To not understand the point of 'snacking'

[Phillipaaa]

I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have never aten between or after meals. The reason for this is because I wasn't brought up with it.

I'm not hungry inbetween meals but then I do have decent sized portions for each meal.

I'd never be someone to sit down after evening meal with a packet of crisps.

Is this really unusual? when I go to my friends houses they seem to be constantly eating.

I'm actually embarrassed at how defensive people are getting on this thread.

its embarrassing to watch

I'm really sure it's better for you and keeps you thinner to have smaller meals and a snack in between.

Loading up on food at three big meals a day sounds horrible to me and not healthy.

It also tends to be bigger people who can live like that and smaller, slimmer people who need to have a snack.

Well gfy.

I was out of the house 7am-7pm with work.

Breakfast at my desk at 8:30am. Lunch at 1pm. Sorry for needing a snack in the afternoon when I wont get dinner until 8pm and I had lunch at 1pm.

If you can go 13 hours on a bowl of cereal and a sandwich when you're working hard then good for you.

Yes, you're unusal. Most people snack to some extent. I'm currently snacking on some Cool Doritos because I enjoy the taste.

I'm not sure really blackteas

I'm old enough (at 48) to remember when no-one really snacked, in fact I'm not even sure the word became popular until the early 80s (although I could be wrong).

Most people really did just eat 3 meals per day and actually, the average meal was much smaller in size than you tend to see nowadays.

Obesity was a rare thing and I only remember me and my siblings having a snack (which would normally be toast or bread and butter), if we hadn't eaten much dinner.

Not that snacking is the only cause of obesity, as it's a far bigger jigsaw but snacking does play a big part in it imo. Not least because many people will snack and have 3 large meals per day.

It's more embarrassing to pick up the kids from school and see the amount of junk food some kids are being fed with. I do find it depressing to see a wee one in its buggy with a pack of crisps, or the amount of kids who have a McDonald at least once a week.

They haven't got a chance, how are they supposed to eat healthy when they are adult. Again, I do snack, but most children should learn to go on for an hour feeling "hungry".

I eat when I'm hungry and dont give a fuck what the clock says! Having a complicated and difficult relationship with food means I struggle being told when i should eat, as much as being told I shouldn't snack. Some days all I will do, is graze. Handful of this, bit of that, some of the other - what I wont do is sit down and eat "a meal".

fitness why are you "embarrassed"?

Why are people getting offended by this thread?!

I snack sometimes but when I do it's out of greed because I want donuts or whatever, I don't have any misguided reasoning about metabolic / health benefits.

I was walking around the supermarket the other day thinking 80% of what was in there was processed food in one shape or form, it's quite sad that we've lost our way with food so much. Snacking is so everyday now, yet our bodies don't need it. I try and eat a small meal whenever I feel hungry. Some days I will eat twice, others four times but only ever when I feel my body needs it. It takes a lot of discipline not to eat for the sake of it.

I don't eat big meals as I get full really quickly but also get hungry really quickly so have snacks between meals to keep me going.

Also do boredom snacking as well which I know isn't healthy but fuck it, life's too short not to enjoy some things.

figaro literally LOL

If you go out for dinner OP, for what time do you book a table?

I wasn't given snacks as a child either and I bloody love snacking. So it's not down to how you've been fed as a child.

I have lunch at noon then evening meal about 7pm. That would be a long time with an active job. I have a snack at about 3/4pm most days.

I'm guessing you are slim OP? Before snacking was a thing(70s and 80s) most people were slim. A new diet book has been written on the subject called The NoS Diet. No snacking is a major part of it.

Because I can't & never have been able to eat large meals without feeling bloated, uncomfortable & sometimes a bit sick.

I'm a grazer, always have been & it's unlikely to change now. If I don't eat something every few hours I get anxious and shaky (had anxiety attacks since teen years) so I'm very aware of when I need to snack on something between meals.

It's better to eat 5-6 times a day, whether that's three bigger meals and a few snacks or 5-6 small meals, for some people as eating big meals and waiting hours in between spikes and drops blood sugars.

I'm a grazer

I disagree MissBix as eating frequently keeps blood sugars raised all day.

I need to eat little and often. It can be annoying not to be able to load up for a good few hours and forget about food.

It's not a moral failing though. And I am happy that I can eat whatever I want and stay slim.

I work 4 days a week and don't leave the office till 5.30/6 pm. What planet are you from?! By the time I've got home, I'm hungry. A piece of fruit or a cereal bar in the afternoon keeps me ticking over.

After reading this thread I had to go and have a snack. (Mmm, cream crackers ...)

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3459145/Why-skipping-breakfast-GOOD-Grazing-avoid-spikes-blood-sugar-lead-eating-myth.html

The insulin thing is nonsense, fasting is good for your body.

giddyaunt - sorry but it's not about agreeing or disagreeing, it's a fact. If you were eating 6 sugary meals a day then yes, but not if you're eating high fibre, nutritional snacks like nuts or fruit.