How Do You Eat?
If you’re at all like me, when 3:30 pm hits, I’m starving– even after eating a healthy lunch just a few hours before. For some reason, I always need to eat a snack in the afternoon.
I’ve always eaten three square meals a day. I guess my brain just works like that. My mom raised my sister and me to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and dessert!), so I’ve continued to eat this way for the past 29 years. But, now that I have a new job with different hours, perhaps I should rethink the way I eat?
On Carrots ‘N’ Cake, you usually see 3 meals + 1 afternoon snack. Now that I can eat at home more often, it makes sense for me to take advantage of my kitchen! For me, preparing something at home is typically healthier and more satisfying than something I pack to take with me.
So, I’ve decided to break my lunch into 2 mini meals: one to eat at NuVal and the other to eat at home. That way, I can eat a small lunch, but also take the edge off my usual afternoon hunger with a mini meal that I can enjoy in the comfort of my own home. Plus, I won’t need to pack as much food to bring to work with me! The tupperware situation got a little out of control at times!
With that said, everyone is different and no one way of eating is better than others. I’m going to see how this new way of eating works with my lifestyle. If it works, great. If not, you’ll see 3 square meals + 1 snack on the blog once again! You gotta do what’s right for you!
How do you eat?
Lunch: Part 1
At lunchtime, I dug into my first mini meal of the day: pineapple Chobani with Go Lean Crunch and pomegranate arils.
I loved this combo! Flavors, textures, consistency, oh my! 
I also drank some hot tea with lunch. My new office mug is from the Dollar Store!
After lunch, I munched on two small handfuls of roasted almonds.
When I got home from work, I took Murph for a walk and then made myself a second mini meal: Uncle Sam’s cereal + sliced banana + vanilla soy milk.
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Posted by: Tina 56 comments
Posted in: Uncategorized
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
I split my food too. I usually eat some at lunchtime and then some at around 3. It keeps me from crashing, and I do exercise when I get home from work so I need the boost.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
My eating is very regular by chance, and usually totals up to this:
Breakfast about 500 cals
Lunch about 400 cals
2-3 meals about 600 cals total
Dinner about 500 cals
2-3 desserts about 800 cals
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
I’ve found this works besto for me:
300 cal breakfast
100 cal snack
200 cal lunch
150 cal snack
400 cal dinner
100 cal snack
Works out just about right so I don’t feel hungry throughout the day.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Whoops! Should have been a 300 cal lunch. 200 cals? I’d be starving!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
I split mine between six meals a day since that’s what helps keep me going through my super-busy life and it also keeps my tummy happy and my metabolism zooming!
Breakfast – 600 cals
Snack – 400 cals
Lunch – 550 cals
Snack – 300-400 cals
Dinner – 500 cals
Snack – 300-400 cals
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
I follow the eat clean philosophy. 5 to 6 meals a day between 200 and 300 calories. Match every meal (or try to) with a protein and complex carb. No crashes and no hunger pains all day. Perfect.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
I eat alll day! I am such a grazer it is awful. I need to be better about doing 3 meals a day — I am constantly munching.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Well if it isn’t obvious by the name of my blog I’m a huge proponent of mini meals. I usually eat 5x day and find that the number of hours I am full is equivalent to the number of calories I eat (a 300 calorie meal will fill me up for 3 hours, 500 for 5 hours…etc).
I find that making breakfast my largest meal of the day is best for my schedule, dinner is usually forced down since I’m never hungry but need the fuel for my workouts.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
i eat and eat and eat allllll day long. mini meals work best for me. i love food too much & get too excited about my next meals to only eat 3x a day!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Everyday is different for me. Depending on my schedule I do different things. If I happen to be working from home I like to give myself a few small meals since I may be more tempted around the kitchen. However, when I’m really busy I make sure to have a much larger breakfast and lunch and then a snack (fruit & nuts/ fruit & cheese).
