Or maybe you don’t eat at the “right” times?
Just like the idea that different people don’t need to like the same food, different people also don’t need to eat the same amount of food. Looking to others as a way of determining how much to eat is a very, very dangerous idea. No two people have the exact same body and lifestyle, and therefore no two people should be eating the exact same amount.
This was my breakfast today: Sugar Cookie Oatmeal.
I ate it, post-run, along with strawberry slices and peanut butter. Pre-run breakfast consisted of fresh watermelon and a bunch of pistachios. After breakfast, I talked with my little sister on the phone. She’d just woken up and was eating her own breakfast: a single container of yogurt.
Whose eating style is correct?
Both of ours! I probably eat about twice as much as my sister, and yet we’re both perfectly healthy. She’s shorter than me, has a slower metabolism, and doesn’t go running; therefore she needs less. If she were to eat like me, she’d probably end up with the world’s worst stomachache. And if I were to eat like her, I’d be so hungry I could eat an elephant. (Don’t worry, fellow vegans. I said I could, not I would.)
The mainstream media tells us there is also a “right” number of times to eat: five or six small meals, divided throughout the day. But once again, I have to argue that no one should take this advice as something set in stone. Do not trust society to tell you what or when to eat; experiment and find out what works best for you. I think eating every 3-4 hours works best for many people because it keeps energy levels up. But if you find that your energy doesn’t drag even if you go six hours without food, why should you feel like you have to eat anyway?
As an example, let’s use my friend Sarah.
She normally eats a small breakfast, followed by a big lunch and dinner, and she rarely ever snacks during the day.
Unless I make Lemon Poppyseed Muffins.
Those, she can’t resist.
On the other hand, I usually eat six meals a day and will almost always taste-test recipes in between meals as well. You’d be hard pressed to find a time my mouth is not stuffed with food. Does this mean one of us is eating incorrectly? No, not at all! It just means we’re different people with different needs.
Do you eat three meals per day? Or six smaller meals? Or maybe you’re a grazer?
And do you ever compare the amount you eat to what others eat?
Love this post! My mom’s convinced I eat like a bird because I’m skinny and I’m vegan. But I don’t! I eat less than some, I often halve recipes, since I’m short and don’t require as much food as someone taller. I’m a definite volume-eater, and a snacker!
I love seeing posts like these that make me feel so much better about my odd eating habits. Until I was about 16, I sed to be able to eat more in a day than most grown men. Then I started gaining weight and getting less hungry, but I kept eating the same way!
I compare what I eat to others ALL the time, and I find it so hard not to! I still have yet to figure out my true eating style, but I definitely lean towards snacking and feel better when I eat smaller portions more often.
I could not agree with you more, in the past I was shackled by how much my family would eat and when they would eat. I was also eating six smaller meals a day thinking it was ideal for me, but I felt like I was becoming obsessive over food and feeling hungry and anxious every time one of my smaller meals was delayed. I have since distanced myself from the pressures of family and friends and eat as and when I please often with a huge meal first thing. It seems to work so much better for me now 🙂 You have really emphasised how liberating it can be to forget about other people and do what is right for the person. Thank you for that Katie, you are an inspiration to me and many, many others 🙂
Aw, thank YOU for such a sweet comment :).
I try to eat 4 times every day (at least), granola with yogurt for breakfast (sometimes it´s just some fruits, but sometimes a piece of cake!), normal- or smaller sized lunch, afternoon snack- some fruit and/ or nuts (from the time i started to eat that snack, I don´t feel that hungry for dinner, what is great, since I used to eat huge dinner), and normal- sized dinner.
Great topic to touch on! Comparing is such an issue in today’s society as everybody thinks we should be “the same”, which is totally incorrect! You’re so right– our needs are very different depending on age, activity level, weight, and overall metabolism! What somebody does or needs doesn’t mean that’s true for you. That can be very hard to accept often.
I eat about 6 times a day as I’m active and have a speedy metabolism 🙂 Definitely not a grazer!
