How much should I eat at meal times?

[khillyer]

I don't eat much breakfast and my meals are very unevenly balenced amount wise, so how do I know that I'm eating the correct amounts? Is there a size such as a fist that i should go by? Just until i feel slightly full? I only ask because it can sometimes be misleading, if someone could answer my question that would be great, thanks.

[FutureizNow]

Originally Posted by khillyer

I don't eat much breakfast and my meals are very unevenly balenced amount wise, so how do I know that I'm eating the correct amounts? Is there a size such as a fist that i should go by? Just until i feel slightly full? I only ask because it can sometimes be misleading, if someone could answer my question that would be great, thanks.

It's a good question. If it were obvious how much to eat there would be many fewer unhealthy people.

But perhaps more important than how much you should eat is *what* you should be eating! Because generally speaking this determines a lot of your hunger. Do you have a handle on what you are eating and what you want to be eating?

Again, generally speaking, healthy, nutritious foods are going to fill you more more than unhealthy ones. They create fewer cravings and satisfy. Your body knows this and does make it pretty clear that it is done eating. On the other hand, sweets, salty snacks and fatty foods (or some combinations thereof - eg, buffalo wings) can be eaten nearly to the pont of no return. If you are mainly eating "junk" then it will be hard to get and hear the message to stop.

On the other hand, if you make a varied selection of healthy foods - the food pyramid is not a bad place to start - have a goodly amount of protein, dairy, vegetables, whole grains and fruit, you body should find its own way. You should be eat according to your needs and maintain your weight. I've heard the fistful of protein example as well, and it is not a bad guideline, though if you are hungry lean protein going to fill you better than most other foods.

You don't indicate if you are dieting or just trying to maintain your weight. If you are trying to lose weight, then you also need to cut calories below your requirements, and may not be able to eat as freely. In that case, in general portion control is more important. I don't think it's crucial that all meals be the same size. If you are not tired or lethargic from skipping breakfast and catch up on the nutrients later in the day then that is ok as well. However if you find your studies or work suffer then you should have something. A fruit, some cereal (oats are great), glass of milk, etc to get you going.

Hope this helps ...

FIN

[cyb3rtr0n]

fitday is a tool that helps hold yourself accountable and lets you visualize your nutritional intake.

as far as your question goes, there are 100's of diet plans out there promising similar goals.

One thing that has helped me the most is:

Get a kitchen scale, you can find decent ones for about $25. Start measuring your food, comparing that to serving size and log that info each time you eat something. Eventually you will be able to eyeball out that serving size and get yourself pretty close.

dont skip out on logging anything on fitday, you are only cheeting yourself when you do this. Hold yourself accountable for everything you eat & drink. Those cans of Coke Cola add up fast, and you will get a better picture if your log is accurate. after time you will be able to see what your intake is vs. your weight fluctuations.