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Monday, January 18, 2010

To Snack or Not To Snack....

Last Friday, I brought my typical morning and afternoon snack along with me. I eat a yogurt w/ a Clif bar in between my smoothie breakfast and my sandwich/salad or soup/salad lunch. In the afternoon, I typically have an apple or some grapes because I find myself hungry(not extremely, but slightly). However, I didn't end up eating either snack.

I had my typical breakfast(smoothie: handful of spinach, banana, protein powder, skim milk, 1-1 1/2 cups of berries) and I was not hungry until 12:30. I eat lunch at 1:30 and knew that if I ate even my yogurt, I would still be satisfied by the time lunch came around. So, I skipped it and just let my tummy grumble a little. The same thing happened that afternoon! So, I basically had 3 meals that day and was fine!

I have tried to incorporate snacking between meals in a small and subtle way, but now I am rethinking it. Maybe I will just do 3 meals a day, but I would like to hear your opinion!

What is your meal/snacking plan? Are you a 3 meals a day? A 6 meals a day? Do you eat when you feel hungry? What are your favorite snacks?

9 comments:

Anna said...

You know, it just depends. Usually if I eat eggs, I'm not hungry until mid-afternoon! They just really fill me up. But if I have a more carby breakfast, I usually end up with a snack before lunch.

Jen Feeny said...

Eating small meals through out the day help boost your metabolism. Snacking is good in moderation but ultimately you should listen to your body and eat accordingly. Be careful on eating Clif bars for snacks as they are meant to be "fuel" for working out and are loaded with carbs.

Amber said...

I'm a snacker! I eat a small snack (toast or banana with PB) before the gym, then breakfast (oatmeal or smoothie) then usually lunch around 11:30-12:30 then at least 1 or 2 snacks before supper and then maybe one more snack after supper.

On days where I don't workout I don't find myself as hungry so I don't snack as much. But I definitely couldn't get by on only 3 meals a day!

Syl said...

I usually have fruit for snacks between meals occasionally a luna or cliff bar.

my other favourite snack is a laughing cow wedge spread on a savory tomatoe rice cake.

I find that if I eat a snack I eat less of a fuller meal at lunch and dinner and usually have a snack after my workouts which is in the evening.

karen@fitnessjourney said...

I'm a grazer and it has worked well for me. I find that I am not hungry eating this way. I used to spend WAY too much time thinking about my next meal when I ate just 3 times each day. In the end you know what works for your body.

Anonymous said...

I eat breakfast, I eat at 10am, 12pm, 2:30, 6pm ... wow that's a lot! But my snacks are yogurt or a bananna... all good things lately! :)

Anonymous said...

I have snacks throughout the day. I'm normally hungry before lunch and before dinner. I am trying to cut down on my snacking though. I say whatever works for you.

Lisa said...

Hey Chickie! I am a snackie snackie girl! All day. I eat about 8 times :) I love my Raw Almond Cookies (posted the recipe today!), my sweeet potato and banana flax seed bars, and of course a good dose or 72% Cacao Chocolate :)

Missy said...

On my current plan, which seems to be working well, I'm supposed to eat three small meals with snacks in between. I pretty much just make sure I'm eating about every 3 hours to keep my metabolism going strong. I would say don't eat if you're not hungry but don't let you're body go too long without refueling!!