What to snack on during your work day?

[ichy]

I'll usually eat one or two pieces of fruit during the day. I keep all other snack food out of my office because I suck at self-control, and I might start eating out of boredom. I also drink a fair amount of tea.

 

[HomerX]

i recently read that 3 big meals are better for weightloss compared to 6 small meals for overweight persons with diabetes.
It has something to do with the insulin lvl after each meal etc...

 

[BinarySolo]

Completely wrong. The human body is made to eat fewer small meals, as opposed to 3 large ones. Among other things 3 large meals per day as opposed to say 6 smaller ones, plays havoc with your insulin levels. Actually I'm not even going to reply further to this post. It's wrong, just flat out incorrect.

I totally understand the whole smaller meals more often concept, but it just doesn't work for me when I try to apply it. If I try to eat 5-6 meals a day, I end up consuming way less food by the end of the day (which is bad for me, I need calories because I'm really skinny, I run, and I lift). I never quite know when to stop or how to pace myself, and each meal leaves me unsatisfied. My preference is honestly 3 big meals a day with a snack or two, here and there. I prefer to eat dinner earlier so I get a little hungry before bed and have an english muffin or cereal or PBJ.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Sorry guys, but it's old bodybuilding crap that doesn't hold up to scientific rigor. In fact, there is a lot of evidence in recent years that actually eating less often (using an intermittent fasting protocol) works much better for getting lean while preserving lean mass. If you don't believe me check out sites like The Lean Saloon or Leangains for some examples of very muscular, very lean dudes who eschew the whole "eat 6 times a day for fat loss" BS. Here's some more info as well.

Spamsk8r is exactly right. Eating six meals compared to three meals has no real effect on overall calorie expenditure. It does, however, work for increased average satiation levels, which is why I suggest using it for fat loss. However, when it comes down to a difference in calories burned, six meals and three meals throughout the day are statistically the same.

 

[Kipper]

i recently read that 3 big meals are better for weightloss compared to 6 small meals for overweight persons with diabetes.
It has something to do with the insulin lvl after each meal etc...

I don't see how that works better. Six smaller meals would in fact be optimal for diabetics as presumably, the carbohydrate content in these meals would be reduced, resulting in lower blood sugar spikes, making management easier with oral meds and/or insulin.

 

[HomerX]

I don't see how that works better. Six smaller meals would in fact be optimal for diabetics as presumably, the carbohydrate content in these meals would be reduced, resulting in lower blood sugar spikes, making management easier with oral meds and/or insulin.

It wasn't my study nor do i have a lot of experience with diabetes

An obese person with type2 diabetes has an insulin resistance. It takes a longer time after each meal for the body to reach a "normal" insulin lvl.
The argumentation was that if such a person eats 6 meals during the day (even when they are small), their insulin lvl would constantly be on a high lvl, which is bad for fat burning.
So if a person with insulin resistance wants to loose weight they should eat max 2 times a day in the beginning (with very low cal probably ~1000cal/day) in order to reach a low insulin lvl and finally break the vicious circle.

 

[Kipper]

It wasn't my study nor do i have a lot of experience with diabetes

An obese person with type2 diabetes has an insulin resistance. It takes a longer time after each meal for the body to reach a "normal" insulin lvl.
The argumentation was that if such a person eats 6 meals during the day (even when they are small), their insulin lvl would constantly be on a high lvl, which is bad for fat burning.
So if a person with insulin resistance wants to loose weight they should eat max 2 times a day in the beginning (with very low cal probably ~1000cal/day) in order to reach a low insulin lvl and finally break the vicious circle.

Can you provide a link? This does not sound like a particularly good idea on more than one level (at least, the way you are telling it). A large meal will result in a correspondingly large sugar spike, which means the pancreas tries to meet the flood of sugar with a large burst of insulin. Insulin resistance means that blood sugar remains high despite these attempts, so the pancreas works overtime, producing as much as it can, flooding the body with insulin. Eventually, the sugars go down, but it takes a long time. This is where artificial insulin and meds come into the picture. Some meds increase insulin resistance, others force the pancreas to produce more insulin, others reduce absorbability of carbohydrates from the GI tract, and so on. Obviously artificial insulin provides boost to natural insulin.

With smaller meals, there is a lower spike in blood sugar levels and a correspondingly lower insulin level, meaning that sugar returns to baseline much faster. High blood sugars are problematic for diabetics because they cause vascular and nerve damage, which leads to very, very, very bad things. The short list is heart problems, kidney problems, dementia, amputated limbs, blindness, and frequent hospital visits. If your concern for weight loss is "high insulin levels" (a questionable concern in itself) large meals does not really fit the bill.

