Meal Hours.

[SpookCity_USA]

Since I've been on maintenance I've noticed that I am the most hungry between the hours of 2-3 pm. This is usually when I have my biggest meal of the day.
I eat breakfast as soon as I get up and I rarely snack between the two meals.

Now the question is; I HATE eating late at night, I've noticed recently that I never eat after 6pm. Actually, some days I stop eating around 4-5ish.
I know you're supposed to eat every few hours, and I did up until this past month or so, it's just that I've discovered that I don't like to eat late. I find I sleep a lot more easily on an empty stomach, also.

Do you think this going to have any negitive long term effects?

[BabyDreamer]

Spook,

I bet you are the wisest person about how your body works. If you are not hungry at night, then I wouldn't eat at night. I find I am hungry in the afternoons too so that is when I choose to do my exercise because it keeps me focused on something else. Again, you look amazing!

Deb

Originally Posted by SpookCity_USA

Since I've been on maintenance I've noticed that I am the most hungry between the hours of 2-3 pm. This is usually when I have my biggest meal of the day.
I eat breakfast as soon as I get up and I rarely snack between the two meals.

Now the question is; I HATE eating late at night, I've noticed recently that I never eat after 6pm. Actually, some days I stop eating around 4-5ish.
I know you're supposed to eat every few hours, and I did up until this past month or so, it's just that I've discovered that I don't like to eat late. I find I sleep a lot more easily on an empty stomach, also.

Do you think this going to have any negitive long term effects?

[SpookCity_USA]

Originally Posted by BabyDreamer

Spook,

I bet you are the wisest person about how your body works. If you are not hungry at night, then I wouldn't eat at night. I find I am hungry in the afternoons too so that is when I choose to do my exercise because it keeps me focused on something else. Again, you look amazing!

Deb

That's a great idea. Exercising when I'm hungry also helps me to focus on something else for awhile.
Thanks for the help! It's great to have so many friendly and educated people on board.
(Something that was hard to find in another Atkins community I was once in.)

[BabyDreamer]

Spooky,

I am just figuring out what works for me so I like to share any ideas I come up with!

Deb

Originally Posted by SpookCity_USA

That's a great idea. Exercising when I'm hungry also helps me to focus on something else for awhile.
Thanks for the help! It's great to have so many friendly and educated people on board.
(Something that was hard to find in another Atkins community I was once in.)

[2big4mysize]

you are going to be amazed what you can and can't do now that you are eating maintneance levels. Try just having a snack in the evening if you get hungry but most of all listen to our body and feed it when it tells you it needs food.

Being in mantainance you have lost your deep ketoxix so you will have an appetite and know when you need to eat.

Happy low carbing

[SpookCity_USA]

Thank you both!

[BikerGoddess]

Is it possible you're not experiencing actual hunger. I want to eat when I'm bored, tired, or mildly stressed, and afternoon usually brings at least two of those. You could also be thirsty - my water consumption dropped a lot when I got to goal.

It might be that you're having too many simple carbs for lunch, and your blood sugar is dropping. Lots of people stuck in offices all day have an afternoon slump.

You might just be on a cycle where you get hungry at that time. Personally, I say eat when you're hungry, not on a schedule. If that means dinner at 3, then, well, your evening's free for other things.

Or, if you mean that you don't have lunch until 2, and you're only having two meals a day, you might want to consider having smaller meals more often. Eating too much at one sitting will make things harder on you. You don't have to eat past 5, if you don't want to, but you don't want a meal at 2pm to last you all evening, either.

In fact, I eat breakfast before 7, have lunch around 11, a snack around 2 (some days), then dinner at 5. I go to bed around 9, and rarely have anything after dinner. But they're fairly small meals - less food than a typical child's menu eating out.

Laura

[SpookCity_USA]

Originally Posted by BikerGoddess

Is it possible you're not experiencing actual hunger. I want to eat when I'm bored, tired, or mildly stressed, and afternoon usually brings at least two of those. You could also be thirsty - my water consumption dropped a lot when I got to goal.

It might be that you're having too many simple carbs for lunch, and your blood sugar is dropping. Lots of people stuck in offices all day have an afternoon slump.

You might just be on a cycle where you get hungry at that time. Personally, I say eat when you're hungry, not on a schedule. If that means dinner at 3, then, well, your evening's free for other things.

Or, if you mean that you don't have lunch until 2, and you're only having two meals a day, you might want to consider having smaller meals more often. Eating too much at one sitting will make things harder on you. You don't have to eat past 5, if you don't want to, but you don't want a meal at 2pm to last you all evening, either.

In fact, I eat breakfast before 7, have lunch around 11, a snack around 2 (some days), then dinner at 5. I go to bed around 9, and rarely have anything after dinner. But they're fairly small meals - less food than a typical child's menu eating out.

Laura

Great advice! Thank you very much. I guess it just depends on everyone's body.

I find it harder to eat small meals throughout the day, I tend to look forward to eating that big meal around 2-3 pm.
Thanks again everyone.

EDIT

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