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 eat one meal a day. I wish it made me skinny but it doesn't because my medication affects my metabolism.

I'm not overweight so think it's fine.

We eat together as a family (small children) hence the relatively early evening meal - which in turn = hence the later evening snacks!

It is interesting to hear people's differing viewpoints/ eating habits though. I'm not sure I could eat much less than I do and I don't know how those of you saying you only have one or two meals a day do it!

80sMum low carb "bread" (made with potato fibre, psyllium husk and eggs

Which recipe do you use, please? (I make the protein bread popularised by Banting King on YT but like potato fibre.)

There’s nothing wrong with snacking but we have become a nation obsessed with it, and equally 3 meals a day is perfectly fine.

The only thing with snacking so regularly is that your body never becomes used to having to burn its own resources so if you ever want or need to diet you will find it far more difficult to cut back.

You really shouldn’t be snacking at 9 at night though. Ideally your last meal should be it, because your metabolism will keep going and you may find it more difficult to sleep.

All depends on your metabolism. You mentioned your weight is fine and the snacks are pretty healthy. I wouldn't worry.

I only eat three meals a day 95% of the time, but I am on a weight loss journey. Weirdly I lose more weight when I have three meals vs five, even with exactly the same calories.

I think it depends on what the snack is. OPs apple or carrot sticks seems fine, for example.

I’m slim and I snack but I try not to graze as then I don’t always remember how much I’ve eaten in a day. I find that even if I eat a big meal I’m hungry 3 hours later so I don’t eat massive portions.

I rarely snack, 3 meals and very occasionally a snack if I’m starving but I agree it’s not a great habit to get in to unless your meals are small.

Breakfast around 9am here, Main meal most days at lunchtime 1-2ish and supper around 8.30pm when DD in bed

I don't snack, never have done even as a kid. I generally have berries, yoghurt and nuts about 9am, prawn or chicken salad at 1.30 and then some lean meat and veg at 6pm.

I'm newly diabetic so nervous of carbs and extra fruit. It's affected my appetite too hence the smaller meals.

I'm with your friend.

I find the hardest and hungriest part is from 12 (lunch) to dinner ( 6-6.30) so I might have some nuts of an apple, but otherwise no, I don't snack and last meal of the day is over by 7.

I have breakfast sometime between 6-7, dinner about 12 and tea at 5. No snacks at all. I've struggled with weight and binge eating in the past, since cutting the snacks out completely even if they're healthy ones I've felt much better mentally and weight wise

Last year I got so fed up with my slowly creeping up weight and waist line and finally got the strength to change my eating habits over this winter. I now have to meals a day except on Sundays when I have brunch as well. Strictly no snacking and our main meal is finished by 7pm usually. I'm not hungry at all later at night because my meals are low carb and high fat. Good fats, moderate protein and good sprinkling of sea salt on your dinner keep you feeling satiated for a long time.

It was hard to wean off the 9:30pm hot chocolate & biscuits habit but that's all it is, a habit. Having a satisfying evening meal obviously really helps.

I don't think your diet is that healthy OP. Processed cereals, carrots and apples are naturally very sugary (which is why they are appealing) you'd be much better to have those with your main meals rather than as a snack. Do you have healthy fats at all?

Snacking, even if it's something perceived as healthy, will just keep your pancreas pumping out insulin which in long term turns to insulin resistance and then to T2D. Your body is in constant state of digesting food and this can contribute to inflammation and many modern health problems we now have.

• TWO meals

I don't think your diet is that healthy OP. Processed cereals, carrots and apples are naturally very sugary (which is why they are appealing) you'd be much better to have those with your main meals rather than as a snack. Do you have healthy fats at all?

Don't be so ridiculous.

There is NOTHING wrong with a snack of an apple or some carrot sticks.

I eat two meals a day and no snacking.

However I'm trying to finally be in control of my diet, this seems to work well for me whereas "having a snack" even healthy ones just make me start eating everything in sight again.

If you're not overweight then what you're eating works well for your body and I wouldn't worry about eating little and often.

I don't think your diet is that healthy OP. Processed cereals, carrots and apples are naturally very sugary (which is why they are appealing) you'd be much better to have those with your main meals rather than as a snack. Do you have healthy fats at all?

I too think this is a ridiculous comment.
I know messaging about food can be confusing but surely fruit and particularly veg are the best snacks you can have..!?!

I guess I get healthy fats in things like oily fish and nuts (the latter if which I do snack on sometimes too)

You are free to think it's a ridiculous suggestion.

A small carrot contains approximately an equivalent of one teaspoon of sugar. Carrot also of course contains vitamins and fibre too and is a better snack than couple of biscuits, but on it's own (including any fruit), no not a great snack. You'd be a lot better off to eat nothing than a bunch of carrot sticks.

But if you feel good OP, then carry on, it obviously suits you. You were curious to know other view points though.

I guess it depends on the person.
I have real trouble maintaining a healthy weight sometimes and can rapidly lose weight if I suddenly decide I do not like a lot of the foods I eat (I have very restrictive diet probably cos of my autism)
My coach told me long time ago that even when we not exercising we eat three meals a day plus snacks. Telling me this means I have stayed healthy weight in lockdown and not been underweight
So that is different to what people say here (and I eat very little veg!)
But different things suit different people I guess

I gave up sugar and snacking 4 years ago.
I eat three meals at day and don't get hungry in between. I think probably because I don't eat sugar I don't get that crashing hunger anymore.

I'm not being smug though - after initially losing over 6 stone, The weight has started to creep back up and I'm still obese! I was eating way over 2,000 calories a day in those three meals (I'm CC now and the weights creeping back down)

I snack loads but I try to make some of the snacks healthy like fruit. I don't eat very big portions of meals though, I guess I sort of eat little and often as a general rule. I've always been like this even as a child. Never been overweight, my BMI is always towards the bottom end of the normal range. I do consume too much sugar though.

I eat twice a day and don't snack.

@ButterflyOfFreedom

I don't think your diet is that healthy OP. Processed cereals, carrots and apples are naturally very sugary (which is why they are appealing) you'd be much better to have those with your main meals rather than as a snack. Do you have healthy fats at all?

I too think this is a ridiculous comment.
I know messaging about food can be confusing but surely fruit and particularly veg are the best snacks you can have..!?!

I guess I get healthy fats in things like oily fish and nuts (the latter if which I do snack on sometimes too)

Erm why is the OP replying to the OP.... suspicious much??

Have breakfast at 7am, lunch 11am, dinner 4pm and supper 7pm. I do occasionally have a snack around 2pm. Usually one portion of fruit.

cricketmum84 I (the OP) was replying to redhotchilipepper

Sorry that should say redhotchilichips