Any snackers out there?

So maybe I am the only one, but I have come to realize that I never really have 3 meals a day, but more like 10 snacks or so. I eat during breakfast and lunch and dinner, but normally it is something small and then I go back in like an hour or so for something else. Does any one do this?

Like for example breakfast will be toast and coffee and then an hour later I'll make an omelet, and then an hour later I'll have fruit or something..and the rest of the day is pretty similiar.

Is this bad, good?? Any thoughts? My calories are still at my maintanence intake, but I just spread everything out...

Laura- I do agree that it could be ed related (snacking), but I used this treatment in recovery so that my stomach could handle the new amount of food it was given. I would have to say though that I don't use it as a crutch anymore for ed though, but I still have some problems eating huge meals, so I normally just opt for small snacks throughout the day to keep my metabolism up and going.

I guess prior to my ed though I didn't really snack that much, but I guess I wasn't that healthy of an eater anyway so...? I mean breakfast was Burger King or deli bagels/donuts, lunch was pizza and cookies and fries, and dinner was tacos and tons of sour cream.

I guess it just works for me now though and I like to look forward to snacks and to avoid overeating or gordging and feeling overly full. I also find that when I snack more my thoughts of restricting are less because it makes me feel always satisfied and strong (like I am following my meal plan or something). Maybe this snacking method has come from my recovery, but I do really just enjoy it throughout the day....

ne one...... about how long between your snacks??

how long do they take for you to eat???

 

Spek: (sorry dont know how to do the quote thingy haha.)

1.how long between your snacks

It depends on what I have for time-if Im at home I probably snack as much as every 1-2 hours, but if Im working/going to school, I just try to fit them in where I can and sometimes have to eat more at once if I dont get a chance to eat enough.

2.how many you have each day

If I dont have to worry about being anywhere, I probably eat like 7-9 times a day, but again some days I need to kind of combine snacks.

3.how many calories in each???

I usually only eat a few hundred calories at a time(like 100-300 cals) but should probably be doing more since I need to gain weight as well.

I guess for those of us recovering, we should just do what works best for us because we are trying to be healthy again, so whatever makes us comfortable and helps us get enough calories is probably the most important.

I thought i was the only one!!

I eat like, 100 calories every hour

plus small 300 calorie meals

i love it!

 

i eat every few hours. probably 100-300 calories.  i don't keep track anymore.  every now and then i eat a larger 600-800 calorie meal when i eat out.  this usually makes me feel pretty borderline stuffed/ uncomfortably full and i will go a long time without eating afterwards simply because i won't get hungry. 

this happened to me yesterday, eating at a buffet at at 4pm i forgot to eat the the whole rest of day and all though i most likely got around 1200 calories, it was not the 1400+ i aim for.

i have never had an ED.  i have at times slipped into obsessive behavior that might have been borderline though.

Original Post by positivelinny:

Laura- I do agree that it could be ed related (snacking), but I used this treatment in recovery so that my stomach could handle the new amount of food it was given. I would have to say though that I don't use it as a crutch anymore for ed though, but I still have some problems eating huge meals, so I normally just opt for small snacks throughout the day to keep my metabolism up and going.

I guess prior to my ed though I didn't really snack that much, but I guess I wasn't that healthy of an eater anyway so...? I mean breakfast was Burger King or deli bagels/donuts, lunch was pizza and cookies and fries, and dinner was tacos and tons of sour cream.

I guess it just works for me now though and I like to look forward to snacks and to avoid overeating or gordging and feeling overly full. I also find that when I snack more my thoughts of restricting are less because it makes me feel always satisfied and strong (like I am following my meal plan or something). Maybe this snacking method has come from my recovery, but I do really just enjoy it throughout the day....

I have been able to ascertain so clearly how hard you've been working on your recovery and it's so great to hear that snacking has helped you get to your caloric goals.  This is not a bad idea in recovery when you're trying to get your tummy to adjust to eating more calories. Since your metabolism has slowed down so much, it IS difficult to eat large portions at first. 

One thing that might be worth considering, though, is whether or not it's healthy in the long run to not be able to tolerate--physically or psychologically--eating more than 300 calories at a time.  When you eat predominantly low cal foods, you can get "a lot" of food for 1-300 calories.  This is why people who are trying to lose weight shift to these kinds of eating patterns while they wait for their eyes and their tummies to adjust to smaller portions and less dense foods.  Since you're not trying to lose weight and since you're still on the edge of underweight, these kind of eating habits may not be the best for you.  I have to assume that the reason why you feel "stuffed" after a larger meal is because you haven't trained yourself to eat larger portions.  It's kind of a chicken-and-egg situation.  If you were to eat larger portions and/or more calorically dense food on a regular basis, you WOULD be able to eat these things without discomfort. 

It's most important, of course, that you find a way of eating that allows you to get your calories in.  But if you could take like one step beyond that...  If you were to think about living your life TRULY free of the ED, what step would you take?  Many many many people have difficulty taking a step beyond that.  It's very common for people who recover form an ED to continue to worry about food, eating, exercise, and calories for many many many years.  If you were to imagine a life without those kinds of worries, what kind of relationship do you think you'd have with food?  If you can see that, I can encourage you to take a step in that direction, however tiny it might be.    There is absolutely room for snacking in a healthy lifestyle and meal plan.  I just encourage you to consider whether snacking now is REALLY moving you in a direction of living a life without an ED.  You are doing so wonderfully in your path.  I only challenge you here because your spirit, support, and kindness towards others on this site should also be able to find a home with you, in your body...for a lifetime. 

laura916 i couldn't agree w/ you more!  Personally, i think all of us have "food issues" even though it may not be a full-out ED.  C'mon, "normal" people don't devote all this time to this topic.  I'm not saying our bodies aren't benefiting from all this nutritional knowledge and attempts to be healthy but our minds are still pretty screwed up.  I envy naturally healthy people who exercise and eat right b/c that's what they do - like they brush and floss their teeth - they don't blog about it, they don't think about it , they just make the right choices whenever they're ready to eat.

I have a horrible habit of snacking - it used to be very regulated - every few hours, small amnts., etc.  That was before my life got too busy with work, kids etc.  Now I'm constantly snacking - usually standing in the kitchen - which is bad and a horrible example for my kids.  most of the stuff i eat is very healthy, but my 7 yr old girls don't really know that, they see their mom standing in the kitchen cooking and eating and i would hate for them to develop a habit of mindless eating.  i'm trying hard but it's a "beast" esp. b/c since i have a family, it seems like i have to be around food all the time - making breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, for someone all the time.

That said, i think if one is aware of what they eat and it's part of their daily cal intake it's much healthier than stuffing yourself 3 x a day.

where are the large quantity snackers?? it's the only way I can meet my calorie needs of 3-4k!

I have breakfast of about 7-800 calories

s- around 200  since it's closer to lunch

l- usually around 500

s- 4-500

s- sometimes another 200 or so if I'm hungry again

d- anywhere b/w 6-800

s- I always end up having to cram in a bunch before bed too

I can understand how it could be a sort of ED habit but only because now I've become so rigid about HAVING to eat every 2-3 hours or else it makes me really nervous, and I also hate the feeling of being stuffed so I have to do a lot of dense foods. I do end up eating less in one sitting, for example if I go out to dinner with my family, but they only eat 3 meals max, and my mom will drink coffee in the afternoon. I was always a snacker pre-Ed so I don't really feel like this is any different. I used to get lightheaded if I went more then 3 or 4 hours without eating and it was also fairly large snacks back then too.