Today's question is this...to snack or not to snack?
I realize that you are supposed to eat several times a day vs. 3 times a day. Of course my body and brain would be happy with 1-2 times a day if I could eat a giant meal. However I am really trying to do this the right way. So I have been having an afternoon snack everyday, which is great cuz I'm trying to eat a small lunch, and it helps me get through. However I am occasionally also eating an evening snack. Not always, but more often then not. I don't however, ever eat a morning snack. Let me lay out my daily meal times for you, and you can see what I'm talking about, then maybe you can help.
8-9am - Breakfast (depends on how kids are doing and the morning routine if I eat before or after they go to school)
Lunch - 11:30am ish
Snack - 3pm ish (I try to have something before kids get home from school, otherwise it gets hectic)
Dinner - 5-6pm - I know this is early for some people, but I try to have dinner on the table between 5 - 5:30 since most of our evening activities start at 6pm. Sometimes though, we eat at 4:30 but not often.
Evening Snack - 9pm ish - after kids are in bed
I have a couple of trains of thought I am pondering, and am looking for a consensus to adapt :) So please weigh in if you have any input on this subject at all.
I hear you should eat 6 times a day, which means I am not eating enough, but where do I add food, and what do I take out cuz I'm not really hungry?
I hear you should NOT eat 2 hours before bed, which I am close to since I go to bed around 11pm. But what if it's later than 9pm, do I eat a snack anyway, or do I go to bed later to keep the window, or do I not snack and skip a "meal" so to speak???
What if I'm not hungry by 9pm? Do I not snack?
How big of a snack is really required to count as eating if I'm not hungry? Could a slice of cheddar be enough, or do I need 1/2 cup size?
Do I need a protein with every eating time? Or would veggies or fruits be enough?
Does a smoothie count as eating? If I were to make a fruit smoothie for a snack does that count?
Thanks to all for your help, and for listening today :):):)
Hey Misty, I saw your post on Pinterest. I'd say maybe snack between breakfast and lunch and between lunch and dinner. But since you eat dinner so early maybe a light snack after dinner would be better but not past 8pm. Fruits and veggies are great snacks because you can eat so much for so little calories. Protein like nuts and peanut butter are good too because it keeps your full. I've always heard do not go more than 3 hours without eating, help keep your metabolism going. This is my two cents, hope this helps :)
ReplyDelete5 times a day should be fine. The 9 pm snack is not at all ideal though. everything that you eat within 3 hrs of sleeping will be stored as fat. I would suggest moving that time up some. Also, here is a link to one of my blog articles with some great healthy 80-100 calorie snacks.
ReplyDeletehttp://trainingwithnate.blogspot.com/2012/01/80-100-calorie-snack-list.html
I dont think you need a morning snack as u eat lunch fairly early and dinner early as well. If you had a little more time between your main meals than i would suggest a morning and afternoon snack... I think ur plan is good except ur evening snack..I for one eat about every 2 hours.breakfast at 8:30ish snack at 11 lunch at 1 afternoon snack at 4 and dinner about 7 or 8... Stacey and Nathan are right not to eat right before u go to bed.. i would agree that an early evening snack is a great option and smoothies are fantastic snacks.. add some raw baby spinach to any smoothie u cant taste the difference and u are getting the benefits of the spinach. protien is always a good choice i usually got for protien snacks right before and after a work out. fruits and veggies are my go to snack.. :) Good luck on your journey...
ReplyDeleteHey there Misty,
ReplyDeleteI was told in a nutrition that is not good to eat anything less than 4 hours before you go to bed. Reason is your body usually stores that food as fat or sugar immediately vs eating after you work out or when you are having much more daily activity. I was told by some, that it might depend on the type of food like protein. but I have found that its just better not to eat and go to bed with a little feeling of hunger. It usually means that you wake up hungrier, and you eat more for breakfast which matabolizes easier during the course of a busy day. Not eating is the mental thing. You just need to tell yourself you don't NEED to eat anyything.
The way I've been told by numerous trainers when it comes to eating is eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper. If you consume more calories in the morning you have more time to burn them off. I'm sure that's hard to do with a husband and kids though, it's been hard for me to get in that mind set as well.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried just drinking two big glasses of water instead of an evening snack? Are you watching TV with your snack? That's a big trigger for me so maybe those are things to consider too. Best of luck!
Hey Misty, we are horrible with the evening snack and really need to break that habit too. I've found that when I snack healthily with my kids, I'm less hungry after lunch and I get more full at dinner. My sister lost a ton of weight before she got married, and she told me she never ate after dinner (6pm-ish). I have tried off and on to just drink water instead of snacking in the late evening, and that seems to really help. I just need to convince Dave to not break out the ice cream or popcorn at 9:30 pm!
ReplyDeleteThank you all for the tips. So I am going to move my evening snack up to 7-8pm depending on dinner. That would put me in the 3-4 hour window :):):) I am drinking water continuousely, it is funny, I have found that I was not so much addicted to the soda, or the caffiene as I am the habit of just drinking all the time. I don't even really like water, but I find myself drinking it simply because I put it in a cup with a straw, and I grab it and drink it without thinking. I think I will work on the smoothies as snacks to. I guess I am still in search of the happy medium. I will have to determine if having a snack when I'm not hungry is something I need to do, or if I will skip it based on the day.
ReplyDeleteBrandi, I like the King, Prince Pauper theory.
Amy, my hubby does the same thing. I'm sitting here all nice and fine, and he shows up with a bowl of ice cream for both of us, or popcorn. So I completely understand your issue :) I think Hubby is finally realizing that it is not the best idea and so he has not been doing it as much.
Recommendations for a good protein shake?
Misty,
ReplyDeleteI will look for our protien shake book....the boys drink them in the morning and in the afternoon when they are done working out....we use everything such as....uncooked oatmeal, bananas, blueberries, peanut butter, raspberries, strawberries, you name it the eat it or should I say drink it....have you ever eaten Cliff bars....super yummy and the do the trick....love ya lots keep up the good work...Dawn
Fruit and veggie snacks are awesome! Try to eat fruit earlier in the day so that you burn off the carbs! Just a slice of cheese is fine for a snack, you don't need a full serving. Watch the fat in your cheese though-I know that's a big struggle for me!
ReplyDeleteYou're doing awesome just by being more aware : ) Keep up the great work!