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?
I’m a three meals a day kind of girl! I’ve tried mini-meals, but I just can’t get them to work with my schedule.
This is a great post!
At work I get my fair share of condescending comments about my lunch (it’s usually about as big as my head!) ‘wowww Emma you eat so MUCH etc etc yadda yadda’. I once had a giant salad (it was mostly spinach leaves and raw cauliflower or something and I ate every last little bit and someone said ‘enjoy that did you??’. I’m quite thin, have an active outdoor job, I exercise on top of that and I have a super fast metabolism, so eating lots is the right thing for me to do. On the other hand, people who don’t see my meals everyday think I’m starving. Hm.
Usually I go for a big breakfast to last me til morning tea at work, have a snack then (fruit usually), a big carby lunch and a snack after work then dinner a couple hours later 🙂 It works for me and if people can’t handle that then that’s their problem.
Here here! 🙂
what people dont get…is its salad! since its raw veggies/fruit,etc it looks like a lot volume wise but isnt high cal atall and you were most likely eating a lot less than they do,and a lot healthier than they.
I’ve vacillated between “want to feel full” and “lots of little meals” many times. Sometimes I just feel one way or the other. Nowadays, I’ve fallen into the pattern of 5 food “sittings.” Something small like half a banana and coffee before my run, the other half after, breakfast at my desk at work, lunch, then dinner. I rarely get hungry between meals. In fact, I often feel on the verge of overfull after dinner, but I know I have to keep my energy intake up. I eat a ton of vegetables which equals a ton of volume. Because I eat two meals of the day at work, I have to prep them beforehand, so condensing intake into two meals (instead of spread out over like, 4) saves me time in the kitchen.
I don’t really have a certain amount that i eat or set times for meals as such. I probably tend to eat more than many, and somewhat more than the supposed ‘recommended’ amounts but I’ve never really paid attention to any of that. I eat pretty healthy foods, and eat as much as I feel I need when I’m hungry. Some days it’s more than others, but I figure in general that so long as I’m aiming for healthy and listening to my body I can’t go wrong. The odd times I’ve had someone comment in my eating habits I’ve just said “hey, if I”m hungry I’ll eat. Worry about your own food, not mine :)”.
I’ve always been fairly active and therefore needed more fuel. I do tend to eat very slowly so I know when I get full enough and will stop before over eating since I’m eating so slowly haha. The days that I get hungry again I snack between meals. I just figure I’ve not had enough – especially since those days tend to be near more physically active periods. Most days though it’ll be 3-4 meals with snacks between when and if I need them (unless it’s something particularly delicious and then it may well be snacked upon just because I enjoy it :))
It seems like lately I constantly think about food…not because I’m super obsessive about what I eat, but the more I learn about my body, proper nutrition, and fitness, the more I think about it. My husband worries that I’m developing a bad habit of worrying if I’m eating enough or too much or even just eating the right things, but I can’t help it. I actually enjoy thinking, reading, and discussing nutrition. I definitely look at what other people eat and think about what I’m eating in comparison, not because I’m judging, but because I think about health and nutrition all the time. I hate when people comment on what others eat; it’s none of their business. Sometimes we all need to eat a piece of cake and should feel good while we’re doing it!
I love this post, especially as I continue the process of re-shaping my body after delivering twins a few months ago. So many people ask my “how” I do it, and while I share, I’m always quick to tell them that this is just what’s working for me. I’m not a nutritionist or a trainer; I’m just learning my body and I encourage them to do the same. I personally like to eat 5-6times a day, but there are days that are so busy that I can only fit in 3-4 and I roll with that. But I do LOVE LOVE to eat, so the more opportunities I can get, the better. 😉
This is such a great post. I think I do sometimes catch myself comparing to others, but then I realize on that day maybe they needed more or less calories than me because of their activity level. I’m trying to eat more when I’m hungry and not when I think I should. It can be annoying when I hear other people comment about another person’s eating habits. Also, when I go out to eat I want to enjoy the meal and it can be annoying when one of the people you are with says something like, oh this is too rich or this is too many calories. I understand people want to balance but they can think that in their head. I like enjoying myself when I go out to eat and don’t want to hear people’s oh this is going to make me fat type of talk. Also, because I am a nutrition major, people are always think I’m judging them on what they eat and they ask “oh that’s not a good choice is it?” and I don’t really want them to be so obsessed about it, food is for enjoyment too. Okay, rant over :] Awesome post.
