Number of meals per day?

[AmyS]

I did a Whole30 back in September/October; another one between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I'm on day something of a Whole100 that will end on April 10.

I haven't had much difficulty sticking wtih compliant food choices. I don't eat out that much, so I just shop the veggie aisle instead of the bread and coffee aisles... that sort of thing.

I have just noticed something recently, now that I'm in to my third round. I'm really actually only eating two meals a day. Hm.

When I did my first Whole30, I was not hungry for lunch so I'd eat some nuts and a banana (I know, technically compliant foods but not eaten in a recommended way).

Second Whole30, I was less interested in fruits and nuts, so just tended to eat - I don't know, but I'm guessing it wasn't three times a day.

Now I'm noticing it big time. I wake up, take my Synthroid, and an hour and a half later I eat a meal. Then I'm not hungry again (like, at all) until about 3:00 p.m. My schedule allows me to eat then, so I do. I may eat something small laster (the other night I ate spaghetti squash with avocado). Last night I wasn't hungry at lunch and didn't get a chance to eat again until almost 6:00. I was pretty hungry by then.

I know I'm not really reading hunger cues accurately yet. I was so addicted to sugar that I only ate when I had a sugar crash. Now I don't have sugar crashes, so I don't really recognize when I'm hungry.

Meals tend to be: wilted greens/spaghetti squash/avocado/tomato/meat protein of some kind. With spices, a bit of salt, olive oil maybe, some kind of vinegar.

So I have two questions:

1. What would you recommend in order to get up to three meals a day? (Now that I've recognized that, doh, I'm not actually eating three)

2. What do I need to look/feel for to identify hunger cues, now that I'm sans sugar crashes?

Thanks in advance.

[Rachael2288]

The biggest thing for me is making sure I eat right away in the morning to jump start my metabolism. If I don't eat within a half hour of waking up my hunger cues are thrown off for the day. Maybe try eating Meal 1 closer to when you wake up?

[Aberrantatavia]

I know if I have a breakfast made up primarily of protein and fat with very little carb content, I'm not hungry until very late in the day for another meal.

How is your energy level all day? It's possible if you aren't seeing any ill effects and you are eating correct proportions that your body functions best on 2 meals.

[AmyS]

The biggest thing for me is making sure I eat right away in the morning to jump start my metabolism. If I don't eat within a half hour of waking up my hunger cues are thrown off for the day. Maybe try eating Meal 1 closer to when you wake up?

Because of the Synthroid, I have to wait to eat. When you take Synthroid, you have to wait at least an hour after taking for your body to absorb the medicine. Basically, the routine is, wake up, take Synthroid, wait an hour and a half (I've figured out over time that this is the best wait time for me and Synthroid), eat breakfast.

I do wonder, though, if the waiting does throw off the hunger cues. It might mean I need to make myself eat a small lunch even though I don't feel ready yet. Hm...

I know if I have a breakfast made up primarily of protein and fat with very little carb content, I'm not hungry until very late in the day for another meal.

How is your energy level all day? It's possible if you aren't seeing any ill effects and you are eating correct proportions that your body functions best on 2 meals.

My energy level is great! I think I'm eating enough total food, definitely. I'm just thinking about this three meals a day thing and wondering what to do about it. I work through the traditional lunch hour for the U.S. (teaching, so I'm up in front of classes conducting choirs, so really can't eat while doing that, haha).

[TrayS]

I take (generic) synthroid and I've gotten in the habit of leaving the pill and a glass of water bedside, so inevitably when I wake up around an hour before my get-out-of-bed time it's there, then I can take it without getting out of bed and go back to sleep for an hour or so. Then I make breakfast right away when I get up. I do find that when I delay breakfast it throws off my hunger signals for the rest of the day.

[kaybee]

I'm glad you posted this, because I just realized I'm in a similar situation. I eat when I get up, around 10, then usually eat a banana before I run around 1pm. I eat a big meal before going to work (anywhere from 4-6pm, depending on the day. When work is winding down around 10 I could eat, but often don't, just because I don't like to eat while working. Stealing bites here and there isn't relaxing. Next thing I know it's midnight and I'm home, usually a little hungry, but I really don't want to eat a full meal at midnight! It occurred to me that I'm only eating two meals, but that's pretty much how it's always been (except when we would go out and eat after work, which I am NOT doing now), but I don't feel like I'm not eating enough or depriving myself. I'm not tired or draggy, in fact I feel great. I'm very far from being an expert here, but if you feel good and aren't fatigued, is it necessarily a problem?

[AmyS]

I take (generic) synthroid and I've gotten in the habit of leaving the pill and a glass of water bedside, so inevitably when I wake up around an hour before my get-out-of-bed time it's there, then I can take it without getting out of bed and go back to sleep for an hour or so. Then I make breakfast right away when I get up. I do find that when I delay breakfast it throws off my hunger signals for the rest of the day.

