how many meals a day?

I want to do a little informal survey.

I have read a lot of books about health and diet. They seem to be divided in their opinions of whether you should eat three meals a day (with no snacking) or multiple small meals. Small meal proponents say that eating in this way keeps your metabolism fired up, but those against say that eating triggers the desire to eat more.

When I lived in Japan, the consensus was that one should not snack between main meals, but everyone eats well at those times, including copious amounts of white rice. Despite this, the proportion of the population who is overweight is tiny. Personally I like the idea of small meals, but planning becomes more difficult, and it goes against what I saw working in Japan.

So...have you tried both approaches? Which worked better for you in terms of weight loss?

[alison]

Re: how many meals a day?

When I lived in Japan, the consensus was that one should not snack between main meals, but everyone eats well at those times, including copious amounts of white rice. Despite this, the proportion of the population who is overweight is tiny. Personally I like the idea of small meals, but planning becomes more difficult, and it goes against what I saw working in Japan.

I spent a summer in Japan with relatives and came back to the US rail thin. They eat well and LOTS, don't snack, but somehow the walking just makes the pounds melt right off.

Yes, they eat tons of rice. But I think it's the high metabolism and portion control that balances the rice out... On the flip side, they've got some of the worst teeth I have EVER seen. Whoa boy! They're missing a lot of calcium in their diets.

As far as # of meals, I don't think I can comment on what works.

[DCJenn]

I find that three small meals and the occasional snack works well. I keep those 100 calorie bags of popcorn in my desk drawer and I nuke a Lean Cuisine for lunch most days. Breakfast is typically a whole wheat English muffin with 1) peanut butter or 2) some cheese or 3) olive oil and oregano and a piece of fruit although I'm more likely these days to take the fruit with me and eat it at about 10am.

It's tough figuring out what works for you and then incorporating it into a family setting.

Jenn

[Sheherezade]

I vote for the three meals a day. I've never had much luck with heavily controlled diets. My theory is that you need to get your mind off food. How planning 6 small meals a day does this, I do not know.

What works for me is to plan ahead for 3 meals. I usually eat the same things for breakfast /lunch for a week or two and then switch to another option. I find that monotony can kill daytime hunger. Dinner....well family necessitates certain things .... but I always try to plan something healthy and avoid the high fat options at the table.

For me, the key has always been exercise, though. Lots of it. With that, the diet becomes less extreme and more manageable.

[Stella]

I go with 5 meals a day but it's breakfast (8am), lunch (12), and dinner (7) with two snacks in between those three - one at 10 and one at 4pm. It keeps me saded and I rarely work out but have managed to maintain my physique on some level.

I have to have a mid-afternoon snack and ideally try to eat some nuts and fruit or cheese and a piece of fruit or something like that. Some days that doesn't pan out and I end up eating a bunch of sandwich cookies and feeling like crap.

I eat less at night when I have a snack. Sometimes I have a mid-morning snack and then less lunch. I do it more to maintain my energy level than diet or metabolism, I guess.

[PrincessFiona]

Well, don't take it from me...but I saw a nutritionist after Aidan was born. She put me on an "eat every 3 hours" plan. Basically, I was allowed to eat until full...and the weight dropped off.

kris

I'm a grazer. My biggest meal of the day is breakfast (which always includes chocolate in one form or another ). I eat constantly throughout the day....a couple almonds here, a slice of cheese there. It seems to be working better than eating just 3 meals a day, but I think everyone is different.

And, like Angie, the key for me is exercise....and no fast food.

[Momo]

It's tough figuring out what works for you and then incorporating it into a family setting.

This is my biggest problem...between DH's schedule, the kids needs, I can't really do what I want as far as meal planning for moi. It really has to be meal planning for the whole gang all at once or I'd be in the kitchen always!