Who's Trying to Lose Weight?

[CarolPa]

I am. And I find it difficult to eat right. First of all I rarely want to eat breakfast. I'm just not hungry. But I stay up late at night and thats when I want to snack.

I don't think there's any such thing as "eating right" when it comes to mealtimes. Your mealtime should be when you are hungry, not when society says you should eat. Just be careful that the night time snacking isn't mindless eating.

 

[taxlady]

I don't think there's any such thing as "eating right" when it comes to mealtimes. Your mealtime should be when you are hungry, not when society says you should eat. Just be careful that the night time snacking isn't mindless eating.

Agreed

 

[Addie]

Happy to say I only gained 1 Lb over labor day weekend. Aqua chi for 45 mn & water jogging for 15 mn tonight!

Good for you. That one pound will fall off this week. The next holiday is Halloween. Buy candy you don't like to pass out to the kiddies.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Belated congrats on that, PF. I was busy eating a bowl of vanilla ice cream with butterscotch topping to help you celebrate!

Thanks, CWS...The Seafood Alfredo I had Tuesday night, probably added it back.

 

[CWS4322]

I don't think there's any such thing as "eating right" when it comes to mealtimes. Your mealtime should be when you are hungry, not when society says you should eat. Just be careful that the night time snacking isn't mindless eating.

I do agree it is best to eat when one is hungry. I wasn't a breakfast person until I made breakfast my main meal of the day. I include protein, veggies, grains. It fills me up and I am not hungry later. I used to work nights and used to eat "breakfast" around 4:00 a.m., lunch around 9:00 a.m. and my evening meal around 1:00 p.m. It was hard to get back to sleeping during the night and at first I would wake up hungry at 4:00 a.m. You can train yourself to eat breakfast. Theoretically, it should be within a short time after getting up, regardless of the hour. This is because the natural state of one's body is to want fuel after waking up. Many people are out of the habit of eating breakfast and get hit by HUNGER or CRAVINGS mid-morning. It is hard to satisfy those cravings or turn off the hunger response if you don't eat sensible food.

 

[GotGarlic]

I don't think there's any such thing as "eating right" when it comes to mealtimes. Your mealtime should be when you are hungry, not when society says you should eat. Just be careful that the night time snacking isn't mindless eating.

Along with that, you don't have to have the "traditional" American breakfast, either. I often have turkey and cheese sandwiches with fruit for breakfast, or leftovers. Having both protein and a carbohydrate will make you feel full longer, whether the protein is eggs, cheese, meat, beans or nuts. And I don't want breakfast as soon as I get up, either, but I usually have it within a couple hours of getting up.

Not everyone does well on the three-meals-a-day diet, either. Some people feel better eating 4-6 small meals per day. Some of those can be snacks - doesn't have to be a big meal each time.

I do think 12 hours between dinner and breakfast is too much, though. Hope this helps.

 

[Robin]

I don't think there's any such thing as "eating right" when it comes to mealtimes. Your mealtime should be when you are hungry, not when society says you should eat. Just be careful that the night time snacking isn't mindless eating.

They say that if you go too long between meals your metabolism slows down. So not eating actually makes your body pack on the pounds more when you do eat. That's why they say to eat regularly and healthy food.

 

[Robin]

I do agree it is best to eat when one is hungry. I wasn't a breakfast person until I made breakfast my main meal of the day. I include protein, veggies, grains. It fills me up and I am not hungry later. I used to work nights and used to eat "breakfast" around 4:00 a.m., lunch around 9:00 a.m. and my evening meal around 1:00 p.m. It was hard to get back to sleeping during the night and at first I would wake up hungry at 4:00 a.m. You can train yourself to eat breakfast. Theoretically, it should be within a short time after getting up, regardless of the hour. This is because the natural state of one's body is to want fuel after waking up. Many people are out of the habit of eating breakfast and get hit by HUNGER or CRAVINGS mid-morning. It is hard to satisfy those cravings or turn off the hunger response if you don't eat sensible food.

My awake hours are a little wonky. I am awake usually around 9. I am not hungry till noon. Then we have dinner around 5 and take a 2hr nap. Then I stay up really late so somewhere between 11pm to 1am I usually want a snack. I go to bed again somewhere around 2 to 4 am.

