Do you usually skip a meal?

Absolutely not. Ideal for me is eating several times a day. Pretty sure I’ve never skipped a meal.

And with my workout routine, eating too few calories would not be the least bit beneficial. Food is energy. It helps keep me fit.

Sure. All the time. Sometimes I only eat once a day. That 3 meals a day is a throw back to the days when we were all farmers. Get up, eat a huge, hearty breakfast, go out work your butt off, come back in halfway through the day, hungry, recharge, then come in starving at the end of the day.
Most of us aren’t really active enough to warrant 3 meals a day.

@Dutchess_III “Most of us aren’t really active enough to warrant 3 meals a day.”

False. The average person needs 2000 (female) to 2500 (male) calories per day to maintain their weight. You could certainly eat that in one meal (I could, anyway), but it can also easily be spread out over multiple meals.

Meal timing/frequency is irrelevant if we’re just talking weight control. It’s calories in vs. calories out. Most of us can’t get adequate nutrition into our bodies in a single meal a day, though. And energy levels are a whole other thing.

I work out one hour a day and have a desk job, yet it takes 2150 calories/day to not gain or lose weight. And I’m not special – that’s a pretty normal number. Metabolism does slow with age, but not as much as people think.

I am terrible about eating breakfast which is important.
I drink coffee all morning and then usually have lunch right about now, at noon in CA.
Then, I eat a late dinner now that the time has changed again, around 7 to 8 pm.
Last night we had a few drinks on the porch and then made delicious crab cakes with an avocado salad and ate around 7:30. Pretty healthy and not a heavy dinner but then…..the night time candy raid is my downfall.

I am addicted to coconut easter eggs right now. lol

Lately, I only eat two small meals per day. I simply don’t need more with my current routine, and am not going to force myself to eat three purely for tradition’s sake. When I’m doing physically demanding work, which is common for me in the summer, I definitely need three, and eat three.

I agree with @livelaughlove21‘s comment about calories in vs. calories out being more important than the frequency of meals. However, it’s much easier for me personally to make two meals that “feel” the right size for a meal, rather than try to balance the same number of calories over three meals. The latter strategy would be more work for me, and I have no reason to keep to a three-meal routine, so I don’t.

My calorie needs are much lower than 2000. Closer to 1200.

@dappled_leaves No reason for all meals to be equal in calories.

@Dutchess_III Unless you’re 4 feet tall, bedridden, or have a metabolic condition, no they are not. Most people eat way more calories than they think they do.

I eat a bit less when I exercise more, my weight isn’t drastically lower, and I’m not hungry.

Most people eat way more calories than they think they do.

Yep.

I always eat a big breakfast (well over 1000 Kcal) and sometimes I get so busy working during the day that I forget about eating lunch.

I tend to eat one meal a day.

No chance, breakfast/lunch/dinner are definitely “on the menu” for me, my lifestyle builds up a healthy appetite.

When I’m at sea and constantly moving, I eat more, maybe five or six small meals a day. There’s no real schedule after the first meal. I eat when I’m hungry and I don’t when I’m not. Things are more regular when I’m on land; when I’m just sitting on my ass reading and writing like now on St. Helena. It’s been raining a lot, so with less activity, I naturally just eat less, unless there is something I really like on the menu, or a major yen strikes. I’ll even skip a meal now and then if I’m into something interesting. I don’t pay attention to the caloric count and stay away from junk, and as there hasn’t been any noticeable weight or energy fluctuations, I guess I’m doing it right.

I only eat when I am hungry. Sometimes I only eat one meal a day and a few snacks.

@livelaughlove21 By “same number of calories”, I meant the same total over a day, not the same number of calories per meal. :)

@livelaughlove21 I have always been underweight at about 5’8” and 120 pounds. When I went into labor with my first baby I only weighed 135. After the 2nd kid was weaned I started packing on the pounds. Can’t blame it on the baby, I had just changed my eating habits. While I was nursing, which I did for almost 4 years in a row, my body would burn those calories. It’s when I weaned him that I started gaining.

