Eating Between Meals

[halas1]

So, I try really hard to make sure I'm getting enough fat and protein at meals so I can go 4-5 hours before getting hungry again. However, some days it just doesn't work out (especially those running-around-the-kids days where sitting down to a relaxed meal tends to not be exactly that). So, I try really hard not to "snack", but it doesn't always work. How bad is it really if I'm making my snacks mostly focused on fat and protein (ok maybe sometimes I have a few slices of fruit and/or a handful or so of berries with coconut flakes). 

One of my snacks was a little bit of leftover chicken breast, 1/4 of an avocado, and some zucchini soup. It made me feel a lot better, and helps me feel like I don't need to sit there thinking about food. Yes? No? Do I just need to buck up and learn how to stop snacking?

 

Thanks!

[msmith70]

I'm not sure if this is right, but this is my experience.... I was having the same problem for the first few days, but then increased my fats for a few days and I now feel satisfied. I eat a whole avocado for breakfast with a few eggs, then coffee with coconut milk. For lunch I put olive oil on my salad and drizzle a little more oil on my chilli for example at night. There are some Safcol tunas with olive oil which I snacked on when hungry but my appetite has completely levelled off now. Now I can happily fill up on a normal protein portion and a heap of veg.

[Tom Denham]

I ate again if I got hungry regardless of how many meals I had eaten that day when I started. That meant that I ate 4 or 5 times per day. The important thing is what you eat, not that you eat more than 3 times per day. At least at first. What is important is that you eat a meal or a mini-meal - protein, fat, and veggies. It is important to avoid eating filler foods like nuts or fruit where you are filling your stomach more than you are nourishing your body. Not that nuts and fruit have no nutrition, but the concept is that you are giving your body a well-rounded meal, not one dimension of a food. That said, needing to eat more than three times per day suggests that you need to increase the size of your other meals or include more protein and/or fat. After a year or so of eating more meals, I finally got comfortable eating three times per day and now can hardly imagine eating more than three times per day.

 

Note: working out means you need extra nutrition, so eating 5 meals on workout days is appropriate. Three regular meals, plus a pre- and post-workout meal.

[halas1]

Thanks so much for the responses, msmith and Tom!

 

Tom, I have often wondered what counts as a "workout". I know this is an obvious and perhaps trivial question, but I wonder sometimes if a "light" workout deserves a Pre and Post WO meal, and I guess that is just something I will start to be able to gauge on my own. I'm not asking for cut and dry, but I'm wondering if there's a standard that everyone else is aware of that I should use as a baseline. 

 

Breakfast was great today! Also, I feel so relieved knowing that there is an adjustment time and I might just eat a couple more times a day if I'm hungry, although my goal will be to fill up at mealtimes.

 

Thanks again

[bookluvingbabe]

The workout question is a good one.  If I'm walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes, I don't really think I need an extra meal or two.  How do you know when you need the extra meal?  I haven't gotten to that part of ISWF yet.

[Tom Denham]

If a workout is strenuous, your muscles would benefit from a post-workout meal. I consider strenuous doing heavy weights for more than 20 minutes, but that's me. Ten minutes of heavy lifting might justify feeding your muscles a quick portion of lean protein. 

 

I don't consider post-workout food required after walks, jogging slowly, riding a bike unless climbing hills or racing, or lots of cardio-oriented workouts. Personally, I workout with kettlebells pretty hard for 22 minutes without eating a post-workout meal consistently, but that's me and I am well adjusted to the Whole30-style of eating. And 56 years old. And lazy.