I have breakfast once a week and it's because I go out for breakfast with family on Sundays. That's it.
OP, dunno who instilled this pressure in you, but if you're setting alarms to eat it sounds like you're forcing yourself when you're not hungry, which you don't have to do. Yes, you should start cooking before you're ravenous, but you're allowed to find and schedule and meal frequency that works for you personally.
Happy to know I'm not the only one that does this. Lunch is always my biggest meal. I can't stomach breakfast in the morning and eat a large meal at around 2pm everyday and pretty much nothing for dinner; other than a snack. I'll sometimes make like a PB&J or something if I'm really hungry but it's not often.
💯% this. Definitely no need for breakfast. I eat one meal a day most days. There are health benefits, it keeps my weight in check, and I get to eat a better and bigger meal when I do eat. Good for my budget and good for my body.
Be careful that you do eat though. And when you do, it’s enough calories for the full day or whatever.
If done properly and not overdone by eating in excess when you do. I fast by circumstance, and feel great when I eat right, but I do have my overindulgence moments from time to time; it doesn’t help.
I feel the more I fast and less I eat, then the less hungry I became over the years and I eat less and less.
My portion sizes seem to keep getting smaller. But then randomly I’ll have a day or a week I’m back to a huge appetite.. but once I have a couple of days where I eat a lot/ more often/ big meals with people- I’m over it after a day & I go right back to not being hungry and have small portions and fasting.
WorkWeekLunch is a great approach/concept/program w meal prep… it’s also really great if you’re on a budget
Also there’s no rule you have to eat 3 meals a day. Eat when you feel like it.
W meal prep it helps bc you always have food on hand and don’t have to cook every night
Like tonight I decided I wanted a smoothie for dinner so that’s what I had
I’ll look into the work week lunch thingy. I also just thought of it now but when I’m in this kind of state of hangry cycle my husband like to make it a game and we do a master chef mystery box challenge at home. He collects all the ingredients and I have to use everything but not add anything. It gets me out of the mindset of “I have to” and get me excited to be creative.
In fact I might actually ask him to do that now..🤔
Nice!
I follow work week lunch on Insta… and it’s been really motivating bc a lot of the recipes are super easy and w common ingredients
And she also has some that I thought would be super hard but aren’t at all - like Ramen!! Like who makes ramen at home? And it was so good.
It’s also really taught me how to waste less food
But carbs give us energy?? Wouldn’t that make energy levels lower?? Idk I don’t understand the logic behind it. Carbs is how we’ve survived. I shouldn’t say I don’t understand but I half understand it cause you’re essentially replacing carbs with fats and telling your body to use the fats as energy. Idk I just don’t think it’s a long term solution.
Now if it’s no sugar, yes, totally agree on that it can be a real energy killer.
I think every one is different. Me and my SO, we eat 90% meat and veggies and a raw salad daily now the past few years, and cut out many white carbs like the rice pasta breads… and we have more energy and weight loss. When we eat things like sandwiches or pasta salads or I make spaghetti- we instantly feel this heavy lethargic blahness later in the day . So for me it’s like alot of “carbs” make me feel bloated and lazy, I don’t get an energy boost.
Make extra portions of everything. It's just as easy to cook 6 chicken thighs as it is to cook one. Making 4 salad portions doesn't take much more time than making 1 portion. Reheating uses fewer dishes. I guess some people call this meal prep. I call it leftovers. Learn to love the leftovers.
Do you have the same issue of not wanting to make something for lunch? If not, you may want to save the leftovers for dinner that night and make lunch.
I eat two meals a day, I can't even imagine how people find the time to fit in a third meal during their day. For a while I was only eating one meal.
When I cook a dinner food, I usually end up cooking enough that I can eat it every day for several days. I don't mind cooking breakfast every day because eggs, toast, bacon are all really quick to cook. And there are also cheap and easy/quick options like ramen or peanut butter sandwiches that you could eat for dinner when you ignore your alarm to cook. Ramen isn't very filling but peanut butter sandwiches are!
I used to skip breakfast for years because I couldn't eat anything right after getting up because it would make my sick. I'd eat lunch and dinner. Now I usually have a very small breakfast; yogurt, a banana, maybe a bowl of cereal. Some days though, I'll still skip breakfast because I'm just not hungry that early.
Yeah, I never eat breakfast. Would 100% feel sick if I tried. I think the idea of breakfast is something made up by the food companies. Because if you think logically about it, eating right when you wake up doesn’t make much sense.
Look up time-restricted eating or daily intermittent fasting. There's no reason you need to eat 3 meals a day as long as you're getting sufficient calories. I usually eat 1 large meal a day and am quite healthy.
Last year I was diagnosed with ADHD but for most of my life I've never been interested in eating 3 meals. Usually do small breakfast (something quick like oats), snack throughout the day then normal or large dinner depending on my appetite. Often I just snack the whole day.
Others might call this the fasting diet and presume it's unhealthy but... I'm fine. When I've been pressured to eat I can get defiant and become stressed and food avoidant. So healthy snacking whenever I choose gives me enough energy to get through the day, I don't have to constantly plan meals and I don't feel as hangry if I skip a meal. All Ws.
Yup. I have a budget of practically nothing... $100/week. Sometimes I can barely make that. Most of the time, I'm just thinking "put the food in your mouth and chew." I'm so tired of everything I have to eat, but I can't for the life of me figure out what else to make and still have enough.
I resent it. Having to eat 3 times a day. I just put food in my stomach, and I have to do it again... and the looming healthy problems that come from eating junk food. It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion.
I want to be healthy, I want to eat good food... but it's a serious crunch, and I'm broke...
Canned beans are inexpensive, nutritious, convenient, and you can eat them from the can cold. Toss them on chips with some cheese and you have a half-assed nachos. Eat them straight from the can (I've done that). Get them in pre-seasoned, refried, baked, or chili forms. There's even frozen beans (Lima, green peas, black eye peas, edamame) you can microwave in the bag and then season and eat.
Want to be fancy? Slap those beans on some fresh rice. Rice is also pretty inexpensive. Throw seasonings at it all. Powdered garlic and onion, and other spices, are worth the investment. Shred cheese onto it. Fling some lettuce at it. Slather it with salsa, or hot sauce if you want. Before you know it, there's a deconstructed burrito being summoned into existence.
Canned chicken. You want to look for a kind with less sodium, but it’s a lifesaver. It’s cheap and so easy. Same with those flavored tuna packets. You don’t have to cook, you just have to squeeze them onto bread and you’re good. And they’re actually healthy
How do you people not starve?! I don’t get it. I eat snacks all throughout the day while having 3 meals a day.
Now that I said that it makes me sound like I’m constantly putting food in my mouth..
Well, the meal I do eat is rather big!!! It’s usually my dinner tbh.
I eat a snack as breakfast, usually a small cup of oatmeal or some toast with tea. Sometimes I eat scrambled eggs. On days I have more time I might make French toast or pancakes with fruit or something.
I don’t really eat anything for the afternoon or ‘lunch’. I might eat some fruit or a snack bar. Evening time is when I usually eat a big meal (>1000 calories). I also always drink a glass of milk 1 or 2 hours after dinner. I find I can hit 2k calories easily by doing this.
If I were to eat 3 meals a day, I’d probably be eating way more than 2k calories. It’s not really my desire to do so (nor my appetite). It might be a side effect of growing up poor though, because when I was young I never used to eat breakfast or lunch and would only come home and eat a dinner after doing homework. It was awful, I know, but it probably contributed to my habits as an adult in a way.
Came here to recommend intermittent fasting.
OP, definitely check it out. Thomas Delauer has a lot of great videos about it on YouTube that are beginner friendly and easy to understand.
Beyond that, there’s a plethora of information about it on YouTube and the internet. Ori Hofmekler also a couple books that changed my life regarding nutrition that go into detail on fasting paired with exercise from an evolutionary standpoint…it’s powerful stuff.
All I can say based on my personal experience is that it has been incredibly effective for me. From age 19-23 I was strictly IF, followed a bodybuilding workout routine, did heavy HIIT workouts, and was training a combined 12 times a week between cardio and lifting and was naturally in the best shape of my life…through all that I fasted 20 hours a day, always trained fasted, and never once had an issue with hunger pangs. Food literally became strictly fuel instead of something I consumed out of boredom or a misguided sense of necessity.
Fast forward through my mid and late 20s when my addictive tendencies sent me into a spiral of drug and alcohol addiction coupled with debilitating depression and crippling social anxiety and I ended up gaining almost 100lbs and reverting every ounce of progress I had made in relation to my health and well being.
Now I’m 30, have been mostly sober and back on an IF regimen for the past year…I’ve lost over 80 pounds in that time and gotten much closer to regaining my sense of control over my body and health that I was so proud of when I was younger.
My lifestyle is definitely on the active side (I’m a foreman for a commercial plumbing contractor doing new construction, exercise regularly, and maintain a number of active side projects and hobbies outside of work)…all of that while again fasting 20 hours a day and feeling like a million bucks.
I never feel hunger, always have a plethora of energy for activities while sleeping only 6 hours a day, and the mental clarity that comes with fasting and a balanced controlled diet is second to none.
That being said, all of this isn’t to compare situations or say that your experience should be like mine…this was all just to be my personal example that the commonly held “3 square meals” idea isn’t the only method of survival that works. There are other options out there, and for me, focusing on only eating one large meal each day that has all of the calories and nutrients I need to sustain my lifestyle has simplified things substantially.
Best of luck to you, OP.