With a very low level of calorie intake like 1,000 calories (which wouldn't keep Kate Moss alive) the diabetic is likely to lose lean body mass, which makes insulin resistance even worse. I don't see the upside. You could easily produce a weight loss with a large enough calorie deficit (which usually happens as a consequence of STICKING TO the diabetic carbohydrate-controlled diet anyway) and get better blood sugar control.

 

[HomerX]

A large meal will result in a correspondingly large sugar spike, which means the pancreas tries to meet the flood of sugar with a large burst of insulin.

The meals shouldn't be large!
there should be a high caloric deficit e.g. only 1000cal/day

With a very low level of calorie intake like 1,000 calories (which wouldn't keep Kate Moss alive) the diabetic is likely to lose lean body mass, which makes insulin resistance even worse. I don't see the upside. You could easily produce a weight loss with a large enough calorie deficit (which usually happens as a consequence of STICKING TO the diabetic carbohydrate-controlled diet anyway) and get better blood sugar control.

The 1000cal/day aren't meant as a long time diet! Only for a few days, in an attempt to make the body more receptive to insulin again.

I don't have a link, it was a printed article in a german magazine.

With smaller meals, there is a lower spike in blood sugar levels and a correspondingly lower insulin level, meaning that sugar returns to baseline much faster.

But how does the time scale with the size of the meal? E.g. after a 500cal meal it takes 2h and after a 1000cal meal 3h to reach a normal insulin lvl... so instead of 4x500 = 8h of high insulin lvl you only have 2x1000cal = 6h of high insulin lvl.
These numbers are completely fake but if it behaves in this non linear way this could be the main point in that study.

 

[airdata]

I find myself going to get snacks from the vending machine during the work day more than i'd like.

Already on my list:
- Fruits
- Greek yogurt
- Almonds

What's on your list?

My usual snack... although today I also brought some 6oz yogurt cups and a banana for additional snacking.

As far as eating 3vs 6 times a day... eating boosts your metabolism. Everything I've read points to smaller portions being better than larger portions. You get hungry more often because your bodies already used up all of your food.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Without throwing fuel on the fire, I do the eat smaller more frequent meals. I feel infinitely better doing so. My stomach now has shrunk/gotten so small that I can't eat 3 normal sized meals anymore. I'd much rather eat actual food/meals than snack on something. I'm lucky that my job and training schedule allow me to do so...as other friends of mine aren't quite so lucky.

If I am just in the mood to graze or snack - nuts (almonds or mixed nuts) and granola bars are staples.

 

[Jeffg010]

I like raisins.

 

[marvdmartian]

The problem some people run into, with eating throughout the day, is the tendency to "graze"....oftentimes on those things that aren't really all that healthy.

To answer the OP's question, nuts (almonds & cashews), peanut butter crackers, cheese crackers, tuna & salmon, dried fruit and the occasional protein bar. I also add chocolate protein powder to my coffee in the morning, along with a little creamer and non-sugar sweetener.

 

[Davidpaul007]

I typically have a banana + almonds mid morning, and an apple or orange mid afternoon, then before dinner either crackers/peanut butter or chease/deli meat.

 

[Deeko]

coffee and water. I eat 3 meals a day and leave it at that. I know it isn't the "ideal" way to "lose weight"...but I'm not trying to do that and I seem to function just fine with this plan. If I snack throughout the day, that just ends up being extra calories that I don't need. And I'd MUCH rather eat a few extra calories of my wife's home cooked meal than some random stuff during the day.

This is how I do it. Well, two meals with no snacks. When I'm cutting weight, my body quickly adapts to the fewer calories, and coffee or water fills what voids there are. I like eating a big meal, 6 mini-meals actually makes me more hungry. A big 1000+ calorie dinner easily holds me from 6pm to 11am....and I'm actually quite efficient at losing weight, so clearly it works. For me, at any rate.

 

[skace]

To get back to the OP, I think water is my snack. Water and I guess very small reeces cups, those individually wrapped Halloween tiny ones. However, I don't eat those out of hunger but enjoyment (important because if I tried to fill up on them I'd get wicked fat). To curb hunger, I eat an accelerated meal schedule: 8am, 12pm, 4pm. Roughly 4 hours between meals, and then I drink protein shakes when I feel I need them (morning / night).

 

[evident]

i go for apples and a salad

 

[MrMatt]

I totally understand the whole smaller meals more often concept, but it just doesn't work for me when I try to apply it. If I try to eat 5-6 meals a day, I end up consuming way less food by the end of the day (which is bad for me, I need calories because I'm really skinny, I run, and I lift). I never quite know when to stop or how to pace myself, and each meal leaves me unsatisfied. My preference is honestly 3 big meals a day with a snack or two, here and there. I prefer to eat dinner earlier so I get a little hungry before bed and have an english muffin or cereal or PBJ.

eat a tblspoon of PB with each of 6 meals. Take a shot of EVOO with 3 of the 6. Problem solved