Happy Monday, guys! A few weeks back, I mentioned that I changed up my eating habits. I wanted to wait until I completed a month on it before sharing my experience. You might want to make a cuppa tea or coffee because this is going to get lengthy. Especially for those of you with hormonal imbalances, this post might be interest you.
Here goes…
For as long as I can remember, my eating style involved 3 meals with 2-3 snacks thrown in. At the start of the year, I decided to adopt the old-school “3 Square Meals” approach. Amongst various other reasons, my main motivation to change things up on January 1st came down to my rebalancing my hormone levels:
Every time we eat, our testosterone levels raise. While this effect is fine for most people, it is the exactly the opposite of what I needed.
As someone who enjoyed the mini meals approach, I initially had a few qualms. For starters, I had it ingrained in my mind that increasing the size of my meals would leave me feeling overly full. Also afternoons tend to be my snackiest time and I wasn’t sure whether I could go from lunch to dinner without eating anything. Fortunately my NY resolution to get out of my comfort zone was sky high, so I decided to give the “3 Square Meals” approach a go.
After a full month of trying out this “experiment”, here are my “findings”:
- It took me 4-5 days to establish a portion size which kept me full till my next meal without making me feel bloated
- Eating more substantial meals left me feeling satisfied, and hence I had little desire to eat until my next meal…or think about food for that matter
- Much to my surprise, the issue of ‘boredom snacking’ never crept up
- More than protein & carbs, increasing my intake of fats (especially avocados, yolks & nuts) seemed to help a lot. I’m guessing that’s to do with their energy density & slow digestibility rate.
- I wasn’t overly rigid: if I felt genuinely hungry in between meals, I ate something- this happened a handful of times
- I still ate a bedtime snack (mostly yogurt with fruit)
And the most noticeable change:
- I’ve become much more in tune with my hunger signals. Leaving a longer gap between meals allows my hunger sensation to actually kick in. As a result, I’m enjoying food that much more.
As always, I am not implying that one style of eating is better than the other. I have had plenty of success with eating both mini meals during the day as well as now with eating more substantial meals. For the time being, I’m going to continue with the latter as I’m enjoying it a lot more than I expected. Eating less frequently means that food has become more of an afterthought for me.,.and despite being a foodie, it’s kinda refreshing.
And now for the big question of whether it made any difference to my hormone levels: I still need to take my test but I’ll be sure to keep you posted after I do.
Are you a snacker or do you prefer eating more substantial meals?
Im a snacker but I definitely think often it is because I haven’t eaten enough at dinner time or whichever meal. I need to plan my meals and try this. I’ll be interested to hear how it affects your hormones
I’ll be sure to post more about it when I know 🙂
Looks like you’ve found some nice success with this way of eating!
I tend to go back and forth. I definitely hit a streak of months where I snacked a looot throughout the day. I enjoyed eating so many small meals as opposed to three large ones.
I’m really not sure what happened or what changed, but i’m eating 3 substantial meals now, with not too much snacking in between. This has worked for me right now!
In terms of running & your energy levels, do you notice any differences when you switch between the 2?
This is interesting! I didn’t know that eating raises testosterone levels. I usually eat snacks between meals, but they’re fairly small because I eat pretty large meals – sometimes they’re even big enough that I don’t need a snack. I just prefer the satisfaction I get after a big meal compared to smaller ones!
You and me both- I hate finishing a meal and still feeling like something is missing!
I’m not really a snacker. I, like you, have found that by eating 3 “larger” meals a day, I have more control over how much I eat, feel fuller longer, etc. I try really hard to make sure that most of my meals (at least during the weekdays!) are healthy and include lots of protein, veggies, and good fats! I think that is key to making this approach work.
It’s funny because most people say that they need carbs to feel full. Even though most of my meals do include some, I definitely notice the effects more when protein/fats are missing as opposed to carbs!
Interesting how eating frequently raises testosterone levels!
I’m a 3 meals, 2 snacks a day sort of person. But I have to admit, sometimes it is nice to eat a really big lunch and not feeling hungry again until dinner!
I was surprised too…and although I am sure it’s an accumulation of factors that contribute to raised testosterone levels, I wanted to give this a shot as it couldn’t hurt :)!
Oh girl, you know I love this! I had no idea about the effect that meal frequency had on hormone levels though…
Anywho, I’m kind of going through the same thing at the moment, although I have to admit that I’m probably not sticking to it as well as I should. I do put more of an effort into eating bigger meals and notice that it does help keep me fuller a lot longer, but I’m still a snacker – the only difference is that now I’m not constantly picking away at something, but having designated snacks instead. You’re right in saying that both ways seem to work though… I guess it just depends on what you’re feeling on a particular day.
I thought of you as I was posting this :)! Although grazing is fine for some people, I end up mindlessly snacking throughout the day. Designated snacks/meal works much better for me and I feel better on those days too!
very interesting to hear and I think the biggest indicator is that hunger cues came. That shows that your body was able to adapt to this and it worked for you.
I’m glad I gave it a shot- and my body responded well :)!
