Need opinions on number of meals/snacks per day

Alright, so I'm looking for your opinions on how many meals/snacks per day to have, especially when getting further away from surgery.  I currently eat 3 meals per day with 2-3 snacks.  In reality, it's almost like eating 5-6 very small meals per day.  It's fine now, but I presume that at some future point, my capacity will increase and eating this many times per day could get me into trouble?

I know that some of you are limited by your surgeon or NUT to 3 meals a day with no snacks.  But when does that transition happen?  Is there a sweet spot?  Say 6 months out?  9 months out?  At goal?  Some other time/milestone?

What do your surgeons say?  What do your NUTS say?  What do YOU say?

I'm looking to maximize my success, both in weight loss and maintenance so this is a pretty important thing to figure out, I think.

I don't go with a set number of meals and snacks. I just shoot for 600-800 calories overall (after exercise) with 100 grams of protein and limiting carbs to 40 or so. Hope that helps.

My surgeon only wants 3 meals a day and no snacking.

I'm 10 months out and i'm a calorie counter.  I try to stay under 1000 calories per day. Most of the time I'm range from 800-900 per day.. I snack on lots of fruit, fiber one and granola.

I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks and I agree, with the Sleeve it's more like 5-6 small meals.

I will always eat like this becaise I think it's the best way for lifelong, lealthy eating.

My Nut and Surgeon said that once my capacity isn't so restricted the meals should be "regular" and the snacks should stay on the lighter side.

My surgeon and nut say three meals a day no snacking. I usually easy between 300-500 cal a day and 20 or less carbs mainly cuz of restriction. Once in a awhile I'll have a piece of cheese in the evening just cuz hubby eats Ice cream and I dont wanna mess up, but that's rare usually I just drink, drink, drink

My surgeon originally told me three meals, he then softened it to three meals and one to two snacks, now, he basically tells me to do what I am doing since it's working.  He is a very results oriented type of person.  This is what works for me, so you need to make sure it works for you as your mileage may vary.  I eat three main meals a day and I snack two to three times a day on healthy food. I am talking about a handful of sprouted almonds, or a small salad, or an artichoke with Greek yogurt dip.  When I was losing weight, only the final calorie count really mattered.  Now, I am no longer keeping such an eye on the calories, but I am making sure that I am not drinking my calories or grazing.  I also make sure that my snacks are NEVER high in carbs.  If I am going to eat carbs, I make them part of my meal, after the protein and the veggies.  The bottom line seems to be limiting calories and carbs, either through writing it down or through limiting the times you eat. 

It has to be three meals and three snacks, because I can eat only a few bites of *good* food at one time and am starving a couple of hours later.  Now, mind you, I can eat a snoot-load of garbage ... but then I still need a snack in a little while, since I got no nutrition from the garbage, snort :-)
--Dorothy 

I eat 4-5 times a day.  Call them meals, call them snacks, call them whatever.  I have something every 3-4 hours.  My doc is fine with this system as long as the snacks are planned and it's not mindless grazing.  Personally, I consider this a healthier way of eating than trying to get everything in 3 meals.  I watch my calories, protein, and carbs and probably always will.

Short answer: I plan to calories, protein and carbs. Generally I do 4 meals a day with an optional snack. I usually have the snack to get me over 600 calories and often to add a little fat to my counts.

I am seven and a half months out and my capacity remains small, so this continues to work for me. I'm not expecting huge increases in my capacity at this point - some folks have said they saw an increase at 8 months so we'll see.

I am not worried about maintenance right now because I have no idea how many calories it will take for me to maintain my weight - I think the numbers on the charts are way high for most of us, because our metabolisms generally aren't normal. So it will be a matter of seeing how many calories I need to maintain and then setting my meals and snacks up to suit that, adding more fruits, veggies, whole grains and healthy fats to up the calorie count without upping volume hugely.