How many meals a day?

i think it really depends on each person lifestyle and whether a person is active or sedentary. The more you workout or the more you exercise, the more you are going to want to eat. i will admit that i don't exercise all that much, but I will walk when it is warm outside and the weather is not raining. i am trying to curb my appetite, and that can be hard to do, as i like to eat, but i realize that I need to stop that, and only eat when necessary. I do find that sancking on carrots and clery does hlp curb my appetite, and will help me to loe weight as well, which I need to do. I have been fighting my weight for years, and now that I am a senior citizen, i need to stgart eating better and not eat the wrong things. I do consume fuits and leafy greens every day as well, tos be healthier. I have been feeling better consuming my fruits and vegetables and I will continue to do so for the rest of my life. Take care, and have a very good day.

To keep us full so we eat smaller meals that are correct for our bodies. Are stomached are only as big as your fist. So eating every 3 hours is great. When I've been pregnant I do this because I'm small don't gain much but to also make sure I'm getting enough because I know the baby is he or she will take what they need and what is left for my body.

How often we need to eat depends very much on how quickly the body processes carbohydrates. There is something called the Glycemic Index which is an indication of how quickly the body converts sugars, starches, fats and protein into the types of sugar which are used by the body for energy. Food items with a high glycemic index are processed and used up very quickly, while those with a low glycemic index take longer and will sustain us throughout the day. One should start the day by including cereals such as oatmeal because they have a low GI and will sustain our energy for longer (and prevent us from feeling hungry too soon). Taking frequent meals or snacks with high GI ratings will often result in us eating more carbohydrate than we actually need and the body will store the excess as fat, which, of course, will lead to obesity. There are many web pages and books which give advice and details about low and high GI foods, particularly as part of a weight-loss program or as a way of controlling diabetes. Use a search such as this to find them: http://search.mylot.com/search.aspx?t=web&k=understanding+glycemic+index

I don't know any these thumb rules. Also I don't or can't follow these rules when it comes to food. I eat food when I feel hungry. There is no special timings for it. Anyway there are somewhat fixed timings like will have food at three times a day minimum. Between that I there is no separate timings. May be I will eat or may be I will not. It completely depends on my stomach at that time.

I tend to have about two meals each day, but i have bits of food here and there throughout the day, my weight doesnt chamge, I do intensive exercise so i am obviously eating enough but not too much

I don't follow any FOOD RULES, lol but i eat 3 times a day. not in every 3 hours.

when am away from home and stay alone i never care for what or when i should eat..I eat mostly when i am hungry.

Hi chouksey, It is a medically proven fact that gastric emptying time is 3 hours. So what ever you eat would leave your stomach in exactly 3 hours. Now it is also a known fact that if you don't eat then then you might eat lot more and eat more calories. Thus it is important to eat every three hours in small quantities rather than eat in large quantity in 6 hours.

I think eat when you are hungry or have the time or just need the food. See some times you don't have time to eat every 3 hours and sometimes you aren't hungry in just 3 hrs. Sometimes eating every 3 hrs makes you gain weight or feel sick it all depends on your body type and your movement or physical work of the day. Not every one can eat every 3 hrs. It just depends on the work and the person and the time you have in a day so no real rule for this and no evidence it works or works for everyone.

This is how I understand. Digestion takes about 3 hours and by then the stomach is empty. The acids in the empty stomach if not used could cause ulcers.

It depends on our body, each of us works differently same as our digestive system. What you said about eating after every three hours is just about light foods and not heavy meals, this is for the acid to burn foods inside your intestine and not burning or digesting your intestine.

Man ther are two cases one is real and other is ideal.In nature we assume many ideal cases that this should be like that but we never get that in that particular condition.So there is always deviation from that.Similarly with our life style ,we know many things to keep ourselves fit and healthy but in practical day to day life its not easy to maintain that.So we follow that thing but not completly. Similarly in our food stuff we are advised to eat every three hours not a day,not a month,not a year,but throughout our life time,but we can't do that in practical cases until or unless we have that extra ordinary determination to that.So we should study what are ideal cases but we should not completly neglect that.You must follow either it be one or two only. We can't deviate completly. So enjoy the timing when you like to eat but be proper in your fopd content.

Usually the thumb rule of three hours is suggested to be followed as our body needs that much time to assimilate the energy. But when you eat it as 5 meals a day, each meal should be limited to a very low calorie count

The best rule of thumb for eating is: Eat when you are hungry, but the quality and amount of food is the main thing. Eating a whole meal is much better than eating snacks as it's much better for your teeth. The spacing between meals is also very important as it gives your quite regular ammount of energy all the time (assuming that you eat aproximately same ammount of calories in every meal).

The idea they say is this: 1) Have a heavy breakfast 2) Lunch should be lighter than breakfast. 3) Dinner should be the lightest. Also, in between have healthy things like Almonds, cashews, Walnuts, or fruits/low fat snacks. Preferably little bit in between and not very heavy stuff. However, now a days many of us have a heavier dinner. At times, we have fried or sweet things in the evening instead of fruits. So, we do need discipline, even though individually, we can have our own different rules to follow.

That is a long period of time to go without eating. I have low blood sugar so I have to eat alot during the day. I usually have breakfast between 9:30 and 10:00am. Lunch is between 1:00pm and 2:00pm, then dinner is between 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Dessert is usually at around 9pm. When you eat that far apart your metabolism slows down. If you eat something every 3 hours that makes your metabolish speed up and keeps the weight off.

I think,it depends on your digestive system and the amount of physical labor you have to do.If you have to work hard and you get tired after finishing your work,you body would require food.Then you may it three or even four times a day.I know many persons who eat four times a day.Also I know a man who eats only once in a day.He is the person who doesn't have to labor hard physically.So he does not feel hungry.So far as I am concerned,eating two times in a day is enough for me.There can't be a hard and fast rule regarding this.

I like to have 4 glasses of water before breakfast, and then have a moderate to large breakfast. As I spend more time on the PC as I do graphic art, I tend to just nibble throughout the day. because I feel that I gain weight easier if I sit with a large meal in my stomach, so maybe around 6 to 8 small meals a day.

I think I've heard that idea of eating every after three hours to maintain a fit body. They say that if you just eat every time you feel hungry, the tendency is that you will a lot and your digestive will work slower. But if you will eat every after three hours, your body will have enough time to digest all the ingested food properly. I don't know if that idea is correct. I am not really conscious when it comes to eating habits.