ONLY 3 meals a day (zero snacks)

[ButterflyOfFreedom]

This is kind of light hearted but I was talking to a friend the other day and we got on to the topic of food. She said she has 3 meals a day and literally nothing else. So basically breakfast at 7am, lunch at 12pm and dinner at 6pm - and no other food! She said snacking is a bad habit.
I was a bit surprised but it got me thinking about what I eat - there's no way I could just have 3 meals and nothing else the whole day (I'm up at 7am, bed about 11pm).

A typical day for me food wise is:
7am Breakfast (e.g. cereal)
10.30am Snack (e.g.. apple)
12pm Lunch (e.g.. Cheese salad roll)
3pm Snack (e.g.. carrot sticks)
6pm Dinner (e.g.. chicken stir fry)
7pm Snack/ Dessert (e.g.. small bar of dark chocolate)
9pm Snack (Supper!) (e.g.. crackers)

I like to think I'm pretty healthy but maybe I am consuming too much.

What do others do / think?

I snack too, there’s no way I could exist on 3 meals a day !

I don't snack and never really have done. We never did growing up. We might have some sweets at the weekend, the odd biscuit with a tea or coffee, but that was it.

Are you overweight? If not, then no, you aren't eating too much.

There's a thread up at the moment saying how it's outrageous that a child of 12 would need to have a snack before walking three miles after school. I bloody would.

If I didn't snack, I would be a lot thinner.

The snack you have your friend would likely have as part of her main meal so you're probably not even eating more 😊 I'd have the carrot sticks with my sandwich at lunch if I was working. If not working I snack loads oops

If you're having small meals and a snack now and then that's perfectly fine.

If you're having deep fried chips and steak followed by dessert for your main meal, then having a chocolate bar before bed that's unhealthy isn't it.
Or like, a full English breakfast then having biscuits at 11am before lunch is not good etc.

It's all about context.

I misread the title as only three males a day.

Depends on how much and what you are eating really. I eat 2 meals a day but probably eat more (calorie wise) than someone on 3 meals and snacks.

Eating your main evening meal (whatever you call it - which is a while other discussion...) at 6pm seems really early. We eat at about 7.45pm and feel me need to snack after?

I sometimes snack, sometimes I don’t. Now I’m calorie counting I skip breakfast and just have a larger lunch (3 scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, toast and tomatoes for example) then noting until dinner ... but I always have snacks or “pudding” after dinner, it’s my fave part of the day and I say anything snacky for then if I can like a cornetto or chocolate bar (sometimes both. Within calories).
I’ll often have fruit at some point when I’m working long days too and to pump up my fibre.

If I could stick to just 3 meals a day without any sweat treats then I’d have breakfast, but the reality is I’ll have breakfast and won’t resist the treats so...

My mum nags me about snacking but she'd eat fruit after her lunch whereas i'd just have "main course" and the fruit mid-afternoon so in total I don't I eat much more than her (i'm also considerably taller and more active than her). It just suits me better to eat little and often. I have friend who often "forgets" to eat and it's not unusual for her to eat nothing all day until her evening meal but I have a normal BMI eating 5-6 times a day and she is morbidly obese.

I'm like your friend, in that I very rarely have snacks. I used to have lots of snacks but I changed my eating habits a few years ago and nowadays I simply don't get hungry between meals.

I eat mostly low carb, high fibre meals.

Breakfast today was a small bowl of canned grapefruit segments, followed by a bowl containing approx 25g of chopped nuts, approx 25g Grape Nuts, 10g of whey protein powder, a handful of raisins and as much whole milk as needed to fill the bowl.

Lunch is currently cooking: aubergine parmigiana (aubergines, onions, tomatoes, lots of parmrsan cheese) accompanied by a couple of slices of low carb "bread" (made with potato fibre, psyllium husk and eggs).

That will keep me going until supper, which will be a salad of tomatoes, onions and cucumber with canned salmon, followed by a banana with a couple of strawberries and a couple of tablespoons of Greek yogurt.

I used to have cereal for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch and was always hungry in between meals! I also used to get a massive post-lunch dip in energy (used to almost fall asleep at my desk). I used to eat kitkats, twixes, biscuits, crisps etc as snacks. I haven't bought any of those things for about 5 years now.