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
it varies every day for me, but a typical day involves a hearty breakfast, lunch, and dinner plus 2 desserts – usually dessert #1 is a small cookie/fro yo and dessert #2 is some type of fruit.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
I have a wacky work schedule so I try to listen to my body as much as possible. I usually end up with the following schedule:
Breakfast (before my 45 minute train ride): coffee and clif bar or piece of fruit
~10am: oatmeal or bagel with hummus, more coffee
Lunch: noon (usually a vegetable, some type of whole grain, beans)
3ish: snack (usually fruit and nuts)
6ish: dinner (I’m always starving when I get home)
On most days I try to stop eating by 8pm
Side note: I’ve been reading your blog for a while and this is the first time I’ve posted a reply. Very exciting!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
ha, i’m lucky if i can make it to 3:00 without a snack! i think my metabolism is its fastest in the afternoon, my blood sugar drops, or i just don’t eat enough for lunch! i typically eat about 450 cals for breakfast, which will last me until lunch, but it seems that no matter what/how much i have for lunch i’m ready for a snack around 3:00. i like the idea of breaking up your lunch in to two–sometimes if i go out for lunch i’ll wrap up half of what i get for my mid-afternoon meal. but even with a snack, when 5:00 hits my tummy is grumbling again! sometimes i can’t even wait till my boyfriend gets home from work to eat dinner. maybe its time for me to do some experimenting too!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Sometimes I need both a morning and afternoon snack. It depends on what I ate for breakfast and how long I have to wait to eat lunch. P.S. I am giving away two breast cancer awareness prize packs on my blog: http://lovinlosing.com/.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
I eat small meals throughout the day to keep my metabolism up and to keep me going.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
I do it like this:
A nice breakfast (not too big though, we just don’t do huge breakfasts in Portugal, I’m not used to it)
A snack (3.5/4 hours after breakfast – it’s usually just fruit)
Lunch
Afternoon snack (usually at 5pm)
Afternoon snack number 2 (a piece of fruit, usually at 7/7:30pm)
Dinner (usually at 20/20.30)
And that’s it. It’s not always like this but I try to do it this way.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
I love eating small meals. I have a ‘lunch’ at 11 and another at 2. It makes me feel great!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
I’ve found that 3 meals plus one snack works best for me. I have something every 4 hours.
I’ve tried other ways (several small meals, less big meals) but this is what keeps me happy and works with my schedule.
Breakfast is at 10AM (I work at home so don’t have to be up super early. I eat this at my desk)
Luch at about 2PM
Snack at 6PM
Dinner at almost 10PM (I work a second job and don’t get home till after 9)
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
I think I have 3 pretty standards meals and 2 snacks–usually one after breakfast and one after lunch… My hunger is sort of like clockwork; I always get hungry at the same times!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Ahh that Harney & Sons Cinnamon Spice tea is my absolute favorite!! Can I ask where you got it?? I just got some at William Sonoma but it was the kind in the pretty tea sachets and I just want the cheap kind . Discovered it at Au Bon Pain years ago and fell in love!!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Your new schedule sounds really well planned. Eating two lunches also sounds very psychologically satisfying
My schedule this year doesn’t leave me much time to eat, so my pattern has changed a lot. I just try to drink juice and eat whatever I can during the day. Then I oink out at night.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
@Sues: Cardullo’s in Harvard Square sells it!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
ooh, I think I had that same tea last week! I loved it!
I eat pretty much all day, but i’ve been noticing that if I don’t eat first thing after I wake up, I tend to wait a LONG time (like 4-5 hours) and then can’t stop eating!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
I breakfast so early (6:00) b4 work that I def need a small snack of fruit or nuts or something at like 9:30/10. A decent sized lunch is at 12 then after school (teaching is fab bc Im home by 330) I have another snack. Usually eat din din at like 530 then have a bedtime snack at like 8.. I totally sound like a 3 year old!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
I find I have to change it up a lot. I’ve been trying to go with what my body is wanting at the time. For some stretches of time, it’s a bigger breakfast, lunch, no snack, and dinner then, sometimes, I find I need to change it up to have small breakfast, lunch, afternoon snacks and dinner. My body doesn’t seem to get used to one particular way of doing it!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
i hope the new technique of eating works for you! i love how you stress how everyone is different!