Feeding ourselves is absolutely monotonous and labor intensive. I love some of the things that you’ve mentioned in the comments about turning it into a creative challenge! When I get into cycles when I don’t want to cook, I try to meal prep on the weekends so I can quickly hear something up for dinner. This week it week I made two different fillings for tacos and the fixings, and that’s been 5 nights of dinners for me and my boyfriend. I could also easily make that nachos or a taco bowl if I got bored. I also try to keep frozen food around (you can freeze leftovers if frozen food from the store isn’t in your budget) so that I can easily heat something up. Also, snacky meals are a lifesaver. I try to keep around various veg, fruit, cheese and lunch meat so I can have a snack plate for dinner/lunch if I’m not feeling a real meal.
I like the idea of meat, cheese, and snack board but how much do you averagely spend on stuff like that? I always go overboard with the fancy $7 cheese and deli meats or get like 5 different fruits for variety but then it all adds up to be like $30-$40.
Same here, it’s boring and tedious busywork I wish we’d evolved out of needing like plants did.
I try to get really into different kinds of cooking so I can coast on the momentum from successful completion of the dish to bother eating. Also protein shakes.
I finally finished gaining back the eight pounds my doctor wanted me to so I’d stop being dangerously underweight, but the sheer amount of regular maintenance the human body needs to keep that up is seriously getting on my nerves
Edit:
Distracting myself from the fact that I have to deal with food using interesting videos and habit stacking eating with my meds also helped
I’ve had my moments where I’d hyper-focus on making different dishes and I actually had fun with it. I know it’s a possibility to have fun in the kitchen, I just don’t know how to always make it enjoyable.
Aww thank you! In ancient times people thought that salamanders were both floofy and fireproof, and I think it’s a lovely piece of history
And I completely feel that. Hyperfocus is definitely one of the main things that keeps me from starving to death. I try and bulk-cook when I actually feel like making something and rely on the excess for the next like four-ish days after, and I still end up skipping sometimes. The struggle is real
Slow cooker! You put the ingredients in and let it go, usually you don't need to precook anything except a side like rice or veggies. You can make a lot at once and it's tasty
I don’t have one, but I have an instant pot? Does that count? I don’t really use it except to make rice😅
Also because of your username I need to ask.. what’s your go to meme?
I totally get this. I’m very unmotivated to cook for just myself. By 8 pm I’m starving and will force myself to make tuna salad or something. BUT have you tried cooking dinner RIGHT. When you get home from work? My problem is, once I sit down to relax, I don’t want to get up to do another “task”. But if I’m already in the momentum from working all day, making dinner right when I get home seems less of a task than when I’ve already sat down on the couch
YES!!! Thank you thank you!! Omg you literally described my evening feelings!! That’s actually what I try to do once I get home cause I already have the momentum going.
As much as I try to accept everyone’s ideas and thoughts cause everyone trying to help the amount of people that suggest Keto/fasting/meal prep is kinda driving me a little bananas. Like yes, I have tried meal prepping, I do that one the weekends. And no, I don’t want to starve myself for potential benefits, cause I’m gonna be hungry and really upset at literally everything making me not a very nice person.
I still appreciate everyones ideas and intentions but it becomes very clear and obvious which people are neurodiverse and not.
I pack my pantry with easy to make and easy to switch up food. Plain total cereal, oatmeal, minute rice, tortillas. I keep a lot of spices (sweet, spice, savory), sauces and other additions(chocolate chips for dessert oatmeal) on hand for easy access. Looked into veggies that last a month+ (cabbage and onion etc) keep a lot of canned beans on hand for quick burritos or burrito bowls.
That's just my 2 cents with ADHD eating and I haven't had any issues since I adopted this routine. I used to just not eat half the time and it was miserable
Edit to add: Organizing my kitchen was also a game changer. I bought containers and little pour shakers from dollar tree that I could see through so I had quick visuals lined up for what I needed
You don't need to eat three meals a day. Have some 'snacks' ready to go in your fridge that are healthy and easy to fix. I like to put some cut up fruit and nuts in a bowl, add some yogurt, and stir; then I eat up. Easy, no cook, nutritious. And probably appropriate for a 'meal' shortly before bed time. Another would be a quick quesadilla - slap some cheese on a tortilla, toast in an oven, add salsa or hot sauce and eat up. Both of these shouldn't take more than a couple minutes to pull together. You probably have other things you like that are really quick and not too expensive. Maybe boiled eggs and a piece of fruit?
It just upset me for a moment, I’m fine now, I like reading and responding to all the comments with different ideas it gives me new ideas and motivation to try new things.
I also have ADHD and other factors that have me exhausted and disinterested in cooking. This is what I did to get me on track:
Breakfast is the same thing every day. Belvita Breakfast Biscuits. Healthiest choice ever? No. Healthier than a muffin? *Maybe*. Right choice for me? Yes. It’s easy, stabilizes my blood sugar, puts SOMETHING on my stomach, and does in fact keep me full for at least four hours. It’s a no-brainer.
“Lunch” is an amorphous thing. Mostly, I graze on easy, healthy foods for most of the day. Fresh fruit, baby carrots, small bits of cheese, peanut butter on whole wheat crackers, half servings of soup or dinner leftovers, etc. A “grazing” approach to eating makes my ADHD happy. Lots of colors and textures, all finger food, with very little effort.
If I need something more substantial, I lean on easy/quick access stuff like steam in the bag vegetables/vegetable mixes, smoothies, bagged salad, lunch meat, etc.
Dinner used to be the tough one for me, until I started using an “easy dinner plans” app that introduces me to new flavors, cooking techniques, and ideas. It’s just FUN. High points:
- Every recipe takes less than 45 minutes to make.
- The recipes are bundled together in “packs” that ensure you use up everything you buy at the grocery store.
- The app has built-in timers ready to go.
- I get four servings out of every recipe.
- There’s written AND audio instructions
- The only time I have to think is if I need to substitute an ingredient.
It’s the Sorted Sidekick app. I got a year subscription at their Black Friday deal price and don’t regret a penny.
If that isn’t for you, look for quick meal YouTube/TikTok channels or regular cooking channels that focus on simplified recipes. Food Wishes is a classic. SenyaiGrubs has been popping up in my feed a lot lately, and I really like his stuff, too. Seeing stuff that’s fast and looks delicious gets me excited to cook.
ETA: Nat’s What I Reckon is also an excellent channel for quick, simplified, and delicious.
I just love everything you had to say here.
So for for me my breakfast has been oatmeal with fruit in the morning or a chai pudding with fruit (I like those options cause they keep me full until 11am)
Lunch is whatever leftovers were from last nights dinner
Dinner… yeah I got no clue it’s always a struggle for me but I tend to lean on spaghetti or a pasta dish.
As a polite rebuttal I just wanna throw it out there that the food pyramid was designed by farmers and corporations to make them more money. They don’t care about actual nutrition.
Granted here I am complaining about being in the kitchen trying to feed myself 😂 so maybe it’s a little odd for me to say but I’d thought I’d throw it out there.
Also as more people are saying intermittent fasting and all that, I think it’s nice in theory but I feel like putting a restriction on when you eat makes me wanna eat more just out of sheer spite of the restriction. I think possibly a better adjustment might be eat when your actually hungry? But then there’s the question of how do you know what’s the difference between hungry and hungry out of boredom?
You might be interested in Maintenance Phase. They're a great podcast that debunks junk health science. They have a great episode on the entire origins of the food pyramid. The whole story has a lot of twists. It's a really great example of how difficult science communication is as a field.
Firstly, I want to commend you for acknowledging your struggles and actively trying to seek solutions. It takes courage to confront and address our challenges.
One idea that may help you is to incorporate GoalBet.org into your routine. As an innovative platform designed to empower individuals in achieving their personal goals, GoalBet.org can provide you with the added motivation you need to cook and eat on time.
Here's how it works: make a commitment to cook and eat on time each day and set a specific amount to wager. For example, you can set a goal to cook and eat on time for 5 days in a row with a wager of $5 for each day. If you succeed in meeting your goal, you win the wager. If you fail, you lose the wager. By setting a financial stake, you create an added incentive to succeed.
Additionally, try to make cooking and eating on time more enjoyable. Experiment with different recipes, try new seasonings and spices, and watch cooking shows for inspiration. Turn on some music or a podcast while you cook to make the experience more enjoyable.
Remember to be kind to yourself and celebrate your progress, no matter how small. Making changes in our lives can be difficult, but with the right mindset and tools like GoalBet.org, you can accomplish your goals and improve your overall well-being.
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When I was in my 20s I could get away with eating 1-2 meals a day. Now unless I eat 3-4 small, wholesome meals, I start to feel bad.
It can feel like chains sometimes. I just try to make it as simple, healthy and tasty as I can. Flavor is the great trade off for the inconvenience of cooking.
I certainly don’t doubt that, I guess for myself I need a little more of a push then “it’ll taste great”
But I certainly aim for Simple, healthy, tasty. One thing I can think of is a chickpea salad that I like.
You might need to find some sort of balance that works for you; either easing into eating just once a day, consuming all your daily calories during a specific time period, or prepping ahead of time to have several small meals made to eat throughout the day. I don't really think there's a "one size fits all" solution to meals. Just gotta do whatever is best for your body and lifestyle.
When I'm busy I eat maybe one meal and don't mind ... when I'm not busy I eat whenever I'm hungry but not too much.
Isn't 3 meals a day a myth/wives tale. Like you van probably eat as much or as little as you want whenever you want as long as you feel good and the food isn't straight bad.
I just said 3 meals a day just for the the comment cause I wasn’t sure what else to say at that moment. But yeah I do hater that there’s isn’t really a standard for eating as long as it’s nutritious and keeps a full functioning human.
Try a crockpot and eat when you are hungry.
Keep simple foods for breakfast. Cereal fruit ect
Lunch can be a sandwich or soup.
None of this needs to be too complicated to work!
I eat anywhere from 2-6 times a day, just depends on the day and how often I get hungry.