Thank you so much for posting this! It could not have come at a better time. I am recovering from an ED and am trying to gain weight…again. I usually eat 5 meals including 2 smaller snacks. I often compare my food to other people’s portions because my hunger signals are all wonky and I have days where I don’t get hungry at all. However, I used to just not eat whether I was hungry or not so I guess that is what I get. Anyways, when I work out I tend to get super hungry for the rest of the day but always try and eat balanced, vegetarian deliciousness! For now, I am not allowed to exercise (IT SUCKS), but eating every 3 hours or so still keeps my metabolism up! It is interesting how God created everyone so uniquely too 🙂
I eat three meals a day and graze! My initial thought to the question, Do you eat too much? was yes! I probably do. But I eat three smaller meals a day, definitley a couple snacks, and I also graze.
Katie I break ALL The rules and I blog about it. I drink coffee, I eat sweets, I eat lots of plants, I eat late, I eat a big amount of food very late at night and go straight to bed, I skip a traditional breakfast..and yet this is how I feel optimally.
When I try to conform to “the rules” or what others think is best (best for them, not for me!), I end up not feeling optimally.
We are all so different and must follow our own path, period.
Awesome post, as usual 🙂
Yeah, I pretty much stopped listening to mainstream media when I started a post-run stretching routine and realized my muscles felt WORSE than when I didn’t stretch at all! Rules are meant to be broken, right? 😉
I like this post a lot. S0 many woman (especailly) compare to what other woman are doing. You nailed it…No one is the same and no one is wrong, it is what works for them.
I eat all day long, people are always impressed. 🙂
I fuel when I need to, I bump up the calories when I need to, (say after tough workouts), and I listen on in to what my body is telling me. 🙂
I’m not sure how I missed your other post! Thank you for linking because they’re both great and spot-on. I think there is lots of pressure about, not just from blogs but in general, but it’s the old saying about one man’s meat is another man’s poison – what works for one could be a nightmare for someone else 🙂
Thank you for bringing this up Katie – 95% of the time I think “I’m doing what’s best for me” but occasionally I worry “I should do what she does”. It’s helpful to be reminded that there’s no ‘correct’ way to eat. So thank you!
I have a big breakfast at around 7, a snack at 10-10.30, a small lunch at 1, another snack at 4ish, a fairly big dinner at 6-7 and a snack at 9-10 after my evening workout. This works for me and fits in around my active day (I walk to and from work and workout after dinner).
My lunch sometimes gets commented on as being small but this is what suits me – I’d rather spread my food out than eat it in one sitting. I used to worry that I snack too much but what’s wrong with snacking?!
When I was younger, certain members of my family used to make comments about how much/often I would eat. Although my mom and grandmother used to always defend me pointing out that I was still growing and needed nutrients, the comments always bothered me and made me question whether I did, in fact, eat “too much.” However, I have come to realize that eating when/because I am hungry is never eating too much. In fact, it is always eating just enough.
Eventually, those members of my family gave up on me when they saw that their comments were not going to make me change my habits or make me eat differently. But, they were really slow learners. I’m glad that I learned to ignore them faster!
When people tell me I eat too much, I just smile and joke that it’s not me… THEY eat too little ;).
Hi Katie,
I just discovered your fun and gorgeous blog. I can really tell it’s full of love and life. I find it at the best of times for me, well the most fitting of times for me. I’m about to go into inpatient program to finally kick my anorexia and gain a few kilos. I think chocolate-covering everything may help 🙂
I’ll continue to visit you for healthy and tasty inspiration!
Oh that’s so great that you’re kicking that sucker out of your life! Don’t give up, and keep going girl 😀
Chocolate hugs!!
I tend to eat about 5 or 6 times a day. I’ll have breakfast,then about an hour later a snack, then an hour after that a lunch/snack, then ill get on the ice( im a competitive figure skater),come off at the ice cut, have something real quick, go back on, then head home for dinner. I normally have a little something something before bed too.
Great topic to cover! I eat very little in the morning, a medium amount midday, and a TON at night. Definitely “wrong” by social standards but it’s right for ME.
I tend to eat 3x a day, simply because that’s what fits in with work! I’d rather have time for a snack as well but it’s just not possible in the cafe 🙁 Oh well! I think it’s actually helped me eat more intuitively when I’m not at work.