Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Question…

How do you remember to eat every two-three hours? Or do you just eat breakfast, lunch and supper with a snack now and then? Or do you eat one meal a day and snack in-between or ??? I am curious because I have read it’s best to eat every two hours, a couple hundred calories each time up to 6 times a day. I’ve been taking Allan’s menu’s and been trying to do that, just cutting up the meals a bit so that everything is still there and done in the day but broken up a bit but I am finding it very hard to eat every two-three hours. Boy does that sound strange for someone that didn’t miss an hour of eating ever. Today I did fine until about 2 o'clock and then the day got extra busy, the night got busier and now it’s 8:45 and I didn’t have supper but I don’t eat after 6 pm so when I go to bed at 10:00 there’s nothing in there to keep me awake. Which means I’m a bit hungry which isn’t going to kill me but still it’s hard.

Do you set the timer, or just remember, or eat like us farmers use to, breakfast, lunch and supper….no snacks? What? just curious as to what all you guys do.

Yesterday I took my parents, aunt, Mike and nephew to the Conservatory in Minneapolis. It was beautiful. We walked, talked and had a great time. Well really the boys went to the zoo while we looked at the flowers and more. Then we went to the Old Country Buffet and I did awesome. I didn’t over eat, I didn’t have to roll out the door and I didn’t have anything that over did it. It wasn’t even hard, not even a little bit. I just knew when to stop, when to listen to my stomach and not stuff it so bad. It was a long day, gone 12 hours with 4.5 of them in travel time but oh so worth it all. I’m going to leave you with just a couple of pictures (if you want to see more check out this post on my other blog).

Take care my friends and have a blessed evening.

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16 comments:

Empty Nester said...

Beautiful flowers! What a great way to spend a day with family!

I don't time myself but I have three meals every day and a couple of snacks in between. I think it's just become habit at this point.

Mom to the Fourth Power said...

I love eating every 2.5- 3 hours. I eat within an hour of getting up so it goes like this:

7:30 / 8:00 ish - small breakfast (Medifast pudding)
10:30 am - Snack (Medifast pretzels or bar)
1:30 pm - Lunch (Medifast soup & crackers)
4:00 pm - Snack (Medifast muffin or shake)
6:30 pm - Dinner (Lean & Green I make)
9:00 pm ish - Snack (Medifast waffle or bar)

With each of the above 6 meals, I down about 24 ounces of water. So I feel satisfied. If I get hungry inbetween, I chew sf gum or nibble on some knox blox.

It gets to be a routine as you eat like this. My body let's me know I'm hungry without me always checking the clock. It is so much better for the metabolism when you eat every 2-3 hours and keeps the body burning fat and the blood sugar more regular which means you feel better and have more energy. I'm so sold on it!

Whatever you consistently stick to, does become habit and get's easier. :)

~Margene

E. Jane said...

I love conservatory and the Como zoo. One of my favorite places to go. We need to make a trip soon.

Leslie said...

Wow, congrats on your weight loss to date!

I've read about eating every couple of hours, but that's just too much for me. I recently did a personal thirty day weight loss challenge for myself. I wanted to lose ten pounds. I never missed a meal. Along with exercising a half hour every morning, I had Breakfast, Lunch, a snack around mid afternoon, then Dinner. And for a treat I would have jello in the evening. It worked for me. I was able to lose that last ten pounds that just wouldn't go away.

If you'd like, you can read on my blog what I did for the month.

http://jamblogging.blogspot.com/search/label/Thirty%20Day%20March%20Challenge

My blog friends were so supportive for me all month long and they gave me incentive to keep going!

Good luck with your weight loss goals, you are doing great!

Princess Dieter aka Mir said...

I have insulin resistance, and eating frequently is actually deleterious for us (more insulin spikes during the day). I tend to do three irregular meals (I don't do them at set times) or, on days like today when I had to fast for a blood test, two meals, just combine them some. Like breakfast mixed up a bit with lunch, then dinner later.

Waiting 4 to 6 hours between meals is actually better for I.R. peops, so I try to space meals that way. I don't snack much. Rarely. Occasionally. I find a 400 cal meal more satisfying than a 300 meal and a 100 snack, so snacks get mixed into meals--usually in the form of dessert (if it's fruit/nuts, or fruit w/ yogurt, or string cheese, etc).

I also have to space out my medications, and the ones I take in the evening require a pretty empty tummy. From years previously with GERD (don't have it anymore), I got used to leaving 4 to 6 hours for digestion after supper before bed. The habit has kind of stuck and my meds work better and I sleep better without my food still churning in there... So, all good.