jenna
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
I’m the same way, but with my morning snack. I am absolutely famished at 9:30am, no matter what my breakfast was. If I don’t snack then, I feel like falling over. Excited to see how your new plan works – I wish I could eat two mini lunches (one at 9:30) at work – but my schedule just wouldn’t allow for it.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
i eat a lot like you used to… 3 meals a day with a mid afternoon snack and usually a small treat for dessert. i bet the mini meals will be fun!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
i usually eat a big breakfast then snack on fruit, lunch is usually random, then snack on more fruit. I try to eat one big salad a day and lots of fruit!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
I graze all day, by having my largest meal at the start of the day and tapering off (sort of):
Breakfast (8:30 AM): 400-500 calories, Lunch (12:30 PM): 300-400 calories, Snack (3:30 – 4 PM): 100-200 calories, Dinner (8:30 PM): 300-400 calories. This varies a great deal depending on if I work out during lunch, or if I have class at night. I usually just plan out my meals for the day and eat all or part of a meal as I get hungry – sometimes I eat half of my breakfast in the AM and half of it right before noon and wait until 2 to eat my lunch, for example.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
I’m a 3 meal, 2 snack a day kind of girl. I have no idea what the calorie division of them is but I always include a carb,dairy or protein & a fruit for brekkie, lunch is protein,veggie,fruit sometimes carb, a carb/fruit snack, supper same as lunch & then a snack of whatever i want
I do what works for my schedule, which varies daily. It all depends on the person 
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
i’m a breakfast, lunch and dinner with a snack at night! thats how i was raised too. But sometimes when i have the chance to eat at home, snacking is a little more open for discussion since i’m around!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Tina,
I see you’re also a fan of the Hot Cinnamon Spice by Harney. I absolutely LOVE that tea, along with the Hot Cinnamon Sunset. I know you’re a big fan of coffee, but that other teas do you recommend?
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
that is one of my favorite holiday teas..I always get it at Gloria Jeans!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Great office mug!
I need to learn to break up my meals more. I get home from work by 4 and I am starving! Looking forward to seeing if this plan works best for you!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
I am the same- I have three meals every day, plus fruit as snacks throughout.. I am always amazed at people who are able to eat just one people each day.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
I’m a 3 big meals type of person because I don’t have a sweet teeth so I enjoy more a savory meal than sweet snacks!
But as you say, we learn what works best for us with time! 
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
I eat 6-8 mini meals through out the day. Breakfast is my highest calorie meal at around 400-450 (depending on how much peanut/almond/sunflower butter ends up in my oatmeal!) My lunch and dinner are around 300 calories each, and then I enjoy snacks around 150-200 calories (depending on whether I worked out that day or not). It takes planning to pack it all, but I do it!
Where are you able to find that pineapple Chobhani! It looks great!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
I think it is awesome that you are changing things up to accomodate your new schedule and to eat awesome foods at home. Most of the time, I have three meals a day plus snacks between breakfast-lunch and lunch-dinner. But if a meal I have is larger or more filling, I won’t need a snack between that and my next meal. It really depends on the food
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
Yay!! Did I really win?? I never win anything! Awesome — thanks!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
3 meals with 1-3 snacks depending on the day and the size of the meal. Also depends on how much tea I drink, that definitely helps keep me full.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
I saw that “Carrots N’ Cake” received a shout-out on in the latest issue of Health Magazine under “Inspiring Weight Loss Blogs.” Congrats!