Lately I have been trying really hard to “listen” to my body. I realize that I might be hungrier on certain days, like when I go running. So if I am super ravenous, you betcha I eat all day until I feel satisfied. If I am picky one day, I of course eat enough to keep me going but I in no way try to force myself to eat. I think our bodies are such a good indicator if we are eating right. I know I have eaten to much if I can’t move (happens with brownies haha), and if my tummy is a-rumblin’ I know I gotta eat more.
Only took me 20 years to figure that out!
Excellent post, Katie! When I told my wise older brother about some restrictive eating concerns that I have struggled with in the past, he simply advised me to “do what feels good.” Not in a hedonistic, irresponsible sense, but in terms of perceiving eating as neither pain nor pleasure, but as a simple, deep necessity. The process of responsibly yielding to the needs of my own body and resisting comparing my dietary needs to those of others is enormously liberating and energizing.
wow,I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way/has problems…thank you katie!!!!!!!!!!!
Great post and I definitely agree! I eat 6 times a day, small meals and people look at me like I am crazy, but i’m relatively active and often get hungry (:
thank you for posting this katie. I am in the midst of overcoming my labeled ‘pre-eating disorder’, and I often find myself comparing how much I eat to others. I often find myself worried that others will think I am eating too much, even if they are eating more than me, or less healthy food. I know that what I am eating is healthy, and what my body needs to grow, but it is hard for me to remember this when eating next to somebody who is eating less at that particular moment. Thank you for reminding me that I shouldnt be doing this, and that I need to just pay attention to what my body needs to fight the negative thinking and learn to love me for me:)
I tend to eat 3 good size meals a day, along with another 3 snacks and more if I go running in the morning. This post was such an eye-opener! I wish the media/society thought the way you do Katie, there would be a lot less people who would have to struggle with eating disorders and body image.
Thank you so much for posting this!:) Lately I have been thinking that I eat too much. And I’ve been worrying about it. But then I thought about it, I bike/run and/or lift weights about 5 or 4 days a week. And I am running around doing arronds like a crazy woman most days!! I am very small and petite, I am actually trying to gain weight, but I think I also have a fast metabolism. I eat 3 good sized meals plus 2 good sized snacks (between lunch and dinner, and after dinner). Plus taste testing some days when I am experimenting with new recipes:P But I have learned to listen to my body and to not compare myself to others around me. Thanks again!! P.S.- I absolutely love your recipes:)
I’m a grazer. It always drove my parents nuts when I was growing up because they lived by the “clear your entire plate” rule and insisted on buying the all-you-can-eat salad bars when we went out to eat! When I tried to follow those rules, I would literally get sick! Thankfully, they finally realized this and stopped trying to make me eat so much. I do get enough to eat and while I probably don’t eat enough of them right now, I love fruits and veggies, so at least I’m not always eating junk food that I baked. 😀
I don’t know if I can even quantify my eating patterns since going back to school. Classes interfere with eating times. Having a 1.5 hr commute each way interferes with eating times. Working shift work interferes with eating times. It’s a struggle to figure out how much to pack with me on a daily basis, and then when I might be hungry or able to eat. Add in a messed up sleeping schedule, and sometimes my first meal is lunch simply because of when I got out of bed. Sometimes I’m a grazer, sometimes I have 3 square meals. Sometimes I’m famished all day, sometimes I just nibble. But it’s all good – I just go with the flow.