 

[texasgirl]

You have to eat, to lose. Stupid saying, however, it's true. I went years eating a couple times a day and gained. Now that I know that eating small amounts and the right food, 6 times a day, I am losing.
I lost another 2 lbs, so, now it's 15lbs off and I'm excited again, lol
If you have to eat that late, make it good food. Vegetables, fresh or frozen, not canned, are the best. If you make a habit of eating something small when you get up, you will get use to it. Your metabolism is like a fire. If you don't stoke and feed it, you goes out. You have to keep it burning.

 

[GotGarlic]

My awake hours are a little wonky. I am awake usually around 9. I am not hungry till noon. Then we have dinner around 5 and take a 2hr nap. Then I stay up really late so somewhere between 11pm to 1am I usually want a snack. I go to bed again somewhere around 2 to 4 am.

So what do you snack on?

If you're eating your first meal at noon and your second meal at 5 pm, it's not surprising that you're hungry again 6 hours later For your schedule, that's dinnertime.

This reminds me of our experience visiting our German exchange student and his family. They had their main meal in the middle of the day, an afternoon snack of coffee and pastry, and a smaller meal of cold cuts and bread in the evening. You could have something relatively light, like soup and/or sandwiches around midnight.

 

[CarolPa]

I think many people today are overweight because they eat because it's lunchtime or dinnertime, etc. They eat to keep hunger and cravings at bay. It's my opinion that you should eat when you are hungry. Hunger is your bodies way of telling you it needs fuel. If you don't get hungry until mid morning, don't eat until mid morning. If you eat before your body signals hunger, you are adding calories when your body is still burning the last calories you ate. So the extra calories get stored as fat. Our bodies are biologically programed for eating when hunger strikes. The abundance of food and social situations have us retrained to eat according to a different schedule. Also, if you get hungry and then feed your body empty calories, you will continue to want to eat because your body didn't receive the nutrients it was needs.

This is just my opinion and isn't necessarily for everyone. I don't doubt that there are other eating plans that are successful in dieting. You can lose weight on any diet as long as you stick to it. Each person has to follow what works for them.

 

[CarolPa]

So what do you snack on?

If you're eating your first meal at noon and your second meal at 5 pm, it's not surprising that you're hungry again 6 hours later For your schedule, that's dinnertime.

This reminds me of our experience visiting our German exchange student and his family. They had their main meal in the middle of the day, an afternoon snack of coffee and pastry, and a smaller meal of cold cuts and bread in the evening. You could have something relatively light, like soup and/or sandwiches around midnight.

This is the way my grandparents ate. I always thought it was because my grandfather worked the afternoon shift in the mill and my grandmother always gave him a big meal at noon before he went to work. Maybe that wasn't the case, because my grandmother was German and may have developed that eating pattern from her heritage. When I was single I kept my weight low by eating breakfast and lunch and then having a small salad or cup of veggies at dinnertime. My reasoning for that was I was active in the morning and afternoon at work and needed that fuel. In the evenings, I would be sitting on the couch watching TV and wasn't burning as many calories. Also, I slept so much better going to bed on an empty stomach because my body was resting and repairing, not digesting a big meal. This kept me thin. After marrying my husband, dinner was a necessity for him. He eats very little during the day and is famished at dinner time. I tended to change my eating habits to mesh with his and I gained a lot of weight. I was eating because he was eating, not because I was hungry and my body wanted fuel. He was used to eating that way and never gained an ounce. Not fair!

 

[GotGarlic]

I think many people today are overweight because they eat because it's lunchtime or dinnertime, etc. They eat to keep hunger and cravings at bay. It's my opinion that you should eat when you are hungry.

You're contradicting yourself a bit here If they're eating at lunchtime or dinnertime to keep hunger at bay, then they're hungry and should eat. There are many reasons why people are overweight.

I think it's normal for people to get hungry every 6-8 hours. CWS said her schedule used to have her eating the last meal of the day at 1 p.m. and the first meal at 4 a.m. That's 15 hours! No wonder she woke up ravenous. It's the same with Robin: If his first meal is at noon and second meal at 5 p.m., of course he's going to get hungry 6-7 hours later. That means he has to have a regular meal at that time, not a snack.

 

[Robin]

So what do you snack on?