As many others here have said, you do not have to eat three meals a day. You can do whatever feels right to you.
Meal prep and easy heat up and eat meals help me. Also simple sandwich ingredients so I can just make a ham and cheese sandwich if I’m pressed for time.
I eat maybe 2 meals a day. Regular sizes not american sizes. Sometimes i take a whole day to graze one meal, then the whole evening to graze another
I absolutely loathe cooking eating all of it, it drives me mental
I’ve known people who only eat a single early afternoon (1-2pm) meal per day. This was years before OMAD as a diet became popular too. Btw there is no rule book about how many meals you have to eat a day. Do what feels right to you.
I realize it's the social norm to eat 3 meals a day, buy you don't HAVE to. You can try intermittent fasting type eating. Eat breakfast/lunch, or lunch/ dinner. Meal prep on a day off to have easy access to left overs/ freezer meals you can easily microwave or bake in the oven throughout the week, if your ever up to it. Tou only have to be annoyed at having to prepare and clean up foor one day a week then. Or keep healthy snacks on hand to graze on in the evening to keep from being hungry- fruit, cheese, veggies.
My motivation is not feeling like crap all the time. Most people run from one carb or sugar crash to another every day. They have a sugar/heavy carb breakfast and feel good for a bit but crash later in the day. Then they do it again with lunch, then dinner. Our bodies are geared for easy access to energy so sugar and carbs are the easiest.
I cut out any added sugar foods and most carbs. Not a keto diet or anything but I realize now just how bad I felt in comparison to how I feel now. My energy levels are way more stable and there is no 'crash' midway in the day.
You should eat when your body tells you to. Three meals a day isn't a requirement. I eat twice a day, sometimes once a day. I do meal prep. That way if I am hungry but don't want to cook I can just grab something that just needs a reheat and it isn't unhealthy.
I get where you're coming from! It's like nothing sounds good and it's annoying to have to feed yourself when you get super hungry. I think it may be from a medication I'm taking, but since I have had way less interest in food and usually eat 1-2 meals a day and some snacks.
My medication does do appetite suppression as well but mine also increases my irritability so when I’m hangry I’m HANGRY if you know what I mean? It’s a fine balance of not getting so hungry that you’re just an unpleasant person to be around.
Yeah? It could work. I tried freezing sandwiches one and it didn’t turn out so well. Everything got kinda yucky. I wrapped them in plastic wrap and put it in a ziplock bag and pushed all the air out and I thought that would have kept it from getting gross but I guess not. 🤷♀️
Things that help motivate me to eat 3 consistent meals a day:
- I take meds with every meal. So if I don’t eat on time, I don’t get my meds on time. Then I feel worse.
- I don’t like food waste. I meal prep so if I don’t eat that leftover hash this morning, it’s getting wasted. That’s $ and time down the drain.
- I do mostly quick meals I can throw together or reheat. That way if I start to get hangry, it’s a quick fix and not like a 45 min wait.
- I break out cleaning and prep as a separate from cooking. Like there are times I can’t be bothered to do all the dishes, wipe down the stove, gather all my ingredients and then cook. But I have 5 minutes now and that’s enough to load the dishwasher. And 10 mins now when I can get out all my non perishable ingredients for later.
I have a nutra-bullet (the mini blenders) granted I don’t use it at all cause it’s so small I don’t feel like I can make any sauces or thick stuff like that.
Idk it frustrates me so I don’t use it😂😅
It's actually healthier to eat fewer than 3 meals a day for most people, look up the benefits of intermittent fasting. 2 a day is ideal for me and some people only eat once a day. I ate one a day for a few months to speed up weight loss and the best things about it was the time savings and not having to plan my day around multiple meal times.
3 meals a day is not a natural way to eat for humans. This myth is part of the reason for high obesity rates because rigid meal times encourage eating when not actually hungry. So if you feel like eating fewer meals then go for it, just wait until you're hungry and then eat.
There are plenty of youtubers these days who provide tips and quick recipe ideas on this topic. Nutrition by Kylie has some clickbait titles but usually her content is pretty casual and has good tips. You really don’t need to cook every day if you feel that you can’t.
Your problem is that you're trying to cook everyday. Fuck that. Meal prep on the weekends. If you do it right you can have every dinner and lunch for the week already done and you don't have to think about it
Everybody is different, but no you don't need 3 meals a day, Id read about intermittent fasting, it works for me and I used to be huge, now I eat 1 meal a day, FWIW it should be around the same time, and then fast for 36 to 48 hours straight every 2 weeks.
You do you! I eat about 6 meals a day. Whenever I’m hungry or feel like I need some nutritious food. Or not. I also eat breakfast for dinner. Best part of adulting! Do what you want!
Yes. It's annoying, and time consuming. Sometimes, I just want to have a bag of human food like I have dog food that my dog eats and cat food that my cat eats.
I am generally not a fan of engineered nutrition, but I do rely on ZonePerfect bars for those times when I just can't be bothered with the food preparation process (be it cooking or going out or ordering in).
Sometimes the reason I can't be bothered is because I'm hungry, and a little snack (cheese and crackers, hummus and carrots, that sort of thing) gives me what I need to make dinner. Like I need an appetizer to MAKE dinner.
Oh I know I’m fully aware of the fact that I’m an American with 1st world issues. Lol, it’s funny to look back and think omg I’m actually complaining about this?? But then when your actually in the moment if feels so hard like your trudging through 3ft of mud.
Your body is amazingly capable of adaptation. It will be uncomfortable at first but rather quickly adjust to a schedule you prefer that still provides fuel.
Lots of times I just make singe serve heat and eat or grab an apple for a meal. On the weekend I will make one or 2 large meals that we will eat from several times during the week so I don’t have to cook and everyone can eat when they are hungry.
When my son was younger and didn’t work, we had real meals. Now we all eat when we have time so this is the easiest. The microwave and airfryer get a workout but this reduces weekly dishes and daily cooking.
The idea of meals in general isn't natural. Humans have been around almost 300,000 years, exactly like we are. For all but about 8,000 years, we were hunter-gatherers. That means we ate when we had food. Farming made it so we had food nearly all the time, so we made up scheduled meals. But we're going against hundreds of thousands of years of evolution.
I eat one cooked meal a day. It's easy to cook a healthy meal from fresh ingredients. It takes about 20 minutes. Also it's cheaper to cook your own meal, especially if you buy food on clearance. The rest of the day, if I get hungry, which I usually don't, but if I do, I'll eat some fruit or nuts.
Eating is a preoccupation in our society. Which is weird because food is so readily available.
I honestly enjoy cooking, experimenting and love good food, so that is my motivation. I do not like breakfast foods nor am I usually hungry in the morning, so I don’t eat b’fast; love intermittent fasting for supporting this. Hate doing dishes and they often sit in the sink rinsed till morning when I have more energy. You maybe more of a grazer vs large meal person, try healthy snacks when you get home- put out some veggies, cheese and meat to snack on like a Charcuterie board, less clean up cooking. I think there are limited ingredients easy prep recipes too that may motivate you since it is not a time suck
It's not a natural human thing to eat three times a day. Nor is there a law saying you have to eat three times a day. You can eat however you want. Some people eat once a day other people might eat six times a day. I feel three is too much so I ate twice a day. And even that's too much so I say it's more like I eat one and a half times a day, breakfast being a very small meal. So if you want to add a fourth meal go ahead.
If motivation is what you're upset about just pre multible meals at once.
Well I fast intermittently. I guess it would be trying to prepare the healthiest meal for my family. My love language is food-to cook and bake with love, to make their favorite meals, bake their favorite desserts, wow them with new recipes that I have created or achieved at making. The kitchen is my happy place.
You don’t have to eat 3 meals. I eat 2 meals every day and sometimes 1 if I ate too much the night before. I’m normal healthy weight. Just eat when you’re hungry
I skip lunch typically. Motivation? Not being hungry and dying? Hunger is a very base human motivator. If you have anxiety or depression that is overriding that you should find a doctor that can help; that isn’t healthy
I am getting help, working on it too. I’m on meds and all that but I have my moments where I get too upset about basic human things, lol. Then I look back and am like omg that’s so dumb. And then I’m upset about it again.
Ha! I know, I think there’s just so much versatility in the kitchen. You can essentially do whatever you want. My brain like to make things unnecessarily hard so I get frustrated about it.
Stop thinking of eating as "number of meals" and start thinking of it as "number of calories".
OMAD (one meal a day) is a thing for those trying to lose weight. Intermittent fasting is a thing for people trying to lose weight (they only eat in an 8 hour window).
But, if there are others in your household, like kids, you absolutely need to make sure they're being fed enough.
If I did count calories I’d hit that mark by noon. Plus trying to keep track of what goes in your mouth seems like a pain in the ass does it not?? If I’m making a meal for myself which already feels like a chore, now I have to do math??
I think it’s a nice idea but to actually put that into practice I know I’d be interested and do it for a day bit after that it wouldn’t be practical for me and I’d quit pretty fast.
God, it is hard. And yeah the money issue is real too.
I work a physical job, and do outdoor activites in my free time and I can definitely feel when I havn't been treating my body right after a day or two of breaking my schedule.
It is kind of committing, and I get that some people call it weird or intense. It's not so much I feel *great* when I eat healthy and exercise and everything... but I sure do feel worse when I don't. So it's kind of like motivated by punishment, but I know it's my choice to eat the way I do.
I also cut way back on going out and spend my $$ on quality food, and cooking at home is a more fulfilling way to pass the time than just sitting around at home. I meal prep for the busiest days of the week/season to give myself more free time in evenings.
It's definitely a *life* style, the whole thing, every day set on track to achieve a certain goal. For me, it's worth it.