As for what I usually eat, 3 meals+2 small snacks+ dessert. I’m very active and need to eat constantly to stay satisfied and keep my energy levels up. Spacing my eating out over the course of the day has been the best way for me to prevent mindless gorging in my pantry.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
I’m a three-squares too, and I’ve met quite a few people who think I’m nuts for it. I find that mini meals make me graze all day or want to skip a mini meal because I’m not hungry yet. My job also plays a part in mini meals not working. However, they work for many other people, so I wish you luck and hope this is a solution for you!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Although I experimented with mini meals for a while (6 per day), I found it to be quite inconvenient for my lifestyle–always having to pack something to go anywhere got annoying. I really like my current schedule: 3 meals, 1 small pre-workout snack, another mid size snack during the day, and an evening smoothie.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 11:57 pm
I used to religiously stick to 5 meals a day. It helped me lose weight…but that’s not my goal anymore, and I do not think it’s metabolically superior. So nowadays I have 3 squares, one afternoon snack (usually), and a midnight munchie.
on Oct 30th, 2009 at 12:13 am
I used to snack all day long but now that I’m a mum I eat like this (because it’s all I have time for!):
-a hearty breakfast (oats pretty much every day)
-a light lunch
-a medium sized dinner
-dessert with a cup of tea after Baby Girl goes to bed
Like clockwork, everyday!
on Oct 30th, 2009 at 12:21 am
i prefer 3 square meals with 1 snack = either in the afternoon or a big dessert
unless im running a hugeee distance than i need calories before a run
on Oct 30th, 2009 at 12:47 am
I don’t count calories but I do prefer 4-5 small meals/snacks a day instead of 3 larger ones. I find if I eat a large meal, I seem to have digestive issues.
Since I started running 3ish miles 3-4 times a week, I figured I’d be hungrier, but to my surprise I’m not. Does anyone else experience this? Thanks!
on Oct 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
I have tried the mini-meals approach, but it definitely does NOT work for me – even if I have technically consumed the same number of calories, I still want to sit down for a big meal. I usually have a good size breakfast pretty big lunch (ocassionally a small 100 calorie-ish) snack at 5:30ish and then a small late dinner.
I can’t snack at work (teaching violin lessons) and I don’t feel very snack-y in the morning when I could snack.
on Oct 30th, 2009 at 8:10 am
I’m a mini-meals girl. When I get hungry, I get a headache, so I find that keeping things small and steady works for me.
I love your new office mug and I can’t believe you got it at the Dollar Store!
on Oct 30th, 2009 at 8:14 am
I eat when I am hungry and don’t count calories. I eat what I am hungry for, though that can be hard with packing sometimes. Sometimes, this parlays into mini meals and sometimes I eat three square meals and that’s it. I just honor my hunger.
on Oct 30th, 2009 at 9:09 am
Oh eating. I HATE packing lunches and eating away from home. I always eat breakfast at my place and because I am a college student most of the time I am home for lunch as well as dinner. I usually eat lunch when I’m feeling hungry not really a specific time and dinner is the same. On day’s I am on campus until 330 or 4 I bring snacks to eat throughout the day and then when I get home I will have another snack to hold me off until dinner. There is something about sitting down at home to relax and your food that makes it so much better.
on Oct 30th, 2009 at 9:17 am
3:30 is my “witching hour” as well for hunger. I typically eat 3 main meals with 1 afternoon snack in between lunch and dinner since I workout after work. I eat the bulk of my calories during the day, prior to dinner and have a lighter dinner.
on Oct 30th, 2009 at 9:37 am
Ugh, I need to find the pineapple Chobani!
The way I eat always changes. During the summer, I’m good with 3 meals and usually some dessert. I don’t really get hungry between. During the school year though, I NEED a snack. Especially now that I’m on a huge campus and walking, I think that just revs up my metabolism. Now I eat 3 meals and probably 2 snacks..and some little dessert
But then on the weekends again, I don’t snack. It’s kind of odd!
on Oct 30th, 2009 at 10:25 am
I usually eat three meals a day. I find that my meals seem to hold me better when put more of a emphasis on veggies and lean protein , rather then lots of carbs (both whole grain and fruit). They seem to hold me longer and keep my energy level more stabalized.
I think eating two mini-meals in the afternoon is a fine idea, as long as they are indeed mini meals.
on Oct 30th, 2009 at 11:20 am
I have the same problem with the 3 o’clock hunger. My coworkers and I made up a snack drawer at work filled with healthy snacks like nuts and dried fruit. It makes it much easier to make healthy choices that way.