Eating every 2-3 hours

Ok I'm 14.5 months post op & wondering what everyone eats when they eat every 2-3 hours of the day. I eat pretty much every 2-2.5 hours when I'm at work because that's just the way my schedule works out, but then at night it's like I still want to snack & I really shouldn't because it makes my calorie intake high.  I feel like I'm constantly eating which I am every 2-3 hours. I hate having to think about food this much. Before surgery I didn't eat often, but when I ate I ate a lot & very non healthy foods. I want to keep my metabolism going throughout the day & not let my blood sugar drop so I stick with eating every couple hours. Just curious what some of you all's eat when you eat every couple hours. Right now I'm getting between 1300-1500 calories most days & have gone as high as 2000 usually I find those days when I workout really hard. Here is a sample of my menu:

 

4:30 am Breakfast: 8 oz Mint Cookie protein shake

5-6:30ish at the gym

7:15 am Either another 8oz protein shake or 2 pouched eggs

10:00-10:30ish Weigh****cher's Jalapeno string cheese with a sliced apple or 2 cuties

12:30 pm 1/2 a multigrain w/flax flatout, 1 slice of ham deli meat, 1 slice of cheese & a peach cup in light syrup

3:00 pm WW string cheese with a fruit of some sort

6:00 pm 4 oz of whatever meat I cook that night & if I can fit it in a small salad

8:00 pm Sugar Free Klondike Icecream bar or SF Raspberry Jello

& sometimes I will have 1/4c of trail mix or almonds before bed

Am I eating too much fruit? I keep wondering. Like I said I really hate having to think this much about food. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

We are all so different it's hard to say. I will say I don't eat that much. I'll eat breakfast, snack (sometimes), lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and usually a small snack before bed.

That's why I am asking what others past a year does. Sometimes I feel so lost in what I should be doing. I know I have at least another 29lbs I want to lose. I thought eating every 2-3 hours was what we were supposed to do, but I guess it's not beneficial if I'm eating too much at a time. Thanks for your response. I really appreciate it.

I don't have to eat every 2-3 hours. For me, that would be grazing because I'm not hungry that often and I don't have reactive hypoglycemia that I need to eat to control. Here is an example of my big eating day. 

B - quiche or Greek yogurt

S - piece of hard cheese 

L- salad with grilled chicken, shredded cheese avocado, boiled egg

S - cottage cheese or small apple with peanut butter

D - pork chop and Brussels sprouts

S - something sweet

 

This was today:

b - protein coffee

s - roast beef deli meat, colby jack cheese, tomato with ranch

d - cheese enchilada, refried beans, couple of chips and salsa (we went out for dinner)

s - maybe Greek yogurt with blue berries

 

There is no need to eat just to eat IMO. I think too much emphasis is placed on eating often once someone can eat a reasonable amount of food at meals. 

 

 

I eat 6 times a day (but I have just half a glass of milk, a couple of bites of yogurt, or one cracker with PB right before bed (it keeps me from being shaky in the morning)).  I, too, would feel like I was eating all day is I ate every 2 hours or so. Eating THAT frequently isn't necessary, unless you have medical issues, just to keep your blood sugar and metabolism stable throughout the day.

Why so much fruit during the day (and not a single veggie mentioned except maybe a salad (especially since typical salad veggies aren't very nutritious))?!?  I don't remember seeing anyone who eats some kind of fruit at almost every meal, especially not with so many meal times a day! That much fruit really increases your calorie and carb intake, especially if you have TWO cuties instead of one (yes, they are small and have very few calories and carbs, but no one really needs two of them) and have peaches in syrup (even light syrup adds calories).  Also, how about half an apple instead of a whole apple? 

Have you tracked the amount of calories and carbs in so much fruit?  The calories are probably fairly low, but the carbs are going to be kind of high for things like apples.I would definitely recommend eating less frequently and changing some of the fruits to veggies. My $.02 worth.

Lora

I know I am eating too many fruits & yes it does make my carb count high. I usually have fruit with the Jalapeno string cheese to cool my tongue a little. I do have veggies other times. This is just a sample of a day that I've taken out of my tracker. Tonight I had 3.5 oz of turkey & 1/4c of green beans. I've tried to cut back on how many times I eat, but now that my body has gotten so accustomed to eating so frequently it's like engrained in my belly or maybe my head. Lol You are right I could do with less of a serving at a time. I just ate 2 cuties at a time because it's mainly water & squishes down to nothing. Thanks for your input, it is always appreciated.

So what would be acceptable to keep the metabolism going all day? How much should I be eating at each meal? I want to do it the right way, the most effective way. Sometimes it just seems so overwhelming. I think I know what I'm doing, but I don't. Lol

Usually every 3-4 hours is sufficient.  I make sure that my "meals" are at least 15g of protein and contain some type of carb (for blood sugar reasons) and that my "snacks" have at least 8g of protein.  So, even at almost 6 years out, a typical day for me would be something along the lines of:

1- SF not chocolate w/protein powder (BREAKFAST)

2- Greek yogurt (the yogurt has its own carbs)

3- if a cold lunch, tuna salad and whole grain crackers (or some deli meat rolled in cheese) and a small amount of fruit (half a small apple, a Cutie, etc.) or some salad veggies (raw carrots, broccoli, green peppers w/FF ranch dip); if a warm lunch, half a chicken breast or half a hamburger or turkey burger (usually no bun) and some veggies (green beans or broccoli, typically) (LUNCH)

4- string or Babybell cheese and half a serving of almonds

5- 4-6 ounces of protein (size depends on density) and some veggies (broccoli, green beans, peas, cauliflower) (DINNER)

6- cheese or yogurt with fruit and my daily treat (usually some kind of chocolate treat)

7- (15 MINUTES BEFORE BED) half a glass of milk or half a container of yogurt

 

Lora

 

I don't know if I'm getting in that many calories but I do eat every 2-3 hours and usually get in over 80g protein. I am 14 months postop. I usually start the morning off with 8oz of coffee(or less), then a greek yogurt. Two hours later I eat either a protein bar or protein cookies(Chef Jay's Tri-o-plex chocolate chip cookies are amazing). For lunch I usually eat chicken or some other meat and for dinner its usually meat again. I have a protein shake every other day and like to eat cheese as a snack. I love peanut butter too. I don't eat a lot of fruit but that's because I worry about the natural sugars and the skins on grapes and apples make me sick. I do however like to eat a banana as a late night snack if I get hungry at night. My yogurt is the kind with fruit at the bottom. I eat Dannon Lite&Fit Greek.

I think you are doing fine. Just be wary of all the sugar in fruit.

 

How much protein are you getting in everyday? That is most important.

Thanks Sara! I'm getting between 80-100g of protein a day. Right now I'm sitting at 106 for the day.