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Long hours, more than 3 meals?


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I just started this up on the 5th in addition to going back to work after 8 weeks of maternity leave. I am awake and active for long hours of the day and was wondering if more than 3 meals are necessary and/or allowed.

 

Due to long work hours I wake up around 0330 and typically don't get to sleep until 2100-2130 at night. My breakfast is between 0400-0500, lunch around 1030-1130 and then dinner isn't until around 1900-2000. It's between lunch and dinner that I struggle. On the days that I workout, my pre/post workout snacks somewhat tie me over; however, it's on the days that I don't workout that I am starving well before 1900-2000. It's on these days and times that I really have to focus on not eating everything I shouldn't be eating by the time dinner rolls around.

 

Is a 4th meal needed/and or allowed?

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Our recommendation is that you create meals that last you 4-5 hours.  For people with extended days, that often means they need to eat four full meals.  Try it and see how you do.  You may need the four full meals or you might be able to get by with 3 full meals and one mini meal.

 

Note that even on the days that you do work out, because of your extended hours, you might need that fourth meal/mini-meal still.  Also if you happen to be breastfeeding or pumping, we actually recommend that you are eating at least four full meals a day.  So all in all, at the moment, you are probably short changing yourself.

 

Although you didn't ask about it, may I suggest that you consider exercising less in favour of sleeping more? Having an 8 week old plus working full time plus doing Whole30 plus working out at any sort of intensity plus only getting 5 hours of sleep (hopefully unbroken but that seems unlikely vis a vis the 8 week old) is a Heck of a LOT of stress on your system.  Healthy eating puts a certain amount back into your "health bank account" but everything else is constant withdrawals.  Check out these two articles from Melissa:

 

http://whole9life.com/2015/06/stressful-times-1/

http://whole9life.com/2015/06/stressful-times-2/

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