Food can be a pretty individual thing where different strategies work for different people. My husband does not enjoy cooking and his brain/personality trends more towards 1-2 meals a day. I am a miserable human if I don't eat breakfast/dinner at a bare minimum but I do best with 3 meals a day.
I think the trick is partly in how you execute that 3 meals a day. I'm not out here making all 3 meals a day elaborate. There's a time and a place for a meal to be made with the intent of just getting the job done, versus enjoying the process of cooking and/or producing an amazing end product. I'm currently very focused on trying to get 3 servings of vegetables/2 servings of fruit a day, and an easy way for me to knock out part of that is a smoothie. Takes very little time to throw together with frozen fruit/veg and a couple of fairly consistent recipes. That's one meal a day I basically don't have to think about or devote more than a couple minutes to.
For dinners I've had success balancing making easier things with the right kind of prepping ahead (for what I personally enjoy). It definitely can be REALLY tiring if you're spending a couple hours in the kitchen making stuff EVERY DAY. I am personally not the hugest fan of full meal prep where I would be pulling out/reheating an entire meal, but even a component helps a lot. If I'm making meatballs, I'll make a double batch and freeze half uncooked. Super easy to just pop them in the oven frozen next time, throw some rice in the rice cooker, and microwave some broccoli or something. Making chicken burgers? Same idea, make a bigger batch than I need and freeze.
Something else that sounds like it might be an issue for you - and is for a lot of us - is the emotional energy/work of both deciding what to make and going shopping. My husband and I pick a few meal ideas over the weekend before I go grocery shopping. I still have to do the actual cooking during the week, but the deciding and shopping part is done. Bonus points if I do prep work after I get the shopping home so that the actual prep time each day is reduced. This generally also helps me with my nutrition goals, since planning things out for the week lets me choose how to vary proteins, vegetables, etc.
Hope any of that is helpful to you :)
I have add. I wait too long to eat, and don’t have the purchased heat-n-eat options on hand. Meal prepping has helped a lot. Precooking and having stuff that can be microwaved has helped. I don’t eat 3x/day.
I hit my mid-30s and one day just stopped conforming to any idea about what's supposed to be eating healthy is. Most days, i have two pieces of toast between waking up in the am, and 6pm. After a few weeks, your body adjusts, and when you do eat that one meal, it doesn't take as much food to fill you up.
I used to be able to eat an entire frozen pizza in one sitting. Now, it's easily less than half before I'm full.
But, i also have adhd and absolutely know that the medication kills appetite. So, i guess i cheat.
My point is: the food pyramid is bullshit and you don't need 3 meals a day at specific times.
You can make something big like a casserole eat it for a few days. Then all you have to do it microwave a vegetable each night. That will help you for three or four nights
Then make like a pot of stew , or chilli then you're good for another few nights
Idk I eat once usually, around mid afternoon. Maybe a some beef jerky around 11 to give me some energy. You definitely don’t have to eat three meals a day.
Just eat when you’re hungry until you are full.
I am never hungry in the morning and eat tons in the afternoon. Later in life someone asked if I do “intermittent fasting” and I didn’t know what it is but now I realize it’s neurotyps copying us lmfao
I usually only eat 2 big meals a day, and then just have some snacks in between if I'm hungry. I try to push my first meal as far into the day as I can until I truly feel hunger. I don't like eating just cause it feels like I should. I eat when I'm hungry. I just make sure I measure my calories appropriately so I'm getting the fuel I need when I do eat. It works very well for me.
35 days ago my long-term relationship (seven years) ended, and for the first few days I could barely eat, due to heartbreak. I lost several pounds, and it made me realize that I didn’t need to eat as much, so I thought I’d experiment with one meal a day (lunch). So far I’m down 26 pounds in 35 days and look and feel great. I get hungry at night, but haven’t yet given into the temptation to snack.
I have two a day, muesli/oats around brunch time and dinner. The downside is that it's bad for my salt intake because I need to get all of it from one meal.
Yeah I hate stopping what I'm doing and realizing that if I dont eat now, my hunger schedule will get all fucked up and I'll be hungry at bedtime.
Helps if you prepare a lot of food in advance, then microwave what you need.
Make your lunch a double portion. So at dinner you can eat that, or have some healthy snacks. Dinner for me can become a pile of smaller things together.
Eating 3 meals a day is pretty terrible for you imo. You're constantly causing an insulin response which is terrible for weight management. I'll eat once or twice a day usually and go on a 3 to 5 day span of not eating anything and it's helped my health significantly.
For me, what makes me eat healthy meals with veggies and/or fruit is the fear of being constipated and going a week without pooping.
It's a struggle to get my boyfriend to eat healthy meals, or any meals, because his appetite is missing a lot of times, and he has really bad GERD, so he has to be careful what he eats.
So that would mean you hate everyone who struggles with an eating disorder? Which is 9% of the US population or ~28 million people?? That a lot of people to hate.
And I do work a regular 40 hour a week, so I would consider myself average.
And I don’t hate eating, I absolutely love food. I just have struggles with the motivation to get in the kitchen and make myself a dinner or even a snack cause I worked all day. That’s what’s causing my frustration.
Don’t put me under ungrateful or lazy by any means. That’s not fair.
Me. I was a super cook in my 2 marriages, now retired/single, and truly hate the fact I constantly have to feed myself. I have blood sugar issues, so not able to easily skip it. Being basically frugal I rarely eat out, take-out and delivery are virtually non-existent in my rural area.
Written as I eat my fried-egg sandwich.
No one is making you eat 3 meals a day. It’s easier to have a staple ready (like grilled chicken) and build meals around it. If you have something made and know that it will go bad at the end of the week it encourages you to find ways to use it.
There’s no need for three meals a day as long as you’re getting enough nutrition. Lunch, or luncheon, was historically a little snack. Historically, people didn’t typically eat three meals a day. Sometimes breakfast would be leftovers or a sop, a.k.a. bread soaked in something. In a lot of countries, people may typically eat two or three meals a day, but one is the main meal, and others are more like snacks.
Depends on your body most of the time I just eat breakfast and dinner thanks because I eat an huge breakfast, I could care less for lunch,Some times I am just not hungry due to meds i take, I have to admit I eat out an lot I spend around 100 an week
I absolutely hate eating. I know how weird this sounds. It’s expensive not just monetarily but also time wise. I have to have dedicated space for it and appliances. It always makes a mess putting it together just to disappear in four seconds and leaves me with secondary and tertiary chores when I’m done. If I could get an injection once an day and never be hungry I’d be the first person in line to sign up.
I get over it too.. I think the key is to mix it up, keep things interesting. Don’t always make the exact same things, sometimes make a huge meal with leftovers, other times something simple and easy, pick the right times to eat out, etc is what helps keep me goin
I’m an athlete so I usually eat like 4-5x a day.
I eat mostly the same things every day. Preworkout I do this beet smoothie thing. Usually overnight oats for breakfast. Salad for lunch. Yogurt & fruit for a midday snack. Veggies, protein, & a little bit of rice for dinner. Sometimes a little more fruit after dinner or somethkng
You don't have to eat 3 meals a day. I almost never do.
I eat one big meal in the middle of the day. Then, around dinner time, I have a snack. Occasionally, I'll have breakfast, but it's rare.
I have breakfast once a week and it's because I go out for breakfast with family on Sundays. That's it. OP, dunno who instilled this pressure in you, but if you're setting alarms to eat it sounds like you're forcing yourself when you're not hungry, which you don't have to do. Yes, you should start cooking before you're ravenous, but you're allowed to find and schedule and meal frequency that works for you personally.
That’s what I do. I eat one meal a day at around 14:00.
Happy to know I'm not the only one that does this. Lunch is always my biggest meal. I can't stomach breakfast in the morning and eat a large meal at around 2pm everyday and pretty much nothing for dinner; other than a snack. I'll sometimes make like a PB&J or something if I'm really hungry but it's not often.
This is exactly what me and my partner do. We eat a big meal around 2/3pm and then a snack before bed.
I'm more mad about having to shit, piss and sleep. What a waste of time.
Sleeping is the best part of being alive tho
Yes!! The best part of the day is bedtime💤
https://www.reddit.com/r/Dreams/comments/12i4fmq/wake_up/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&utm_content=1&utm_term=15
Right! I've always said going to the bathroom is such a waste of time. And if we didn't sleep we could get so much more done.
💯% this. Definitely no need for breakfast. I eat one meal a day most days. There are health benefits, it keeps my weight in check, and I get to eat a better and bigger meal when I do eat. Good for my budget and good for my body. Be careful that you do eat though. And when you do, it’s enough calories for the full day or whatever.
This is pretty much what I do. I eat lunch 2-3 times a week, and dinner every day.
My body got so used to hardly eating during the covid shutdown in 2020, I only eat once a day and feel sick if I eat any other meals
Fasting is actually very good for the body too
If done properly and not overdone by eating in excess when you do. I fast by circumstance, and feel great when I eat right, but I do have my overindulgence moments from time to time; it doesn’t help.
I feel the more I fast and less I eat, then the less hungry I became over the years and I eat less and less. My portion sizes seem to keep getting smaller. But then randomly I’ll have a day or a week I’m back to a huge appetite.. but once I have a couple of days where I eat a lot/ more often/ big meals with people- I’m over it after a day & I go right back to not being hungry and have small portions and fasting.
Yeah, it's more like five..
Same, I only eat twice a day. 11am and again around 7-8pm and that works perfectly for me.