I determined what calorie intake was best for me to begin to lose weight and to maintain the weight I wanted. That number was 1400. I learned to count calories. I counted everything that when in my mouth, even if it was a Life Saver candy. I still count calories subconsciously to this day.

I know that people consume more calories than they think they do. My husband is a good example of that. The other night he piled a plate up with lettuce…then poured about 800 calories of salad dressing on it! But in HIS mind it was a lean, healthy meal because he doesn’t realize that there are ~100 calories per tablespoon in dressings and he just drowned the lettuce with it.

If people kept a calorie count I think they’d be amazed at how many they consume.

@Dutchess_III So now it’s 1400 to lose instead of 1200 to maintain? What happened there?

I’ve encountered a lot of people that complain, “I’m tracking everything I eat, eating x calories per day, and not losing.” The main reasons are:

1.) Inconsistent logging. The “I eat 1500 calories per day Monday-Friday and then I might go just a little nuts on weekends; I’m not losing, so 1500 must be my maintenance calories,” thing. Or, “I logged for two weeks and then basically are the same thing every week, so I stopped logging.”

2.) Inaccurate logging. For the most accurate calorie count, solids should be weighed and liquids should be measured; using measuring cups for solids is very inaccurate. No eyeballing portions. Realizing that 4 oz cooked chicken is very different from 4 oz raw chicken. These are small mistakes that can add up to a lot of calories unaccounted for over time.

3.) Overestimating calorie burns. This is where people think jogging for an hour means they can have a 800-calorie dessert after dinner and it won’t “count.”

**I’m not suggesting everyone should count calories as closely as I choose to, but it’s what it takes to truly know how much you’re actually eating.

This thread is making me hungry for the steak tacos I’ll be stuffing my face with in about an hour.

No I’m trying to gain weight, so I definitely try to avoid skipping meals. It happens sometimes, though. Some days I only have a free hour at noon and I’m not hungry yet by then.

I generally skip meals on weekends until a relatively early (for me) dinner at 5:30 – 6:30 PM. Otherwise, I have fruit for breakfast every day at work, a medium-sized lunch that I’ve packed in, and a salad at dinner.

Skipping those weekend meals can lead to some larger-than-expected grocery purchases as I do most grocery shopping on weekends, but I kin live widdat.

I hardly ever eat a proper lunch, but I do snack during the day.

Yea, when i dont have money.

I’ve been eating routinely and haven’t skipped a meal for at least the past three months, and proud of it.

At the expense of blowing up in hunger fueled rage? I don’t think so.

Eating crab with cocktail sauce right now and french rolls with real butter! lol Mmmm.

@livelaughlove21 Do you have a specific site or app that you use to log calories? I’ve been hunting around, and haven’t found one I like yet.

I use mynetdiary @dappledleaves. I find it works well and syncs between my ph and laptop (s).

@Earthbound_Misfit Thanks. :)

@dappled_leaves MyFitnessPal is the only one I’ll use. Website and app. I hated all the others I’ve tried, but I’ve been on MFP for well over a year.

I don’t use their calorie and macro recommendations, though. If I did, I’d be eating 1200 calories a day. I lose a pound a week eating 1700, so I manually enter my goals. But their database is HUGE and there are forums with really knowledgeable people.

No, hell no, and uh-uh, too! I would probably pass out if I missed a meal. When it comes to food and eating, I’m a black hole!

@livelaughlove21 Thanks! That’s what I really need, a huge and accurate database.

Very rarely, when I don’t have time. Usually the meal skipped is breakfast, but there are occassion when dinner is skipped. I remember having milkshake for dinner :P

Never. I graze throughout the day.

I usually don’t eat dinner.

I rarely eat breakfast.

@longgone ’So now it’s 1400 to lose instead of 1200 to maintain? What happened there?” 30 years and a less active life style. It was 1400 when I was 29 and playing volley ball 3 times a week, and raising 3 kids and running all over the place.

