eating paterns = 2, 3, 4, or 5 times daily ??!!

Adam-from-SLO

Hello All,

Just wondering how many times per day everyone on this forum eats.

I've found that on a average/normal day....... I'll eat 4-5 meals(maybe one of those meals will be fairly large- for lunch or dinner, but not always).

**This has been the "method of choice" it seems from many articles in the last several years...... saying that its "healthy to eat several small meals during the course of the day.... so that your body has time to metabolize your food , and convert it into usable energy- efficiently..... and does not put much strain on your pancreous(sp. ?).... or other organs in processing your food ".

**Although, I have found that when I do a hard day on the bike(usually over 30 miles)....... or if I go for a good hike- say 2+ hours in length , then with in a hour of finishing my ride/or hike I will want to seriously EAT- and will do my best to try and hit a Buffet style resturant for Lunch or early dinner.

What do you all think about this ? Always eat small meals of 4-5 times daily........, or is it OK...... and perfectly health to eat BIG after a major power effort on my part.

__________________
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*"Good people try to help others with their knowledge rather than beating them on the head because they are ignorant." -Insight Driver

ibike73

I eat 3 meals a day. The meals would consist of breakfast, lunch & dinner. I also have 3 servings of fruit a day, in between meals. On ride days I have a recovery drink with fruit or PB&J depending on the mood.

Breakfast:
1 yogurt
3 eggs w/ ham (low sodium) in a low-cal wrap

Lunch:
deli sandwich (rye bread)

Dinner:
8-10 ounces of fish or chicken with can of mixed veggies.

Then I have fruit, bar, or PB&J if I get hungry at other times.

Ron

tafi

I tend to eat at:

Breakfast before riding/work
Morning tea (snack)
Lunch
Afternoon tea (snack)
Dinner

Breakfast is nearly always a goodly amount of museli with soy milk, tea/coffee, and toast if I feel like it. Usually the easiest way to fuel for a ride/working day. For anything longer than an hour I'll generally take food with me on the bike.

After a ride (particularly during the last couple of weeks with 6 hours being a good ride) I will generally eat a decent amount of food. A smoothie is always good but if all else fails museli with protein powder is always a good one.

Lunch usually follows quickly after this post ride meal and will carry plenty of carbs like bread, rice or pasta (which are easy to digest when you need it!) and a source of protein along with some fruit.

Dinner will be similar in consistency to lunch but with significantly higher proportions of protein and vegetables because digestion time is less of a factor when you're about to go to bed for 9 hours.

If I get hungry at other times (which is rare) i usually have a snack of fruit.

I guess I am lucky that I can consume plenty of food without constantly having to graze. I have gone through periods of grazing but when this has happened I have tended to misjudge quantities and overeat.

zaskar

You must not ride much eating that little of food.

zaskar

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Adam-from-SLO
[B]Hello All,

Just wondering how many times per day everyone on this forum eats.

I eat lots i lose count of what i eat every day, when i need to eat i eat. i have counted calories a few times and i consume 3-4k cals a day. i have found that i can eat more of the good foods without fat gain. i stay away from chips, icecream,cookies, ect all that high fat empty calorie stuff. i train 12-14 hours a week.

ibike73

I ride about 150-200 miles a week. I did not add the Power Bars or Gels that I consume pre-race or during ride/race.

Ron

syrus_82

generally i,m eating every 2 hrs, from about 7am to 9pm, and if i get hungry in between then i eat, breakfast is usually 9-11 weetbix, lunch is generally pasta or rice, and for dinner i have meat - chicken fish or beef, and veges, in the meals in between i generally eat a couple pieces of fruit and a sandwhich or 2, generally stay away from junk food, i only ride about 100km a week at the moment, but i'm running up to 60km a week and swimming up to 10km, depends on what im concentrating on