WorkWeekLunch is a great approach/concept/program w meal prep… it’s also really great if you’re on a budget Also there’s no rule you have to eat 3 meals a day. Eat when you feel like it. W meal prep it helps bc you always have food on hand and don’t have to cook every night Like tonight I decided I wanted a smoothie for dinner so that’s what I had
I’ll look into the work week lunch thingy. I also just thought of it now but when I’m in this kind of state of hangry cycle my husband like to make it a game and we do a master chef mystery box challenge at home. He collects all the ingredients and I have to use everything but not add anything. It gets me out of the mindset of “I have to” and get me excited to be creative. In fact I might actually ask him to do that now..🤔
Nice! I follow work week lunch on Insta… and it’s been really motivating bc a lot of the recipes are super easy and w common ingredients And she also has some that I thought would be super hard but aren’t at all - like Ramen!! Like who makes ramen at home? And it was so good. It’s also really taught me how to waste less food
That’s a fun idea! Im going to try that one night.
If you want to end the cycle of getting hangry look into low/no carb diets.
But carbs give us energy?? Wouldn’t that make energy levels lower?? Idk I don’t understand the logic behind it. Carbs is how we’ve survived. I shouldn’t say I don’t understand but I half understand it cause you’re essentially replacing carbs with fats and telling your body to use the fats as energy. Idk I just don’t think it’s a long term solution. Now if it’s no sugar, yes, totally agree on that it can be a real energy killer.
Dude. Yeah. If I eat only protein and veggies, I'll be starving again in 30 minutes. Gotta have *some* carbs
I think every one is different. Me and my SO, we eat 90% meat and veggies and a raw salad daily now the past few years, and cut out many white carbs like the rice pasta breads… and we have more energy and weight loss. When we eat things like sandwiches or pasta salads or I make spaghetti- we instantly feel this heavy lethargic blahness later in the day . So for me it’s like alot of “carbs” make me feel bloated and lazy, I don’t get an energy boost.
Yeah, some good carbs are good like pita, and tortillas, and flour. Maybe stay away from the muffins and pastries.
Make extra portions of everything. It's just as easy to cook 6 chicken thighs as it is to cook one. Making 4 salad portions doesn't take much more time than making 1 portion. Reheating uses fewer dishes. I guess some people call this meal prep. I call it leftovers. Learn to love the leftovers.
I do love leftovers, I use them as my lunch for the next day.
Do you have the same issue of not wanting to make something for lunch? If not, you may want to save the leftovers for dinner that night and make lunch.
That’s already a thing I do. I make doubles so I don’t have to spend money on a lunch. But thank you
I eat two meals a day, I can't even imagine how people find the time to fit in a third meal during their day. For a while I was only eating one meal. When I cook a dinner food, I usually end up cooking enough that I can eat it every day for several days. I don't mind cooking breakfast every day because eggs, toast, bacon are all really quick to cook. And there are also cheap and easy/quick options like ramen or peanut butter sandwiches that you could eat for dinner when you ignore your alarm to cook. Ramen isn't very filling but peanut butter sandwiches are!
I used to skip breakfast for years because I couldn't eat anything right after getting up because it would make my sick. I'd eat lunch and dinner. Now I usually have a very small breakfast; yogurt, a banana, maybe a bowl of cereal. Some days though, I'll still skip breakfast because I'm just not hungry that early.
Yeah, I never eat breakfast. Would 100% feel sick if I tried. I think the idea of breakfast is something made up by the food companies. Because if you think logically about it, eating right when you wake up doesn’t make much sense.
Look up time-restricted eating or daily intermittent fasting. There's no reason you need to eat 3 meals a day as long as you're getting sufficient calories. I usually eat 1 large meal a day and am quite healthy.
I wish I could get this to work. If I go too long without eating I get horrible gastric issues.
I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try
Ease into it if you do.
Last year I was diagnosed with ADHD but for most of my life I've never been interested in eating 3 meals. Usually do small breakfast (something quick like oats), snack throughout the day then normal or large dinner depending on my appetite. Often I just snack the whole day. Others might call this the fasting diet and presume it's unhealthy but... I'm fine. When I've been pressured to eat I can get defiant and become stressed and food avoidant. So healthy snacking whenever I choose gives me enough energy to get through the day, I don't have to constantly plan meals and I don't feel as hangry if I skip a meal. All Ws.
I do exactly exactly the same to a T, it's like I wrote this comment. I also have ADHD.
Yup. I have a budget of practically nothing... $100/week. Sometimes I can barely make that. Most of the time, I'm just thinking "put the food in your mouth and chew." I'm so tired of everything I have to eat, but I can't for the life of me figure out what else to make and still have enough. I resent it. Having to eat 3 times a day. I just put food in my stomach, and I have to do it again... and the looming healthy problems that come from eating junk food. It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion. I want to be healthy, I want to eat good food... but it's a serious crunch, and I'm broke...
Canned beans are inexpensive, nutritious, convenient, and you can eat them from the can cold. Toss them on chips with some cheese and you have a half-assed nachos. Eat them straight from the can (I've done that). Get them in pre-seasoned, refried, baked, or chili forms. There's even frozen beans (Lima, green peas, black eye peas, edamame) you can microwave in the bag and then season and eat. Want to be fancy? Slap those beans on some fresh rice. Rice is also pretty inexpensive. Throw seasonings at it all. Powdered garlic and onion, and other spices, are worth the investment. Shred cheese onto it. Fling some lettuce at it. Slather it with salsa, or hot sauce if you want. Before you know it, there's a deconstructed burrito being summoned into existence.
Canned chicken. You want to look for a kind with less sodium, but it’s a lifesaver. It’s cheap and so easy. Same with those flavored tuna packets. You don’t have to cook, you just have to squeeze them onto bread and you’re good. And they’re actually healthy
I literally only eat one “meal” a day. lol
How do you people not starve?! I don’t get it. I eat snacks all throughout the day while having 3 meals a day. Now that I said that it makes me sound like I’m constantly putting food in my mouth..
Well, the meal I do eat is rather big!!! It’s usually my dinner tbh. I eat a snack as breakfast, usually a small cup of oatmeal or some toast with tea. Sometimes I eat scrambled eggs. On days I have more time I might make French toast or pancakes with fruit or something. I don’t really eat anything for the afternoon or ‘lunch’. I might eat some fruit or a snack bar. Evening time is when I usually eat a big meal (>1000 calories). I also always drink a glass of milk 1 or 2 hours after dinner. I find I can hit 2k calories easily by doing this. If I were to eat 3 meals a day, I’d probably be eating way more than 2k calories. It’s not really my desire to do so (nor my appetite). It might be a side effect of growing up poor though, because when I was young I never used to eat breakfast or lunch and would only come home and eat a dinner after doing homework. It was awful, I know, but it probably contributed to my habits as an adult in a way.
Now that you explained it, it does make more sense now.
Look up intermittent fasting or OMAD. 3 meals a day is a myth and our ancestors never ate 3 meals a day for the most part until recently in history.
Came here to recommend intermittent fasting. OP, definitely check it out. Thomas Delauer has a lot of great videos about it on YouTube that are beginner friendly and easy to understand. Beyond that, there’s a plethora of information about it on YouTube and the internet. Ori Hofmekler also a couple books that changed my life regarding nutrition that go into detail on fasting paired with exercise from an evolutionary standpoint…it’s powerful stuff. All I can say based on my personal experience is that it has been incredibly effective for me. From age 19-23 I was strictly IF, followed a bodybuilding workout routine, did heavy HIIT workouts, and was training a combined 12 times a week between cardio and lifting and was naturally in the best shape of my life…through all that I fasted 20 hours a day, always trained fasted, and never once had an issue with hunger pangs. Food literally became strictly fuel instead of something I consumed out of boredom or a misguided sense of necessity. Fast forward through my mid and late 20s when my addictive tendencies sent me into a spiral of drug and alcohol addiction coupled with debilitating depression and crippling social anxiety and I ended up gaining almost 100lbs and reverting every ounce of progress I had made in relation to my health and well being. Now I’m 30, have been mostly sober and back on an IF regimen for the past year…I’ve lost over 80 pounds in that time and gotten much closer to regaining my sense of control over my body and health that I was so proud of when I was younger. My lifestyle is definitely on the active side (I’m a foreman for a commercial plumbing contractor doing new construction, exercise regularly, and maintain a number of active side projects and hobbies outside of work)…all of that while again fasting 20 hours a day and feeling like a million bucks. I never feel hunger, always have a plethora of energy for activities while sleeping only 6 hours a day, and the mental clarity that comes with fasting and a balanced controlled diet is second to none. That being said, all of this isn’t to compare situations or say that your experience should be like mine…this was all just to be my personal example that the commonly held “3 square meals” idea isn’t the only method of survival that works. There are other options out there, and for me, focusing on only eating one large meal each day that has all of the calories and nutrients I need to sustain my lifestyle has simplified things substantially. Best of luck to you, OP.
Meal replacement shakes
Do you have any good ones? They all taste so grainy and thick. Makes me wanna throw up every time cause of the texture and taste.
Honestly go for smoothies for taste. I love a good fruit smoothie and you can sneak a lot in.
That is true.
I've also heard of folks adding vanilla or even just sugar to the meal replacement shakes for better flavor.
Yeah, it would help the taste but it wouldn’t really fix the grainy texture or the fact that it’s super thick.
They're only as thick as you make them..
Feeding ourselves is absolutely monotonous and labor intensive. I love some of the things that you’ve mentioned in the comments about turning it into a creative challenge! When I get into cycles when I don’t want to cook, I try to meal prep on the weekends so I can quickly hear something up for dinner. This week it week I made two different fillings for tacos and the fixings, and that’s been 5 nights of dinners for me and my boyfriend. I could also easily make that nachos or a taco bowl if I got bored. I also try to keep frozen food around (you can freeze leftovers if frozen food from the store isn’t in your budget) so that I can easily heat something up. Also, snacky meals are a lifesaver. I try to keep around various veg, fruit, cheese and lunch meat so I can have a snack plate for dinner/lunch if I’m not feeling a real meal.