If you're eating your first meal at noon and your second meal at 5 pm, it's not surprising that you're hungry again 6 hours later For your schedule, that's dinnertime.

This reminds me of our experience visiting our German exchange student and his family. They had their main meal in the middle of the day, an afternoon snack of coffee and pastry, and a smaller meal of cold cuts and bread in the evening. You could have something relatively light, like soup and/or sandwiches around midnight.

Just depends on what I have. Usually if there is (I suppose you'd call it lunch but I say dinner) left I will eat that. Like yesterday we ate potatoes, chicken liver, and corn muffins. There was a little chicken liver (about a half cup) and a couple corn muffins left. Me and my two yr old shared it.

Other times it might be a PB&honey sandwich. Usually something small.

 

[CarolPa]

You're contradicting yourself a bit here If they're eating at lunchtime or dinnertime to keep hunger at bay, then they're hungry and should eat. There are many reasons why people are overweight.

I think it's normal for people to get hungry every 6-8 hours. CWS said her schedule used to have her eating the last meal of the day at 1 p.m. and the first meal at 4 a.m. That's 15 hours! No wonder she woke up ravenous. It's the same with Robin: If his first meal is at noon and second meal at 5 p.m., of course he's going to get hungry 6-7 hours later. That means he has to have a regular meal at that time, not a snack.

Maybe I worded that wrong. If they are eating at lunchtime or dinnertime to keep hunger at bay, I mean they are eating before they get hungry to keep themselves from getting that hungry feeling. I don't think they should be eating those meals until they actually feel hungry. Obviously I don't always follow this, or I would not have a weight problem. I just think that this is how our bodies are meant to work. It is normal to go a long time between dinner and breakfast the next day because your body should not be digesting food while you sleep. It is called breakfast for a reason. "Break Fast" break the fast you were on overnight.

I can easily relate to Robin's food schedule. If I eat dinner at 5 PM, 6 or 7 hours later I am in bed, fast asleep. I want that 5 PM meal to be pretty much digested by the time I go to bed.

I realize there are many reasons for being overweight and there are just as many ways of dealing with losing it. Each person should do what works for them to keep their weight under control and stay healthy.

 

[GotGarlic]

...your body should not be digesting food while you sleep.

Do you have a source for that? I'm not trying to be difficult; I have serious digestive issues and I am very interested in learning as much as I can about the digestive system, metabolism and nutrition.

 

[taxlady]

... Our bodies are biologically programed for eating when hunger strikes. The abundance of food and social situations have us retrained to eat according to a different schedule. Also, if you get hungry and then feed your body empty calories, you will continue to want to eat because your body didn't receive the nutrients it was needs.

...

I've been saying that for years.

I think we have to re-learn to listen to our bodies. Our bodies will usually tell us not only when it's a good time to eat, they will tell us what we need to eat.

Ever get a craving for OJ? You probably need vitamin C. Ever eat a pork chop and the visible fat was really yummy at the beginning of the meal and then at some point it tasted gross? That's your body telling you that you need fat and then telling you that you have eaten enough fat.

 

[CWS4322]

So what do you snack on?

If you're eating your first meal at noon and your second meal at 5 pm, it's not surprising that you're hungry again 6 hours later For your schedule, that's dinnertime.

This reminds me of our experience visiting our German exchange student and his family. They had their main meal in the middle of the day, an afternoon snack of coffee and pastry, and a smaller meal of cold cuts and bread in the evening. You could have something relatively light, like soup and/or sandwiches around midnight.

I was an exchange student in Germany. I ate like that. We had breakfast and then our big meal at noon, coffee around 4:00 p.m. and our evening meal was light--veggies, bread with spreads. I lost 18 lb when I lived in Germany. I was, however, running 10 km a day.

 

[taxlady]

Do you have a source for that? I'm not trying to be difficult; I have serious digestive issues and I am very interested in learning as much as I can about the digestive system, metabolism and nutrition.

I have no sources, but I think it's good to sleep/nap after a heavy meal. I think your body needs more of its resources to digest it and if you are up and walking around, you will be diverting those resources to your muscles and brain. Ever seen a pride of lions gorge themselves after a kill? They nap after that.

 

[texasgirl]

They also run for long periods