I find this works fine, too. I only have to think about food 2 to 3 times a day, no more. I don't wanna think about food/meals 4 or 5 or 6 or more times a day, to be honest, so I'm glad that my I.R. needs jive with my mental preference.

Maude said...

Congrats on your progress! You've done so well!
My eating is really similar to Margene's except that I don't have a late snack, and instead I eat a snack early first thing before my workout.
Eating more often has made a huge difference in my weight loss. It feels so much easier. And I feel better overall.

Honeybee said...

Eating often, 5 serving a day in small portion can boost metabolism. I have experience with this. I skip meal hoping by doing this to lose weight but after all that suffer, the scale isn't change at all. Later, i learn that eating will boost your metabolism. Just be moderate and opt for healthy eating.

Twix said...

I heard this as well. When I eat every few hours, 2-3, I usually have to remind myself to eat. And sometimes argue with myself. Which you know, at my weight, seems silly. When left to my own devices I can go most of the day on nothing or pretty much nothing. Especially if that pretty much nothing was a small piece of meat. I also notice it seems activity related to. If I'm super busy for a few days or the week I don't eat much at all. I get to involved. And if it's a quiet week I found myself nibbling more. Now with one exception to the busy busy days/week, if it's a mental busy then I tend to eat something high protein and fat (brain boosting? dunno). Right now I'm just eating whenever I'm good and hungry. I'm not hungry all the time, believe it or not -sometimes for long periods of time.

Beautiful flowers, thanks you for sharing. Sounds like you had an awesome day! :)

Kalei's Best Friend said...

I just eat whenever I am hungry..
My husband would eat several little meals..

LeFebvre Momma said...

I set a timer for a long time and now its habbit. I still set a timer on weekends sometimes! I fI am going to be working outside or something that will distract me!

Karen Butler Ogle said...

I don't have a set time for meals, I just eat when I get hungry and it is close to a meal time. I eat light for lunch and breakfast and I only snack if I am really hungry in between. We have our major meal for dinner. This is part of the Primarian plan I'm following from the book I told you about, but it is pretty much how I've eaten since surgery anyway. I know for diabetic they say to eat several small meals per day but gastric bypass patients are pretty much told not too get into the habit of grazing all day. It is a sure way to regain weight to spend most of the day in and eating frame of mind. The book I mentioned, Refuse to Regain, also talks about waiting between meals to let your body work with what it has before adding more fuel to it. This is of course, just my take on it and my plan. I wish you the best, Julie.:)

Baby Sister said...

I try to have a snack every 2 or 3 hours, but in the Spring it's hard to remember because I don't have a lot of time. So if one day/week I don't do it, then I don't kill myself. I just do my best every day. One day when I have a desk job, I will set a reminder for myself on my iPod touch or whatever it is. But that'll be awhile. :)

Princess Dieter aka Mir said...

sinced you asked about the workout intensity....I'll post it here:

I work out INTENSELY a minimum of 2 a week with a trainer. I do flexibility and strength training, but the effort is such that I can get quite winded. I've sometimes sprouted tears when it's really intense toward muscle fatigue.

When I walk, I vary it. I sometimes just have a brisk walk. I sometimes have a brisk walk now WITH sprints thrown in (very few, very brief, to get to "extreme" and high-winded), and add in variations--fast, slow, medium, slow, fast. Sometimes I keep a pretty steady pace all the way through. From what I've read, the body really likes variety, so I never do the same exercises every time. Every session with the trainer includes some of a bunch of old exercises and some new ones to push me.

I don't believe in metronomic exercising (just running or walking or stairclimbing for extended periods). I believe the body and mind does better when it's fresh, challenging, varied. So,we do that. Some days, hubby and I jump rope. Some days we toss a 10 lb medicine ball. Sometimes I just decide, 'OK, this is a rest day. Where's a good novel." Some days I dance salsa.

It keeps the body...having to adapt. D

Mommy Minded said...

I have to keep things around me so that when I do notice that it has been a couple of hours, I have something right there ready to go. I always manage to notice that it is time for my next meal when I am away from home! lol

Michele said...

I love the Conservatory at Como Park!! I adore plants and love the fact that they have so many. Plus, I love the fact, too, that the zoo is FREE!! Great job on eating well. Sounds like a great day in the city!

PS: One day I seriously hope to have a small greenhouse.

MissMommie said...

Happy Birthday!!! I am so glad that your hubby got you the zumba, that's great!! Let me know how you like it, I still haven't made it to a class yet.