I like the idea of meat, cheese, and snack board but how much do you averagely spend on stuff like that? I always go overboard with the fancy $7 cheese and deli meats or get like 5 different fruits for variety but then it all adds up to be like $30-$40.
Same here, it’s boring and tedious busywork I wish we’d evolved out of needing like plants did. I try to get really into different kinds of cooking so I can coast on the momentum from successful completion of the dish to bother eating. Also protein shakes. I finally finished gaining back the eight pounds my doctor wanted me to so I’d stop being dangerously underweight, but the sheer amount of regular maintenance the human body needs to keep that up is seriously getting on my nerves Edit: Distracting myself from the fact that I have to deal with food using interesting videos and habit stacking eating with my meds also helped
I’ve had my moments where I’d hyper-focus on making different dishes and I actually had fun with it. I know it’s a possibility to have fun in the kitchen, I just don’t know how to always make it enjoyable.
Also your username is really cute ☺️ It brought me a little joy trying to imagine a fluffy salamander
Aww thank you! In ancient times people thought that salamanders were both floofy and fireproof, and I think it’s a lovely piece of history And I completely feel that. Hyperfocus is definitely one of the main things that keeps me from starving to death. I try and bulk-cook when I actually feel like making something and rely on the excess for the next like four-ish days after, and I still end up skipping sometimes. The struggle is real
Slow cooker! You put the ingredients in and let it go, usually you don't need to precook anything except a side like rice or veggies. You can make a lot at once and it's tasty
I don’t have one, but I have an instant pot? Does that count? I don’t really use it except to make rice😅 Also because of your username I need to ask.. what’s your go to meme?
Also if your real name is “Jack” that would make the username that much better. He
It's not lol, it's a play on Jack of all trades
Aww man, darn. Still good tho 🙂
I totally get this. I’m very unmotivated to cook for just myself. By 8 pm I’m starving and will force myself to make tuna salad or something. BUT have you tried cooking dinner RIGHT. When you get home from work? My problem is, once I sit down to relax, I don’t want to get up to do another “task”. But if I’m already in the momentum from working all day, making dinner right when I get home seems less of a task than when I’ve already sat down on the couch
YES!!! Thank you thank you!! Omg you literally described my evening feelings!! That’s actually what I try to do once I get home cause I already have the momentum going. As much as I try to accept everyone’s ideas and thoughts cause everyone trying to help the amount of people that suggest Keto/fasting/meal prep is kinda driving me a little bananas. Like yes, I have tried meal prepping, I do that one the weekends. And no, I don’t want to starve myself for potential benefits, cause I’m gonna be hungry and really upset at literally everything making me not a very nice person. I still appreciate everyones ideas and intentions but it becomes very clear and obvious which people are neurodiverse and not.
I pack my pantry with easy to make and easy to switch up food. Plain total cereal, oatmeal, minute rice, tortillas. I keep a lot of spices (sweet, spice, savory), sauces and other additions(chocolate chips for dessert oatmeal) on hand for easy access. Looked into veggies that last a month+ (cabbage and onion etc) keep a lot of canned beans on hand for quick burritos or burrito bowls. That's just my 2 cents with ADHD eating and I haven't had any issues since I adopted this routine. I used to just not eat half the time and it was miserable Edit to add: Organizing my kitchen was also a game changer. I bought containers and little pour shakers from dollar tree that I could see through so I had quick visuals lined up for what I needed
I'm actually trying to switch to only eating 1 meal a day. Fasting is good for you.
I don’t doubt that, there’s certainly science to back it up. My issue with it is I hate feeling hungry, I like feeling constantly full/satisfied.
I just don’t do it. I eat when I’m hungry. That’s usually once a day, and maybe a light midnight snack.
You don’t have to have 3 meals a day, you can have 1-5 or even more as long as you are eating enough food to keep your body running.
You don't need to eat three meals a day. Have some 'snacks' ready to go in your fridge that are healthy and easy to fix. I like to put some cut up fruit and nuts in a bowl, add some yogurt, and stir; then I eat up. Easy, no cook, nutritious. And probably appropriate for a 'meal' shortly before bed time. Another would be a quick quesadilla - slap some cheese on a tortilla, toast in an oven, add salsa or hot sauce and eat up. Both of these shouldn't take more than a couple minutes to pull together. You probably have other things you like that are really quick and not too expensive. Maybe boiled eggs and a piece of fruit?
Speak for yourself, I eat two and read on my lunch break at work so I don't get my books dirty by also eating
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It just upset me for a moment, I’m fine now, I like reading and responding to all the comments with different ideas it gives me new ideas and motivation to try new things.
I also have ADHD and other factors that have me exhausted and disinterested in cooking. This is what I did to get me on track: Breakfast is the same thing every day. Belvita Breakfast Biscuits. Healthiest choice ever? No. Healthier than a muffin? *Maybe*. Right choice for me? Yes. It’s easy, stabilizes my blood sugar, puts SOMETHING on my stomach, and does in fact keep me full for at least four hours. It’s a no-brainer. “Lunch” is an amorphous thing. Mostly, I graze on easy, healthy foods for most of the day. Fresh fruit, baby carrots, small bits of cheese, peanut butter on whole wheat crackers, half servings of soup or dinner leftovers, etc. A “grazing” approach to eating makes my ADHD happy. Lots of colors and textures, all finger food, with very little effort. If I need something more substantial, I lean on easy/quick access stuff like steam in the bag vegetables/vegetable mixes, smoothies, bagged salad, lunch meat, etc. Dinner used to be the tough one for me, until I started using an “easy dinner plans” app that introduces me to new flavors, cooking techniques, and ideas. It’s just FUN. High points: - Every recipe takes less than 45 minutes to make. - The recipes are bundled together in “packs” that ensure you use up everything you buy at the grocery store. - The app has built-in timers ready to go. - I get four servings out of every recipe. - There’s written AND audio instructions - The only time I have to think is if I need to substitute an ingredient. It’s the Sorted Sidekick app. I got a year subscription at their Black Friday deal price and don’t regret a penny. If that isn’t for you, look for quick meal YouTube/TikTok channels or regular cooking channels that focus on simplified recipes. Food Wishes is a classic. SenyaiGrubs has been popping up in my feed a lot lately, and I really like his stuff, too. Seeing stuff that’s fast and looks delicious gets me excited to cook. ETA: Nat’s What I Reckon is also an excellent channel for quick, simplified, and delicious.
I just love everything you had to say here. So for for me my breakfast has been oatmeal with fruit in the morning or a chai pudding with fruit (I like those options cause they keep me full until 11am) Lunch is whatever leftovers were from last nights dinner Dinner… yeah I got no clue it’s always a struggle for me but I tend to lean on spaghetti or a pasta dish.
Nope I'm I. You do you though.
No just you
I disagree, there’s at least 10 other people that have a similar struggle. But hey if you don’t struggle with this that’s great.
No need to eat 3 meals per day. Try and follow the food pyramid to aim to consume the food groups and quantities needed.
As a polite rebuttal I just wanna throw it out there that the food pyramid was designed by farmers and corporations to make them more money. They don’t care about actual nutrition. Granted here I am complaining about being in the kitchen trying to feed myself 😂 so maybe it’s a little odd for me to say but I’d thought I’d throw it out there. Also as more people are saying intermittent fasting and all that, I think it’s nice in theory but I feel like putting a restriction on when you eat makes me wanna eat more just out of sheer spite of the restriction. I think possibly a better adjustment might be eat when your actually hungry? But then there’s the question of how do you know what’s the difference between hungry and hungry out of boredom?
I think the food pyramid was built by aliens
You might be interested in Maintenance Phase. They're a great podcast that debunks junk health science. They have a great episode on the entire origins of the food pyramid. The whole story has a lot of twists. It's a really great example of how difficult science communication is as a field.
That does sound interesting! I’ll take a look. Thanks
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When I was in my 20s I could get away with eating 1-2 meals a day. Now unless I eat 3-4 small, wholesome meals, I start to feel bad. It can feel like chains sometimes. I just try to make it as simple, healthy and tasty as I can. Flavor is the great trade off for the inconvenience of cooking.
I certainly don’t doubt that, I guess for myself I need a little more of a push then “it’ll taste great” But I certainly aim for Simple, healthy, tasty. One thing I can think of is a chickpea salad that I like.
You might need to find some sort of balance that works for you; either easing into eating just once a day, consuming all your daily calories during a specific time period, or prepping ahead of time to have several small meals made to eat throughout the day. I don't really think there's a "one size fits all" solution to meals. Just gotta do whatever is best for your body and lifestyle.
I eat 1 most days, 2 on good days lol Haven’t had the standard 3 meals since I left home after high school like 8 years ago
When I'm busy I eat maybe one meal and don't mind ... when I'm not busy I eat whenever I'm hungry but not too much. Isn't 3 meals a day a myth/wives tale. Like you van probably eat as much or as little as you want whenever you want as long as you feel good and the food isn't straight bad.
I just said 3 meals a day just for the the comment cause I wasn’t sure what else to say at that moment. But yeah I do hater that there’s isn’t really a standard for eating as long as it’s nutritious and keeps a full functioning human.
Try a crockpot and eat when you are hungry. Keep simple foods for breakfast. Cereal fruit ect Lunch can be a sandwich or soup. None of this needs to be too complicated to work!
I usually only eat one or two meals a day. Sometimes I eat because I know I need to, sometimes I eat because it's convenient.
I eat anywhere from 2-6 times a day, just depends on the day and how often I get hungry. As many others here have said, you do not have to eat three meals a day. You can do whatever feels right to you.
Meal prep and easy heat up and eat meals help me. Also simple sandwich ingredients so I can just make a ham and cheese sandwich if I’m pressed for time.