I tend to graze, I don’t eat big meals, have a small appetite, but my blood sugar dips low if I don’t snack (not diabetic, just the way I’ve always been)
I’m lower side of healthy BMI and rarely still

I don't think you eat very much at all, op. considering you are up early.

I wouldn't worry about the snacks you are having . An apple, carrot sticks, small bar dark chocolate . They don't add many extra calories but are a good way to get extra nutrients in. Your meals are fairly small too. It's not like you are snacking on half pack biscuits or crisps all the time .

I think people's bodies are built differently in terms of food consumption . Some people need to eat several small meals/ snacks a day but probably couldn't manage a 3 course meal, whereas others eat infrequently but eat larger meals .

There was a thread on here a couple of days back where people ate just one meal a day and ate their daily calories in just one meal ! Personally if I did that I would feel ill eating that much food in one go, and equally would feel unwell going all day without eating .

Apparently you should leave 12 hours overnight , so if you have having breakfast at 7 in the morning then you shouldn't snack all evening . I often don't manage that though .

I'm not trying to diet or anything, but my typical food in a day is: a bowl of dal (spiced lentils with fried onions/garlic) around midday, then dinner in the evening, with DH. Dinner is usually a 'one plate' dish - maybe pasta, or a curry, or paella or similar. Very rarely, I'll have a few grapes and/or cheese later on, but mostly I don't bother. On Sundays, it's often just one meal - the Sunday roast, no pudding. I'm still overweight (but am not bothered by it). I eat if I get hungry, but I tend not to get hungry that often!

I very rarely snack. Did a bit when pregnant. Mainly would be something like an ice cream out in summer.

Generally eat:
Breakfast- 7.30-9am
Lunch - 1ish
Dinner -6.30-7.30pm.

Cant say I’m ever particularly hungry between meals.

Those snacks inbetween don't look much though, that would be something I would have alongside a meal really so I don't think your eating anymore perhaps, looks like you've just spread it out for it the day instead of having it in one hit. I have tried eating just the 3 meals but it was the knowing I couldn't have anything whether I was hungry or not that made me miserable. So I don't bother, I just eat healthy and snack in moderation if I want to.

Your diet looks fine to me. It should be obvious if you are eating too much because either you'll be overweight already or you'll start to gain weight.

Two of your three snacks are fruit and veg and the other sounds very modest - small bar of chocolate - which is all very healthy.

Also sounds like you are getting your 5 a day with the apple, carrots, salad in the roll and presumably some veg in the stir fry.

I sometimes have a morning snack but I think having two snacks after dinner sounds excessive - why don’t you have your dinner a bit later? Or add extra veg to fill up on the fibre then? I usually have dinner at 7 and don’t get hungry until the next day.

This sounds fine but I don't really snack, breakfast, lunch and dinner are my main meals.

This could also be because I'm at work usually from 8-5pm, you have your lunch hour but I wouldn't really eat at any other time whilst I work. I've been working from home for over a year now so this could have changed but hasn't for me even though I'm at home.

I used to snack (when I was overweight).

For the past 3 years or so since I stepped off the sugar burning hunger craving cycle, I tend to just eat two decent meals a day and don’t fancy/need snacks (I skip breakfast).

I don't snack any more as I put on weight too easily. I usually have a latte with skimmed milk when I get home from work to keep me going until dinner. If you're a healthy weight I wouldn't worry!

I have 2 meals a day, brunch and dinner, and don’t snack. But, I am a smoker so that’ll be why. I think I would overeat if I gave up, just for something to do.

My “necessities” are hot drinks (Hate this trend for only water being available on training days, things like that), food and cigarettes. I can manage a few hours without one of those things. But can only manage a small amount of time without 2 of them! So if I knocked out smoking, eating would definitely increase!

I've got an active job and I snack. I'd be starving otherwise, and I don't want to do a busy/active job on an overly full stomach.

Breakfast is something like toast or yoghurt with fruit.
Then a milky coffee mid-morning, sometimes with a biscuit.
Lunch is often soup/sandwich with veggies and humous.
I then often have an afternoon snack - a bag of crisps, some chocolate or maybe yoghurt/fruit if I didn't have it for breakfast.
Then a "proper" meal for dinner, then maybe another snack before bed.

I'm not overweight so I don't worry. Everyone's different and I do think if you're active and busy all day (I normally walk 10-15km at work) then snacking is fine - it's different to being sat at a desk all day.