I really believe in counting calories. I do NOT believe in any fad diets. I don’t believe in diets, period. When you count calories, you quite naturally tend toward leaner, less fattening foods, and away from sugars and fats. After a while, it becomes a life style, not a diet.

Nobody should ever drop below 1,500 calories ra day. Very hard to meet you protein and overall nutritional requirements. My regime for years was sticking to about 1,500 calories a day, 5 days a week with splurge weekends. Worked like a charm for me, along with walking and some weight and floor exercise.

@Dutchess_III After a while, it becomes a life style, not a diet.”

Absolutely. I don’t view tracking calories as a temporary thing. I plan to always do it.

@Coloma “Nobody should ever drop below 1,500 calories ra day. Very hard to meet you protein and overall nutritional requirements.”

I tend to agree. Plus, I’d be extremely grumpy if I had to eat less than 1500 calories per day. I’ve done it before, and it’s simply not sustainable or beneficial to your health. Yesterday I was resting a sore back and couldn’t work out, so I dropped my calories to 1500 instead of 1700 (I normally wouldn’t do that, but I’m currently cutting a few more pounds for bikini hotness) and I could’ve ripped my own arm off and eaten it, even though I was eating high volume nutritious meals. This girl needs to EAT! :)

@Dutchess_III I didn’t say that ;)

Sry!

@livelaughlove21 “So now it’s 1400 to lose instead of 1200 to maintain? What happened there?” 30 years and a less active life style. It was 1400 when I was 25 and playing volley ball 3 times a week, and raising 3 kids and running all over the place at top speed.

I have a question for those of us who have managed to lose weight and keep it off: Do you avoid those foods that are so good just because they’re loaded with fat, like sour cream, or do you buy “low fat” sour cream and ice cream, etc?

My answer is I just avoid it. Usually. :D GET THAT CHEESECAKE AWAY FROM ME!!!

A mixture. I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, for instance, because it tastes the same to me for a lot less calories. However, I still eat ice cream, cookies, donuts, etc. in moderation. Yesterday I had an ice cream cone that fit nicely into my calories.

I haven’t cut anything out of my diet completely, but we rarely have treats in the house because it would be a waste of money, especially when we’re both cutting like we are now.

I work in an office where we constantly have cake, cookies, and other sweets for birthdays and such. I love all of those things, but it doesn’t bother me to not eat it if I can’t fit it into my macros. If it’s between eating a donut and skipping my planned afternoon snack that is more filling, or sticking to my plan and getting more volume, I’ll usually opt for the latter. But if I really want a cookie, I make it work.

In other words, get me a slice of that cheesecake, would ya?

I’ll split it with you!

I’ve found that mild salsa is a great substitute for lots of flavor. Works on so many things, like baked potatoes. Yum.

Yeah, I’d rather have the real thing less often than have a crappy substitute more frequently. I also use Greek yogourt instead of sour cream, because it still tastes good; I wouldn’t bother trying to find a low-fat sour cream.

I also don’t buy skim milk. I drink less milk, and when I do, I often cut it with water – tastes the same, just has a fresher feel to it. I don’t know what it is about skim milk, but it just doesn’t seem like milk to me at all. It’s so gross.

Skim milk really is gross! It’s like cow pee or something.

I like almond milk, or cashew milk. I don’t drink milk by itself, but unsweetened almond and cashew milks are creamy like whole milk and perfect for protein shakes and oatmeal for only 25–30 calories per cup. If I were to drink a glass of milk or pour it on cereal, I prefer the taste of 1% or 2% cow’s milk.

Milk is a bit of a down fall to me. I happen to love it! But I can’t drink it by itself. Milk is the reason I often have a toasted English muffin in the morning. Not for the muffin, but to prime my taste buds for the milk.

I always skip breakfast when I have school. I always end up waking up like 10 minutes before I have to leave, I never have time for breakfast. Also, eating that early makes me want to throw up.

Sometimes