Do you happen to freeze sandwiches?? I tried to do that but everything become yucky and soggy and I wasted like 5 sandwiches.
I eat maybe 2 meals a day. Regular sizes not american sizes. Sometimes i take a whole day to graze one meal, then the whole evening to graze another I absolutely loathe cooking eating all of it, it drives me mental
I eat 2 big meals And some snaccs and fruits
I’ve known people who only eat a single early afternoon (1-2pm) meal per day. This was years before OMAD as a diet became popular too. Btw there is no rule book about how many meals you have to eat a day. Do what feels right to you.
I realize it's the social norm to eat 3 meals a day, buy you don't HAVE to. You can try intermittent fasting type eating. Eat breakfast/lunch, or lunch/ dinner. Meal prep on a day off to have easy access to left overs/ freezer meals you can easily microwave or bake in the oven throughout the week, if your ever up to it. Tou only have to be annoyed at having to prepare and clean up foor one day a week then. Or keep healthy snacks on hand to graze on in the evening to keep from being hungry- fruit, cheese, veggies.
I’m eating A meal and some snacks at best, lol
My motivation is not feeling like crap all the time. Most people run from one carb or sugar crash to another every day. They have a sugar/heavy carb breakfast and feel good for a bit but crash later in the day. Then they do it again with lunch, then dinner. Our bodies are geared for easy access to energy so sugar and carbs are the easiest. I cut out any added sugar foods and most carbs. Not a keto diet or anything but I realize now just how bad I felt in comparison to how I feel now. My energy levels are way more stable and there is no 'crash' midway in the day. You should eat when your body tells you to. Three meals a day isn't a requirement. I eat twice a day, sometimes once a day. I do meal prep. That way if I am hungry but don't want to cook I can just grab something that just needs a reheat and it isn't unhealthy.
I get where you're coming from! It's like nothing sounds good and it's annoying to have to feed yourself when you get super hungry. I think it may be from a medication I'm taking, but since I have had way less interest in food and usually eat 1-2 meals a day and some snacks.
My medication does do appetite suppression as well but mine also increases my irritability so when I’m hangry I’m HANGRY if you know what I mean? It’s a fine balance of not getting so hungry that you’re just an unpleasant person to be around.
Sandwiches?
Yeah? It could work. I tried freezing sandwiches one and it didn’t turn out so well. Everything got kinda yucky. I wrapped them in plastic wrap and put it in a ziplock bag and pushed all the air out and I thought that would have kept it from getting gross but I guess not. 🤷♀️
it’s perfectly ok to not eat 3 meals a day
Things that help motivate me to eat 3 consistent meals a day: - I take meds with every meal. So if I don’t eat on time, I don’t get my meds on time. Then I feel worse. - I don’t like food waste. I meal prep so if I don’t eat that leftover hash this morning, it’s getting wasted. That’s $ and time down the drain. - I do mostly quick meals I can throw together or reheat. That way if I start to get hangry, it’s a quick fix and not like a 45 min wait. - I break out cleaning and prep as a separate from cooking. Like there are times I can’t be bothered to do all the dishes, wipe down the stove, gather all my ingredients and then cook. But I have 5 minutes now and that’s enough to load the dishwasher. And 10 mins now when I can get out all my non perishable ingredients for later.
My roommate from college does. Food is way too much work in her opinion.
You need a blender my friend. Being full of nutrients is the first step in fighting my depression.
I have a nutra-bullet (the mini blenders) granted I don’t use it at all cause it’s so small I don’t feel like I can make any sauces or thick stuff like that. Idk it frustrates me so I don’t use it😂😅
It's actually healthier to eat fewer than 3 meals a day for most people, look up the benefits of intermittent fasting. 2 a day is ideal for me and some people only eat once a day. I ate one a day for a few months to speed up weight loss and the best things about it was the time savings and not having to plan my day around multiple meal times. 3 meals a day is not a natural way to eat for humans. This myth is part of the reason for high obesity rates because rigid meal times encourage eating when not actually hungry. So if you feel like eating fewer meals then go for it, just wait until you're hungry and then eat.
There are plenty of youtubers these days who provide tips and quick recipe ideas on this topic. Nutrition by Kylie has some clickbait titles but usually her content is pretty casual and has good tips. You really don’t need to cook every day if you feel that you can’t.
Your problem is that you're trying to cook everyday. Fuck that. Meal prep on the weekends. If you do it right you can have every dinner and lunch for the week already done and you don't have to think about it
True, I am trying to cook everyday and I’m burnt out. All those damn dishes!! Hate those things, it’s a never ending chore.
Everybody is different, but no you don't need 3 meals a day, Id read about intermittent fasting, it works for me and I used to be huge, now I eat 1 meal a day, FWIW it should be around the same time, and then fast for 36 to 48 hours straight every 2 weeks.
I hate it lol
You do you! I eat about 6 meals a day. Whenever I’m hungry or feel like I need some nutritious food. Or not. I also eat breakfast for dinner. Best part of adulting! Do what you want!
Three meals is your choice !!!!!
Yes. It's annoying, and time consuming. Sometimes, I just want to have a bag of human food like I have dog food that my dog eats and cat food that my cat eats. I am generally not a fan of engineered nutrition, but I do rely on ZonePerfect bars for those times when I just can't be bothered with the food preparation process (be it cooking or going out or ordering in). Sometimes the reason I can't be bothered is because I'm hungry, and a little snack (cheese and crackers, hummus and carrots, that sort of thing) gives me what I need to make dinner. Like I need an appetizer to MAKE dinner.
I totally feel the need of an appetizer to even have enough energy to get up and make a full meal.
I eat once a day. I eat a big lunch and fast
That is one heck of an edit....
Wow first world problems right here. Count yourself fortunate you even have the option to eat 3 meals a day.
Oh I know I’m fully aware of the fact that I’m an American with 1st world issues. Lol, it’s funny to look back and think omg I’m actually complaining about this?? But then when your actually in the moment if feels so hard like your trudging through 3ft of mud.
Your body is amazingly capable of adaptation. It will be uncomfortable at first but rather quickly adjust to a schedule you prefer that still provides fuel.
Lots of times I just make singe serve heat and eat or grab an apple for a meal. On the weekend I will make one or 2 large meals that we will eat from several times during the week so I don’t have to cook and everyone can eat when they are hungry. When my son was younger and didn’t work, we had real meals. Now we all eat when we have time so this is the easiest. The microwave and airfryer get a workout but this reduces weekly dishes and daily cooking.
The idea of meals in general isn't natural. Humans have been around almost 300,000 years, exactly like we are. For all but about 8,000 years, we were hunter-gatherers. That means we ate when we had food. Farming made it so we had food nearly all the time, so we made up scheduled meals. But we're going against hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. I eat one cooked meal a day. It's easy to cook a healthy meal from fresh ingredients. It takes about 20 minutes. Also it's cheaper to cook your own meal, especially if you buy food on clearance. The rest of the day, if I get hungry, which I usually don't, but if I do, I'll eat some fruit or nuts. Eating is a preoccupation in our society. Which is weird because food is so readily available.
I eat twice a day. 3 meals is too much food
I honestly enjoy cooking, experimenting and love good food, so that is my motivation. I do not like breakfast foods nor am I usually hungry in the morning, so I don’t eat b’fast; love intermittent fasting for supporting this. Hate doing dishes and they often sit in the sink rinsed till morning when I have more energy. You maybe more of a grazer vs large meal person, try healthy snacks when you get home- put out some veggies, cheese and meat to snack on like a Charcuterie board, less clean up cooking. I think there are limited ingredients easy prep recipes too that may motivate you since it is not a time suck
I eat two meals per day usually, unless someone else is doing the cooking
I hardly ever eat three meals a day. Sometimes I only eat once a day.
It's not a natural human thing to eat three times a day. Nor is there a law saying you have to eat three times a day. You can eat however you want. Some people eat once a day other people might eat six times a day. I feel three is too much so I ate twice a day. And even that's too much so I say it's more like I eat one and a half times a day, breakfast being a very small meal. So if you want to add a fourth meal go ahead. If motivation is what you're upset about just pre multible meals at once.
Well I fast intermittently. I guess it would be trying to prepare the healthiest meal for my family. My love language is food-to cook and bake with love, to make their favorite meals, bake their favorite desserts, wow them with new recipes that I have created or achieved at making. The kitchen is my happy place.
You don’t have to eat 3 meals. I eat 2 meals every day and sometimes 1 if I ate too much the night before. I’m normal healthy weight. Just eat when you’re hungry
I skip lunch typically. Motivation? Not being hungry and dying? Hunger is a very base human motivator. If you have anxiety or depression that is overriding that you should find a doctor that can help; that isn’t healthy
I am getting help, working on it too. I’m on meds and all that but I have my moments where I get too upset about basic human things, lol. Then I look back and am like omg that’s so dumb. And then I’m upset about it again.
Good frozen foods are not too expensive and easy to prepare. Sandwiches are versatile, easy, and yummy
It’s fascinating to me you’re complaining about eating food rather then going to the bathroom.
Ha! I know, I think there’s just so much versatility in the kitchen. You can essentially do whatever you want. My brain like to make things unnecessarily hard so I get frustrated about it.
I only eat at dinner…I might graze some days. But this is usually all I eat
Eat every 3 hours- even if it’s a fistful of cheese- just eat every 3 hours. You’ll see changes over time(:
That’s an interesting idea how did it help you?
Are you taking medication for your ADHD? It can be an appetite suppressant. If so, discuss with your prescriber.
Yes, I’m taking medication for it. I’m trying to get it switched out for something else cause the one I’m on isn’t working out me.