Yeah I've thought of that, but as soon as I take my synthroid I can't go back to sleep. I like that idea, but there's something about the synthroid that wakes me up. It's good to know that I'm not alone in the delayed breakfast equals skewed hunger signals though.

I'm glad you posted this, because I just realized I'm in a similar situation. I eat when I get up, around 10, then usually eat a banana before I run around 1pm. I eat a big meal before going to work (anywhere from 4-6pm, depending on the day. When work is winding down around 10 I could eat, but often don't, just because I don't like to eat while working. Stealing bites here and there isn't relaxing. Next thing I know it's midnight and I'm home, usually a little hungry, but I really don't want to eat a full meal at midnight! It occurred to me that I'm only eating two meals, but that's pretty much how it's always been (except when we would go out and eat after work, which I am NOT doing now), but I don't feel like I'm not eating enough or depriving myself. I'm not tired or draggy, in fact I feel great. I'm very far from being an expert here, but if you feel good and aren't fatigued, is it necessarily a problem?

Well, I do feel good energy, and I feel well nourished. So I'm not necessarily seeing it as a problem. But I would like to think about how to do three meals since it seems a Whole30 thing, ya know? Funny thing, I've just realized I didn't eat lunch again. Not even a little bit hungry. Hehe

[kaybee]

Yeah, you're right, it does seem like a Whole30 thing. I was just wondering (like you, I guess) if I needed to be concerned about it. When I read your post, I thought "wait, I don't eat three meals either!"

[AmyS]

Yeah, you're right, it does seem like a Whole30 thing. I was just wondering (like you, I guess) if I needed to be concerned about it. When I read your post, I thought "wait, I don't eat three meals either!"

Haha

For me it was such a huge change to go from eating chips and junk food all the time that it has taken me a while to figure out that there is a desired rhythm to eating Whole30, not just a list of healthy foods (wonderful though those are). I expect that's why I'm doing a Whole100 this time around, so I can sort some of that stuff out.

[melody]

When I wake I usually eat within 10-30minutes so the delayed eating definitely isn't playing a factor for me, but I also have not been hungry for 3 full meals. I've been doing 2 meals, or 2 meals and a mini meal, or 1 big meal for breakfast and 2 mini meals for lunch and dinner. I've been wondering if my body has just been getting enough with all the added protein that I've been feeding it that it doesn't need 3 meals?

As a side note, how did we as a culture come to decide that 3 meals is best? It seems like I'm always hearing conflicting scientific studies about how often you should eat. I've read that 3 times a day is best but I've also read that skipping breakfast is actually a GOOD thing to do, that 5-7 smaller meals aka "grazing" is good, that eating all your food within an 8hour window is best to allow your digestion to have a rest to better, that 2 meals a day is better to give digestion even more time, that a weekly fast is best, that eating while juggling wild boars is best....just kidding on that last one! But really it seems the studies are all over the map.

I guess for me, I've been trying to listen to my body's cues and when I'm hungry I eat a meal and when I'm not I don't. Though today I ate lunch when I wasn't really hungry because I was concerned that if I didn't I would crash at a point in my day when I wouldn't be able to eat.

But it does seem like it's a whole 30 thing to eat 3 meals. Can any Mods weigh in here? Which is more important, eating 3 meals a day or eating when our bodies are hungry, even if that's only 2x day?

[AmyS]

I agree that it would be helpful to have a Moderator perspective on this.

Also, I MUST begin training to juggle wild boars while eating. Immediately. Can I wear stiletto heels while I do that? Pleeeez?

[Kirsteen]

OK I can never manage to do links but I actually posted this question back in September so I've copied and pasted my question and Tom the mods reply

Me

I know it's strange to be asking this on day 28 but I intend prolonging to at least a W45. Before W30 I last ate breakfast over 40 years ago. I've never, ever liked eating in the morning. On W30 I made a real effort and had breakfast every day but it's got harder and harder as the days go on. No matter what I eat for breakfast (I've logged my food intake in the blog section) I feel tired, wiped out, nauseous, and uncomfortable for 2 - 4 hours.

If I don't eat in the morning I feel much better. I first get hungry anytime between 12 - 2pm when I have a meal. I next get hungry anytime between 5 - 7pm when I have another. I don't want to snack or eat between meals or anything like that. The past 3 days that's pretty much how it's been because my stomach has actually totally rebelled at the thought of food going into it in the morning.

Is it all right to just eat two meals a day or is there some reason I should keep forcing myself to try to eat when I really really don't want to?

TOM

Intermittent fasting is a different eating protocol that a Whole30. During a Whole30 we ask you to eat at least 3 meals per day and to eat your first meal within an hour of waking in the morning. Eating soon after waking is important to getting or keeping hormonal rhythms balanced and eating at least 3 meals per day is less stressful. That said, outside of a Whole30, you might find that skipping breakfast/intermittent fasting works for you. Here is an article that provides good details about when you should not do intermittent fasting... http://huntgatherlov...t/when-not-fast

Now having said all that I am still shooting for 3 meals a day as I find it does make me feel better but sometimes I still struggle with it.

