. Hubby offered me a donut and I said no way. This is so great.

[Bobbi6 in reply to Activity2004]

No a doctor didn’t advise me. I’m learning on my own so far. I’m addicted to food. I am getting a health coach assigned to me next week through my insurance. Hopefully that will help me nutrition wise.

[Activity2004 Administrator in reply to Bobbi6]

Would you be okay with me sending you a quick note?

[Bobbi6 in reply to Activity2004]

Yes ofcourse

[Bobbi6]

It just seems to me if I have x amount of calories it shouldn’t matter how far I spread them out. I eat fish, fruits and veggies mainly.

[Marielle1]

I think mini meals are better!!

[Bobbi6 in reply to Marielle1]

Why do you say that? What’s your reasoning? I’m curious.

[Marielle1 in reply to Bobbi6]

Smaller meals are easier to digest & more frequent meals keeps you satisfied (not hungry)

[Bobbi6 in reply to Marielle1]

I agree especially about the satisfaction part.

[Bobbi6]

I read it and found it hard to understand. Thanks for that clarification.

[Activity2004 Administrator]

Bobbi6 ,

Please check your messages. Just sent the message now.

[Bobbi6]

So a female needs even less. Wow!

[Bobbi6]

No wonder I’ve struggled so much with weight.

[Hidden]

I would say that if you have any health issues that could make breathing more difficult its probably best to have small meals.

Exercising keeping a good weight eating healthy is the most important thing.

[Bobbi6 in reply to Hidden]

I have lung disease and CHF. If I get too full I really have trouble breathing indeed. I’ve noticed cutting out processed foods, eating non starchy veggies and limiting fat I feel way better but need to eat more often bc most of my meals have so few calories I get hungry in between meals. But I also am desperate to lose weight but after talking to all of you I have a pretty good idea how to do that. Thanks for your advice. Sometimes I forget my health changes how things get done at times.

[Want2BHappy3]

For me it works, but I do have dinner. Otherwise I snack the rest of the time

[Bobbi6 in reply to Want2BHappy3]

Thanks

[Nonam]

I'm a person who needs to eat every 4 or 5 hours or I go off plan. Small meals calorie counted can work...good luck.

[Bobbi6 in reply to Nonam]

Thank you.

[amykp]

Grazing is a great way to gain weight...so it depends what you want.

Weight is way more than calories-in-calories-out. Your body is more complicated than that. Metabolism matters. Fat storage matters. All of this is controlled by insulin.

If you want to lose weight, you want to get your insulin under control. Grazing is the worst thing you can do, because you never give your pancreas a break--you make insulin all day long, and effectively "exhaust" the system. Two big meals (zero snacks) is way easier for insulin to handle than five tiny ones.

All that advice to eat many small meals was never supported with any science...and coincided with the rise of obesity worldwide.

Here's the website that REALLY explains this clearly: idmprogram.com/

[Bobbi6 in reply to amykp]

Thank you. My Dad does intermittent fasting. He’s lost a lot of weight. He does Keto too and is diabetic. I certainly do not want to gain weight. Looking to lose quite a bit.

[S11m in reply to amykp]

Yes... it is (Intermittent Fasting and LCHF that works, see (free):

healthunlocked.com/fasting-...

[amykp]

I do keto and IF too, but that is for other reasons (neurological ones) and I have actually lost too much weight. BMI < 20. (It is hard for me to believe too, as I've been fat my whole life.)

But that's how I know it works! What I think is reasonable for most folks is low carb, VERY low sugar, and mild intermittent fasting. (Zero snacking, among other things)

For years I followed the five-tiny-meal-a-day low-calorie plan, and ballooned and ballooned and ballooned. Now I try not to eat a bite until at least 1:00-2:00, then a huge fat-filled lunch, huge fat-filled dinner, and nothing after 8:00. Every so often I eat only one meal a day.

[Bobbi6 in reply to amykp]

Thanks amykp for sharing your progress. I’ve re-read what you posted for inspiration. I want to lower my BMI. I have a long ways to go. Doubt I’ll ever say I’ve lost too much but could see that happening on keto bc my dad does it for his diabetes and has lost a lot very fast. He will have to watch himself. I feel he’s getting too thin.

[amykp in reply to Bobbi6]

Ha--I would've said that too, once!

Just curious--do you like coffee? I have a nice coffee drink that really fills me up and I think has helped a lot. I'll give you the "formula".

[Bobbi6 in reply to amykp]

Sorry I don’t like coffee. Bummer!

[Bobbi6]

I started low carb today. I never gave carbs a thought in the past. I just avoided packaged foods mostly and potatoes. This group has given me lots to think about. Thank you.

[andyswarbs]

I have no objection to smaller more frequent meals if it works for you. What matters more is your food choices - this is critical for better health, and on that score nothing, but nothing beats a whole food plant based diet.

[Bobbi6 in reply to andyswarbs]

There’s the key Andyswarbs, eating Whole Foods. I was eating lots of fruits and veggies but little to no fat or protein. I’ve been able to eat just my three meals since eating some healthy fats and some protein. Without protein and fat I’m starving. Before all this I use to eat too much protein and too little veggies. Im finding balance now. I do believe this is a lifestyle not a diet or it won’t work either.

[IvanTheHorrible]

It depends a great deal on what you're grazing on. If one is continually snacking on sandwiches, biscuits, sweet drinks, etc etc, then that's the road to ruin, but it sounds like you're not doing that.

My personal feeling is that, as long as you're eating food that doesn't cause an insulin response (ie., non-starchy vegetables or fat) then small-and-frequent should be OK. I'm doing an experiment at the moment - on myself - to see how this works out. I'm finding that it's very, very hard to actually stick to the schedule. My normal habit is to eat twice a day, sometimes with a small lunch. I'm finding it very uncomfortable to eat frequently. Seems to me you've found the solution by simply adding more fat.

[Ladybex]

I was told eating smaller amounts more often is better than eating large portions. I have 5 small meals a day... all including fruit veg fish/meat ... I like to include Mediterranean food and enjoy a variety of tapas too..

just saying 😊