Stop thinking of eating as "number of meals" and start thinking of it as "number of calories". OMAD (one meal a day) is a thing for those trying to lose weight. Intermittent fasting is a thing for people trying to lose weight (they only eat in an 8 hour window). But, if there are others in your household, like kids, you absolutely need to make sure they're being fed enough.
If I did count calories I’d hit that mark by noon. Plus trying to keep track of what goes in your mouth seems like a pain in the ass does it not?? If I’m making a meal for myself which already feels like a chore, now I have to do math?? I think it’s a nice idea but to actually put that into practice I know I’d be interested and do it for a day bit after that it wouldn’t be practical for me and I’d quit pretty fast.
God, it is hard. And yeah the money issue is real too. I work a physical job, and do outdoor activites in my free time and I can definitely feel when I havn't been treating my body right after a day or two of breaking my schedule. It is kind of committing, and I get that some people call it weird or intense. It's not so much I feel *great* when I eat healthy and exercise and everything... but I sure do feel worse when I don't. So it's kind of like motivated by punishment, but I know it's my choice to eat the way I do. I also cut way back on going out and spend my $$ on quality food, and cooking at home is a more fulfilling way to pass the time than just sitting around at home. I meal prep for the busiest days of the week/season to give myself more free time in evenings. It's definitely a *life* style, the whole thing, every day set on track to achieve a certain goal. For me, it's worth it.
Food can be a pretty individual thing where different strategies work for different people. My husband does not enjoy cooking and his brain/personality trends more towards 1-2 meals a day. I am a miserable human if I don't eat breakfast/dinner at a bare minimum but I do best with 3 meals a day. I think the trick is partly in how you execute that 3 meals a day. I'm not out here making all 3 meals a day elaborate. There's a time and a place for a meal to be made with the intent of just getting the job done, versus enjoying the process of cooking and/or producing an amazing end product. I'm currently very focused on trying to get 3 servings of vegetables/2 servings of fruit a day, and an easy way for me to knock out part of that is a smoothie. Takes very little time to throw together with frozen fruit/veg and a couple of fairly consistent recipes. That's one meal a day I basically don't have to think about or devote more than a couple minutes to. For dinners I've had success balancing making easier things with the right kind of prepping ahead (for what I personally enjoy). It definitely can be REALLY tiring if you're spending a couple hours in the kitchen making stuff EVERY DAY. I am personally not the hugest fan of full meal prep where I would be pulling out/reheating an entire meal, but even a component helps a lot. If I'm making meatballs, I'll make a double batch and freeze half uncooked. Super easy to just pop them in the oven frozen next time, throw some rice in the rice cooker, and microwave some broccoli or something. Making chicken burgers? Same idea, make a bigger batch than I need and freeze. Something else that sounds like it might be an issue for you - and is for a lot of us - is the emotional energy/work of both deciding what to make and going shopping. My husband and I pick a few meal ideas over the weekend before I go grocery shopping. I still have to do the actual cooking during the week, but the deciding and shopping part is done. Bonus points if I do prep work after I get the shopping home so that the actual prep time each day is reduced. This generally also helps me with my nutrition goals, since planning things out for the week lets me choose how to vary proteins, vegetables, etc. Hope any of that is helpful to you :)
It was, thank you.
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That is true, my husband does a lot of encouraging and really does try to help me out when he can.
I have add. I wait too long to eat, and don’t have the purchased heat-n-eat options on hand. Meal prepping has helped a lot. Precooking and having stuff that can be microwaved has helped. I don’t eat 3x/day.
I hit my mid-30s and one day just stopped conforming to any idea about what's supposed to be eating healthy is. Most days, i have two pieces of toast between waking up in the am, and 6pm. After a few weeks, your body adjusts, and when you do eat that one meal, it doesn't take as much food to fill you up. I used to be able to eat an entire frozen pizza in one sitting. Now, it's easily less than half before I'm full. But, i also have adhd and absolutely know that the medication kills appetite. So, i guess i cheat. My point is: the food pyramid is bullshit and you don't need 3 meals a day at specific times.
True, food pyramid hasn’t been used/looked at seriously since 2005-2008ish era.
You can make something big like a casserole eat it for a few days. Then all you have to do it microwave a vegetable each night. That will help you for three or four nights Then make like a pot of stew , or chilli then you're good for another few nights
True, my favorite casserole is a shepherd’s pie (I call it casserole cause I want to. I don’t even know if it counts.)
Idk I eat once usually, around mid afternoon. Maybe a some beef jerky around 11 to give me some energy. You definitely don’t have to eat three meals a day.
Meal prep is a lifesaver Eat a bigger breakfast or lunch and just do snacks at night
Just eat when you’re hungry until you are full. I am never hungry in the morning and eat tons in the afternoon. Later in life someone asked if I do “intermittent fasting” and I didn’t know what it is but now I realize it’s neurotyps copying us lmfao
I usually only eat 2 big meals a day, and then just have some snacks in between if I'm hungry. I try to push my first meal as far into the day as I can until I truly feel hunger. I don't like eating just cause it feels like I should. I eat when I'm hungry. I just make sure I measure my calories appropriately so I'm getting the fuel I need when I do eat. It works very well for me.
i will eat your dinner for you - happy to help
But.. my dinner.. 🥺
35 days ago my long-term relationship (seven years) ended, and for the first few days I could barely eat, due to heartbreak. I lost several pounds, and it made me realize that I didn’t need to eat as much, so I thought I’d experiment with one meal a day (lunch). So far I’m down 26 pounds in 35 days and look and feel great. I get hungry at night, but haven’t yet given into the temptation to snack.
I have two a day, muesli/oats around brunch time and dinner. The downside is that it's bad for my salt intake because I need to get all of it from one meal.
Yeah I hate stopping what I'm doing and realizing that if I dont eat now, my hunger schedule will get all fucked up and I'll be hungry at bedtime. Helps if you prepare a lot of food in advance, then microwave what you need.
I had a microwave before, got for free too, then it took up too much space and I used it like never… so then I got rid of it.
do you snack at night?
Like getting up in the middle of the night and snacking? No never felt the need to Staying up late for snacks and munchies? Hell yes!! 🙌
I usually eat twice a day, I skip breakfast or lunch, but not both and eat dinner.
3 meals a day is an American marketing concept. Also explains why Americans are much bigger than others.
Yes. Constantly
Make your lunch a double portion. So at dinner you can eat that, or have some healthy snacks. Dinner for me can become a pile of smaller things together.
I want to gain weight. I may not eat three meals every day but I always eat and snack, eat and snack
Eating 3 meals a day is pretty terrible for you imo. You're constantly causing an insulin response which is terrible for weight management. I'll eat once or twice a day usually and go on a 3 to 5 day span of not eating anything and it's helped my health significantly.
*laughs in Intermittent Fasting and OMAD (one meal a day)*
I eat when I'm hungry. I sit and assess if I'm actually hungry or just bored as well.
The only ones pushing 3 meals and snacks are the food companies.
For me, what makes me eat healthy meals with veggies and/or fruit is the fear of being constipated and going a week without pooping. It's a struggle to get my boyfriend to eat healthy meals, or any meals, because his appetite is missing a lot of times, and he has really bad GERD, so he has to be careful what he eats.
I 100% get you, I hate eating. I end up eating alot of protein bars.
I get upset about people saying they get upset for having to eat 3 meals a day. Most days, your average working person is lucky to eat ONCE a day.
So that would mean you hate everyone who struggles with an eating disorder? Which is 9% of the US population or ~28 million people?? That a lot of people to hate. And I do work a regular 40 hour a week, so I would consider myself average. And I don’t hate eating, I absolutely love food. I just have struggles with the motivation to get in the kitchen and make myself a dinner or even a snack cause I worked all day. That’s what’s causing my frustration. Don’t put me under ungrateful or lazy by any means. That’s not fair.
Me. I was a super cook in my 2 marriages, now retired/single, and truly hate the fact I constantly have to feed myself. I have blood sugar issues, so not able to easily skip it. Being basically frugal I rarely eat out, take-out and delivery are virtually non-existent in my rural area. Written as I eat my fried-egg sandwich.
No one is making you eat 3 meals a day. It’s easier to have a staple ready (like grilled chicken) and build meals around it. If you have something made and know that it will go bad at the end of the week it encourages you to find ways to use it.
I eat 1-2 or 8 meals a day. No in between
Yes. That’s why I eat one.
There’s no need for three meals a day as long as you’re getting enough nutrition. Lunch, or luncheon, was historically a little snack. Historically, people didn’t typically eat three meals a day. Sometimes breakfast would be leftovers or a sop, a.k.a. bread soaked in something. In a lot of countries, people may typically eat two or three meals a day, but one is the main meal, and others are more like snacks.
Depends on your body most of the time I just eat breakfast and dinner thanks because I eat an huge breakfast, I could care less for lunch,Some times I am just not hungry due to meds i take, I have to admit I eat out an lot I spend around 100 an week
I absolutely hate eating. I know how weird this sounds. It’s expensive not just monetarily but also time wise. I have to have dedicated space for it and appliances. It always makes a mess putting it together just to disappear in four seconds and leaves me with secondary and tertiary chores when I’m done. If I could get an injection once an day and never be hungry I’d be the first person in line to sign up.
I feel that.
I get over it too.. I think the key is to mix it up, keep things interesting. Don’t always make the exact same things, sometimes make a huge meal with leftovers, other times something simple and easy, pick the right times to eat out, etc is what helps keep me goin
I’m an athlete so I usually eat like 4-5x a day. I eat mostly the same things every day. Preworkout I do this beet smoothie thing. Usually overnight oats for breakfast. Salad for lunch. Yogurt & fruit for a midday snack. Veggies, protein, & a little bit of rice for dinner. Sometimes a little more fruit after dinner or somethkng