[melbournegirl]

I like Kirsteens post for the general populace on a whole30 but there are lots of posts about people with medical conditions or prior history maybe needing a different tack.... I suspect routine is more important than frequency

[Renee Lee]

Hey guys,

For the majority of folks in this thread (read: folks that have already gone through the W30 previously), you guys can do whatever you want.

The 3 meals a day recommendation is there as a starting point for people that are coming in from the "5-6 small meals/day" camp, or the athletic/longevity "IF is the best thing EVER, that's why I still have abdominal fat and my performance sucks" camp. For those people, forcing yourself to stop and eat 3 meals a day is a good psychological (and hormonal) reset

For you guys, you've done that already, right? That means you guys can come into this one with knowledge and experience and tweak that guideline as you feel works best for you and your lifestyle. You guys know yourselves better than we do! And there's really nothing wrong with 2 meals/day. I think Tom's down to 2, actually (can't remember)

Now, if you DIDN'T do that the first time through, and instead were just focusing on your food choices, then maybe you should spend this one trying the 3/day recommendation on for size and seeing how it works. Personally, I'm a big fan of the old adage of "eat like a king for breakfast, a prince for lunch and a pauper for dinner." From a leptin perspective, that's the "best" way to go. That's usually how my meals tend to work out, fwiw.

[AmyS]

Hey guys,

For the majority of folks in this thread (read: folks that have already gone through the W30 previously), you guys can do whatever you want.

The 3 meals a day recommendation is there as a starting point for people that are coming in from the "5-6 small meals/day" camp, or the athletic/longevity "IF is the best thing EVER, that's why I still have abdominal fat and my performance sucks" camp. For those people, forcing yourself to stop and eat 3 meals a day is a good psychological (and hormonal) reset

For you guys, you've done that already, right? That means you guys can come into this one with knowledge and experience and tweak that guideline as you feel works best for you and your lifestyle. You guys know yourselves better than we do! And there's really nothing wrong with 2 meals/day. I think Tom's down to 2, actually (can't remember)

Now, if you DIDN'T do that the first time through, and instead were just focusing on your food choices, then maybe you should spend this one trying the 3/day recommendation on for size and seeing how it works. Personally, I'm a big fan of the old adage of "eat like a king for breakfast, a prince for lunch and a pauper for dinner." From a leptin perspective, that's the "best" way to go. That's usually how my meals tend to work out, fwiw.

Thank you so much - this is very helpful. I do enjoy a big (shockingly big!) breakfast when it comes time to eat (insert comments about synthroid/timing here). The idea that lunch and dinner can simply be lighter/smaller meals makes a lot of sense. I am going to try this idea.

One thing that has been very positive about my experiences with Whole30 is that I'm not constantly thinking about what to eat and when to eat next. That part of my brain is simply not buzzing anymore. It's been one of the best gifts of the Whole30, really. I just don't think/worry/obsess/feel anxious about/feel guilty about food. At all.

But at the same time, I did my first two Whole30s knowing that this way of eating is going to be the core of how I eat for the forseeable future; and this Whole100 I'm doing is all about adding in elements that had escaped me before. In past Whole30s, the relief (ENORMOUS relief) of not obsessing about food all the time was such that I didn't even think about how many meals I was eating. And the fact that my hunger cues were never desperate just amazed me.

This go-round I want to go from following the most basic Whole30 rules to a more well-rounded approach to the recommendations. For instance, I find that my fruit consumption is just naturally way down. I didn't limit myself on fruit in the first two Whole30s, but as time passed I have discovered I'm just not that interested in it. Same goes for nuts. They were a great, great thing for me at first. Now, I can kind of take them or leave them - though I like adding a handful to dinner sometimes. So then the next thing is number of meals.

I'm going to try the big breakfast, medium lunch, small dinner and see how it feels. I really like that idea and I think it will work well with my schedule.

[no paleo police!]

The recommendation for thyroid meds to wait 90 minutes before eating was dropped to 30-60 minutes several years ago.

I don't know how after the second week anyone can eat three meals. After around 4pm the last thing I want to do is eat again. In fact I couldn't eat dessert if I tried because after I have a satisfying meal the thought of eating anything else is really distasteful.

I find that my pattern is a late breakfast (sometimes I do wake up famished and when I do I eat then), lunch at 2:30-4pm and then something clean and crisp for a snack at around 7, like an apple (I know, it's not a meal but it's all I want to eat then). A cup of herbal tea rounds out the evening.

I am eating a lot less too, which is good because I'm a very small person in a medium sized skin. I could use to lose some of that medium-ness. (See, I didn't mention weight once! Oh, now I just did. oh well.)

I think that you really need to make your whole30 your own. What feels right to you may feel totally wrong to someone else. People are different, some need more food, some less and some people are satisfied and perfectly healthy with eating 2 meals and a snack per day.