hours between meals

[ajaggie]

I know the books says you can add a meal if you're up early and/or up late and that you should try to wait 3-4 hours in between meals (I think if I understand correctly), but how long should I be waiting in between meals? I have breakfast at 7:30 am before I leave for work and lunch at 1pm, almost 6 hours in between breakfast and lunch and that seems like a long time to me and then dinner at 6pm when I get home. is that ok ? I have to stretch it out because I'm up early and up late. Should I add a meal between ? Is that right? Also I don't have a gallbladder so I can't have more fat or protein in one meal then its on the recipes.

[jmcbn]

I regularly go 6-7hrs between breakfast & lunch, and then it's usually another 5hrs until dinner.

The recommendation is for a 4-5hr window, and as you become fat adapted (ie. your body learns to use it's fat stores as fuel) this really won't be a problem. In the early days I'd probably plan on plating up a meal larger than you think you can eat, and also pack a protein/fat based snack (something like a hard boiled egg) and then eat the egg if you really feel the need. And as the days go by I guarantee you'll feel the need less & less.

Regarding your lack of a gall bladder just ensure you're eating enough in general or you may find you end up playing nutritional catch up by spacing your meals out just so much - you might need four smaller meals rather than three large ones.

Hope this helps.

[Karen_Suep]

I regularly eat on the higher end of fat in the template and also don't have a gallbladder. Have you tried eating more fats? 

I don't really have any dietary restrictions without my gallbladder but I know some can't do greasey, some can't do raw veggies, some can't do spicy. It's weird. If you have tried adding more fat and your body can't handle it, then keep on keeping on. I'm just throwing my experience out there. 

Also I am not a doctor. My doc had me limit my fats for a few weeks after my surgery but as I added more fat in, I felt great. If you are following doc orders then it trumps what my non doc self says.