Need help with meal timing

[RainbowBrite]

Due to my work schedule, I'm finding myself starving and grumpy around 5:00 pm each day. Unfortunately, I'm on the road at that time so eating is a bit tough. I need to add something but I'm not sure what I should eat, when, or how much.

Here's my current eating schedule:

7:00 am - meal 1

12:00 pm - meal 2

6:30 pm - meal 3

I'm thinking I need a small meal around 5:00 pm to take the edge off but how does that effect my meal 3? I imagine I won't be hungry come 6:30 pm so do I move meal 3 back or just eat a smaller meal 3? Any ideas what I can eat while I'm driving? I was thinking a handful of nuts with some raw veggies. Thanks!

[Tom Denham]

If you can't eat more at meal 2 to get you through to meal 3 comfortably, you could eat something like a boiled egg or two (protein and fat). My favorite snack is a can of tuna and a few bites of cold sauerkraut, but that is not car food. You could, however, eat a mini-meal before you got on the road. If you need to eat less at meal 3, you could. However, your day is long enough, that adding a fourth meal would not be bad. 

 

Eating nuts and raw veggies is acceptable, but nuts can be surprisingly unhelpful at satisfying hunger while delivering a large dose of fat. 

[RainbowBrite]

An egg or two it is. I don't like nuts enough to risk being hungry after eating them.

What's the difference between a snack and a mini meal? I was under the impression any eating outside of meals should be a mini meal containing protein, fat, and veggies. I would have thought a hard boiled egg should be accompanied by veggies. I'm not complaining, I doubt I could eat a mini meal then turn around and have meal 3 just 1.5 hours later. A snack of an egg or two I can do. Just wanting to be sure I understand things.

Thanks so much!!

[Munkers]

A mini-meal would cover all three portions (fat, protein, veggies) of the template, but in amouts smaller than a true meal. So, for an example- an egg with a smear of mayo and a handful of carrots/celery or half a can of tuna with guacamole and bell pepper. It doesn't have to be huge, just a few bites of everything or whatever it takes to keep you satisfied until your next full meal.

 

A snack should hit at least two parts of the template--protein+fat (Example: a few bites of chicken with sunshine sauce or another fat or nut  butter based sauce), protein+veggie (ex: meatballs and pepper strips), fat+veggie (ex: celery and guacamole. A hardboiled egg, if eaten with the yolk, would cover your bases for protein and fat for this purpose.  The reason that you're aiming for at least two out of the three is that, if you only eat one, it's not going to stay with you and keep you satisfied. A lot of people tend to gravitate toward fruit for their snack, but a standalone piece of fruit is likely to just bump up your blood sugar and then leave you hungry again once your glucose level drops.