angshaner Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I haven't done my whole30 yet, I start on Monday for the 1st time. But, through my personal training studying, fitness nutrition studying it always talks about eating every 2-3 hours to help your blood sugar not drop and also to keep your metabolism going. I understand that eating less sugar and processed junk will definitely help with the blood sugar. But, eating only 3 meals a days is going to be my biggest struggle. How is eating only 3 meals a day going to affect my metabolism? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Roy Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 It's hard at first as your body adjusts, but adjust it does- and then you'll be amazed at how easy it is to eat three meals a day. I was amazed at how easy it got-I was never hungry between meals if I ate the right balance of protein, fat and veggies-NEVER! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan W Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I come from an eat 6 times a day background too. I absolutely love this eating whole, nutritious foods 3 times a day. I can't remember the last time I wanted a snack. It's really rare. It may take you some time to adjust. If you find yourself hungry (and I mean hungry enough to eat steamed fish and broccoli) then you need to increase your portions or even add a meal for a short time until you adjust. The spacing between meals allows your hormones to adjust and reset. Eating constantly really is not helping your metabolism. There is a ton of information out there that disputes it. If you haven't already, you should read ISWF so you can really get into the "whys" of it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
befabdaily Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Your sugar won't crash every couple of hours if you're fueling your body with other stuff. The transition from sugar-burner to fat-burner is the best. I never have random hunger pangs any more, or snack attacks or whatever you want to call them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted March 29, 2013 Moderators Share Posted March 29, 2013 Our bodies have a natural hormonal rhythm that is suited to eating about 3 times per day. There are chemical processes that take place when you eat that have a cycle to run through. The cycles run into each other when you eat more often than every 4 or 5 hours. That will not kill you, but it is not ideal. As Susan suggested, reading It Starts With Food will explain why grazing (eating frequently) is a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angshaner Posted March 29, 2013 Author Share Posted March 29, 2013 Thanks for the responses. I'm sure it will take me some time to adjust from being a 6 meal a day type of girl to just 3. I'm excited to read the book, just wish it would get here before I start Monday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpinSpin Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I am a type 1 diabetic and whole 30 and paleo has been the best thing for keeping my blood sugars level n steady in the 'normal' ranges better than when I was doing the '3 meals and 3 snacks' routine. AND I have gotten the OK from my endo to eat and live this way. I dropped my A1c 3 FULL points during my first Whole 30 and it is nearly in the non diabetic range and I feel better than i have in a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenderbender Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I've trained hard all my life .....high school sports,collage sports, lifting, kick boxing... And like so many never even thought to question the six meal a day thing... I can honestly say that following the W30 templates and guidelines has allowed me to make the best gains of my life... I recover quicker, I don't gas out,my moods are great, and I all around just feel great.... I'm about 8 months in and I am so glad .... FWIW.... I need to remind myself to eat the three meals....,especially if I've done a pre and post WO meal ( preWo-PostWO... explained in detail in ISWF) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moluv Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I love eating just the 3 meals. I'll never go hangry again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmmaSthlm Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I am doing my second W30 and I am having a hard time with the three meals a day. I work out and walk 90 minutes every day and I eat late dinners. I really need a snack in between. So I do three meals and a snack a day, and I am OK with it. I usually end up eating 7.30 - 12.00 - 4.00 (snack) - 8.00. I do think we are different. I have extremely low blood pressure and I easily go low on blood sugar. I cannot go eight hours without food, no matter what I eat. It makes me faint, literally. But I must say it has been fantastic to turn to W30, because I never have the temptation to eat more than my one snack in the afternoon. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenderbender Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Ohhhh.... And if you are like others and myself who work/workout/study long days.... By all means eat another meal.... As long as they are spaced 4-5 hours apart.... You are not supposed to starve yourself on w30, if say you eat at noon and can't possibly finish work,commute home and prep dinner til 8:30..... Pack yourself a meal or complete mini meal ( just don't snack on a fruit or some nuts...follow the template) to eat mid way.... Stay well fueled! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenna Marie Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 I just started Whole30 on April 1st and am used to eating 5-6 meals per day, about every 3-4 hours. I decided to continue with my regular eating pattern and see if it naturally adjusts. I am on Day 4, and I have noticed that hunger isn't striking until about the 3.5 - 4 hour mark. So, I believe it's my body transitioning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fitgirlH Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 i too ate 6-7 meals a day, since starting Paleo i have switched to 2-3 big meals a day, i feel sustained and full of energy and those hunger pangs aren`t there every 2 hrs. I have read countless times that keeping your metabolism up by eating 2-3 hrs is a myth and just an old school way of thinking and your metabolism actually gets ``better``for lack of a better word as you adjust to the paleo or whole 30 way of eating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megmac Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 If there is any "magic" in this program, it's what happened to me when I committed to eating 3 meals/day. Even when I'm off-roading I don't snack. I was just in NYC for 4 days doing some serious off-roading, and I didn't gain a pound. Now THAT is some magic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi Staddon Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 My 2 cents: eating this way during pregnancy has been a lifesaver. I often don't need the 3rd meal, to boot. So satiated its scarey. And FTR, this is my biggest baby of 4(according to my midwife)... Due in 2weeks . I LOVE PALEO and W9/W30!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicki Irvine Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 I'm on day 17 of W30 and I'm still struggling with 3 meals per day. To keep my body from getting hungry between meals, I have to eat so much food that I feel stuffed (which I know isn't healthy either). I'm usually okay in the morning because I work out at 5am and have my post-meal about 6:30am, followed by breakfast about 8 or 8:30. Then I eat a large lunch at noon (for example: small spinach salad with pecans and olive oil/vinegar dressing, roasted chicken & peppers, pineapple) and I'm ravenous by 4pm. Should I go ahead and have a snack before dinner? Or try to stuff more food down at lunch ? Thoughts anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan W Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 It's okay to eat 4 meals at first until you get used to it. I have to say that I eat 3 meals a day and I don't have to stuff myself. Try having a mini meal at your hungry time and then the rest of it at mealtime and see how that goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChikomoFitness27 Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 I was used to eating 5 small meals per a day at least 2.5-3 hours> first day was tough for me because I had habit eating snack the between lunch meals. A few days later, my body was slow changed to get used to it at 3-4 hours because I eat healthy fats and more protien that helped me stay full longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ultrarunnergirl Posted August 13, 2013 Moderators Share Posted August 13, 2013 Don't forget, if you are doing a strenuous workout, you can and should eat either a pre or post workout meal, per the Meal Template. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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