I’m a complete grazer–If I could have my way, I’d just eat pretty much constantly, but just a nibble here or there. I do like the idea of experimenting with meal structure and planning though, because you never know! Hope it’s had the positive effect on your hormones!
Hahah high five to a fellow food lover :)! Thanks for the positive vibes!
This post really resonates with me, Khushboo, as I’ve been playing around with my eating style for years. When I was growing up, I adhered to a pretty strict three meals and two snacks (one morning, one afternoon) approach because that’s when I was served food. When I got to middle school–and was given the freedom to eat whenever and whatever I liked–, I began snacking multiple times/day, skipping meals, etc. etc. That was when my relationship with food changed–I became paranoid about macros and timing, and started experimenting with various diets. Ever since then, my eating schedule has been a bit wonky, however for the past couple years I’ve settled into a relatively consistent six-meals/day approach. I’ve found that this works best for my digestion, and prevents me from snacking regularly. That said, it can be VERY inconvenient, especially when I’m traveling and don’t have access to my regular supply of food! I usually try to adjust to a three meals approach during these times, for sake of ease, but it always throws my system for a loop. 😉
I’m glad to hear that you’ve settled into a routine that works for you! I may give this experiment a try myself (once I’m finished with my “bulk”–my meals would have to be gigantic!), especially if it balances hormone levels. I’d never heard that testosterone is raised after eating, but I’m really interested in learning more!
Have a wonderful Monday, love! <3 xoxoxo
Thanks for sharing about your experience, Sara…it’s always interesting to hear about what works/doesn’t work for others! It sounds like you’ve established a great approach to eating now that fits your current goals to bulk up…and I’m so glad it’s producing the results :)!
I’m so glad you are experimenting with an eating schedule that’s right for you! I am actually trying to adopt a better eatting schedule myself (and perhaps blog about it in the future if it works out). So far what I’m doing has helped me balance my hunger signals greatly!
Would love to read more about it when you’re ready to share :)!
Of course I loved this post! It’s interesting to read how you’ve been doing. You know all my thoughts about this matter already, but I plan on being a convert to the 3 meals approach for life!
Speaking to you and hearing about your success actually motivated me most to try it out…so a huge thanks to you, Tara :)!
I snack a lot at work because I’m sitting in front of the computer all day.. although I’m doing a lot better than before! I do eat a very big lunch and dinner but usually just drink a green monster protein shake for breakfast.
I need a big breakfast on most days- otherwise I end up so hungry later on in the day!
I’m more of a 3 meal person, but I need an afternoon snack to get by and a bed time snack to keep me satiated for as long as I sleep, or not I’ll wake up in the middle of the night with a grumbling tummy!
That Nicoise salad looks so good I think I’m gonna have to recreate that some time!
I normally don’t like Nicoise salads because I’m not a fan of canned tuna….I do, however, love tuna steaks! 🙂
Loving your perspective! I am definitely a snacker….I feel like I’m always eating! Having healthy fats really helps. I have a good amount of nuts (or almond butter) every day. But sometimes I do think that if I just ate bigger meals I wouldn’t be getting up for a snack all the time! That or just a weirdly speedy metabolism…
A speedy metabolism is always a good sign eh ;)!
I am not for the you have to eat 5-6 small meals deal, I love feeling HUNGRY, I love knowing my body needs more energy and that I will provide it with that energy and the correct amount. I always felt slow, bloated and had digestive problems eating 5-6 small meals. I do MUCH better just eating when I am hungry. I think its funny how society pressures us to eat so often, our ancestors NEVER were able to eat 5-6 times a day and they were all fit, skinny and healthy whereas nowadays the states are overweight and obese..kind of tells you something. I think the 5-6 meals thing works for some people but definitely not for me either! Love + shine courtstar
Couldn’t agree more- as great as the mini meal approach can be, I hate that it’s touted as more superior in our generation. Both approaches work, it’s just a matter of determining which suits your lifestyle & body better!
I’m a three meals a day with an afternoon snack thrown in. It’s a schedule that works for me because it does allow me to get hungry instead of feeling constantly full.
It’s great you found something that works for you :)!
Good article. I am actually a more substantial eater.. and that’s cause I prefer larger portions, but I need to keep that in check. I don’t snack in between meals much, especially not on days I work. I am still working on the breakfast thing, but definitely eat a good amoutn of lunch and dinner, and then tea at night with some kind of healthy dessert, or a cupcake once a week.
I think this way is better cause you aren’t always thinking about food.
And if I do feel hungry, snack on banana, peanut butter, nuts, and all.
🙂
A cupcake/real dessert a week definitely keeps us sane ;)!
I tend to go back and forth between snackful days and bigger meal days. It varies, but I would say I snack more. I’m glad this worked so well for you, not having a job or being in school right now definitely has elevated me snack levels from what I HOPE isn’t boredom, but I think sometimes I am just bored. I try to get moving or at least go to the gym when that happens!
I give you credit for hitting the gym instead of snacking out of boredom- not always the easiest ;)!
Hi KT
Where did u get that exact nicoise salad pic? I have it on my media folder too…..is it Shubir’s lunch from one of the resorts?:) AD
Automat! Shubz sent me 😀
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