Is it better to eat every 2-3 hours or eat a lot during 4 hour period?

[Anonymous]

I tried eating smaller portions every 3 hours but sometimes it's difficult to do so and I actually never feel full so I found out it's better for me to have large breakfast (around 8-9am), after 4 hours I'll have lunch and then I won't eat anything for the rest of the day (we're talking about around 1500kcal)

I'm trying to lose weight so I wonder whether eating a lot during those 4hrs and then letting the body digest for the rest of the day doesn't mess with my metabolism which may lead to the opposite.

[Sonorous]

For metabolism, I believe activity level & consistency with caloric intake numbers matter the most. At least I notice it's harder for me to stay lean when I'm not consistent with those.

So I think that maybe we can adjust our eating for what's best for us so long as we're staying within a consistent caloric intake (no more than over or under 500 calories relative to maintenance intake). And adjusting everything else in ways that compliment our personal routines, tendencies, moods, hormones, goals, etc.

For instance, I only eat a few meals a day. With my most filling one being at night time. I'm usually not that hungry during the first half of the day so I tend to eat lower carb meals that are higher in proteins & fats, resulting in me only eating about half of my total daily carb requirement/intake for my goals. The other half is consumed at night when I'm the hungriest & usually after I've trained so there's the replenished glycogen store benefit. And all this falls within my caloric maintenance range so it's completely fine.

And for digestion, I notice that (ofc water intake,) the type of foods you eat, what you pair together & what order you eat food in matter most. Similar thing goes for getting the feeling of satiety. I'll eat proteins & fats first maybe even paired with fiber if I want any carbs I might eat during that meal to not spike my blood sugar levels as much.

[Oliverlogan263]

Hey luv, when it comes to losing weight and meal timing, it's really different for everyone. Personally I've found that eating bigger meals spaced further apart works better for me too.

I think the main things are - 1) Are you staying in a calorie deficit overall? And 2) Are you giving your body enough fuel at the proper times?

It sounds like your plan of bigger breakfast and lunch with just those two meals is definitely keeping you at a deficit since you're only consuming 1500 cals total. That alone should lead to weight loss.

As for fueling your body, breakfast and lunch are providing energy when you need it most in the morning and afternoon. By dinner your body has had time to digest fully before resting overnight.

I don't think skipping the grazer meals throws your metabolism off as long as you're not going crazy long periods without eating, like only one meal a day. Four hours between feels like a pretty decent spacing.

As long as you feel good with this plan and you're continuing to see the scale go down, I'd say stick with what's working for you! Don't overthink it too much. Listen to your body and adjust as needed. You got this!

[IslaTheWitch]

It's an individual thing. I feel much better fasting and having a 4-hour eating window in the afternoon.

I put there at least one meal and one snack. I don't think I eat during this time more than 1.5k calories, but I'm too lazy to count them. My portions are rather small

[Danny_dan92]

Calorie intake is what matters