I also wonder about skipping meals...

[reubenthetadpole]

That was a good question brought up, and it relates to my situation. I've always been a grazer, and I rarely eat a lot in one sitting. (Mostly this is due to having IBS since I was 11 and I quickly go from hungry to nauseated if I started to hit on satiated). I have to "test eat" to make sure my stomach doesn't freak out during or shortly after a meal.

I'm having trouble eating three full meals a day. Just yesterday, I had a chaotic morning running around getting a ride to get my car from the mechanic and I forgot to eat breakfast. My friend and I went out to lunch and I had one plate of food and I pretty much had no hunger for the rest of the day until much later that night. When dinner came I was definitely not hungry enough for a plate of food.

So, I'm having trouble eating three full meals a day because I feel like I'm eating so much. I should also add that I used to be 40 lbs heavier than I am now and am completely paranoid of putting weight back on. My weight is usually pretty steady but once the pounds go on, they will not come back off. The grazing method helps because then it takes longer to eat the same amount so I get full faster.

Argh, I'm just confused and stressed. Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

(However, if you're just going to patronize me and criticize my situation or question, please refrain from commenting. Thanks.)

[fkwan]

If it were me, I'd just try to eat three meals of what you think are normal amounts. If you can't eat all of one, just put it away and save it for your next meal or for the next day. The idea is to get used to eating three meals on some kind of schedule.

I know about being "paranoid" about weight gain, and am concerned about your eating enough, however.

f

[BrightAngel]

I've always been a grazer,
and I rarely eat a lot in one sitting.
(Mostly this is due to having IBS since I was 11
and I quickly go from hungry to nauseated if I started to hit on satiated).
I have to "test eat" to make sure my stomach doesn't freak out during or shortly after a meal.

I'm having trouble eating three full meals a day.
Just yesterday, ... I forgot to eat breakfast.
lunch I had one plate of food
and I pretty much had no hunger for the rest of the day
until much later that night.
When dinner came I was definitely not hungry enough for a plate of food.

I'm having trouble eating three full meals a day
because I feel like I'm eating so much.
I used to be 40 lbs heavier than I am now
and am completely paranoid of putting weight back on.
The grazing method helps
because then it takes longer to eat the same amount
so I get full faster.

Argh, I'm just confused and stressed. Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Reuben
My situation is similiar to yours
(except instead of IBS, 15 years ago I had a gastric bypass)

Only you can know whether you are getting too much food or not at mealtime.
Maybe what you consider "three full meals" is too much for you,
or maybe not.

I was also concerned about getting too much food at mealtime,
and because I am a very small woman,
I'm working to keep my meals small and low-calorie.

Today I'm working really hard to have 6 consecutive no snacking days.
I've found that for me,
unless I eat every meal, there is just no way I can avoid snacking.

If I realized mid-morning that I forgot to eat breakfast,
I'd eat something small and call it breakfast.
Then I might delay the time of lunch or eat a smaller lunch.
If I wasn't hungry at dinner, I'd delay the time of dinner or eat a smaller dinner.

My meal can be small.
Today I expected to have some rich foods at lunch
so my breakfast was:
1/2 cup 0% Fage Greek Yogurt,
1 tiny bran muffin, and
1/2 banana.

Yesterday I had a fairly large lunch,
and so my dinner was:
1/2 cup of Oatmeal, made with 1/4 cup oatmeal and 1/2 c water;
1 piece of slightly buttered wheat toast,
and 1/2 sliced raw apple.

I don't know if this is helpful to you,
but it is my experience.

[Mavilu]

I have just a touch of IBS, so I feel for ya; eating with IBS can be a scary business!.
I was told by my doctor to eat small meals because of IBS, I figured he meant "tiny" but it turned out to be more of a "don't stuff yourself" recomendation.
I find that eating a decent-not-too-small-not-too-big amount of food at mealtimes work, of course, as long as I'm also avoiding trigger foods.

I would recommend you to try to eat at least two times a day sans snacks, that way, everything your body needs from food is better distributed, you know some minerals and vitamins get either absorbed or leached out during the day and within a set amount of time, your food gets digested and assimilated and then you need more for good health.
If you are afraid of eating too much, simply eat two smaller meals instead of a single fairly sized one.

But!, you know, the thing with grazing is that you don't have a good grasp of how much you are eating; three meals a day work best for those of us who don't realize how much we eat if we eat all day long; however, if you are at a healthy weight that you like while being a grazer and you have a good reign on your eating habits, I would say, just continue doing what's best for you.
NoS is for fairly healthy people without digestive problems, IBS can be very disruptive and it can make it imperative to modify your habits from what you eat to whne do you sleep, etc. as you well know, so just do what your doctor tells you and whatever it is that has worked for you to keep IBS in check.

[kccc]

I'm going to ask a question that may sound obnoxious, but really isn't meant to be: If grazing is working for you, why are you considering No-S at all? Stick with what works. We're all unique.

Assuming you do have reasons... (most people do)...

As far as the IBS, I don't know enough to be helpful - but I would say "dr's advice" takes precedence over Reinhard's on this one (and I expect he'd say the same).

You might also look at the "medical loophole" in No-S and think about having more than 3 meals - just working on establishing good habits for however-many-meals-you-need.

Best wishes for finding a pattern that works well for you.

[reubenthetadpole]

I'm going to ask a question that may sound obnoxious, but really isn't meant to be: If grazing is working for you, why are you considering No-S at all? Stick with what works. We're all unique.

Well, grazing isn't working for me, per se, because it can easily lead to snacking and boredom eating. I read about the No-S diet and it sounded uncomplicated and I liked the no-sweets and days-off parts of it. And since it's an eating plan rather than a diet to lose a lot of weight quickly type of deal, I wanted to adopt it. (I only have a few pounds to lose, but I'd like to keep that number low). For what it's worth, my IBS isn't irritated by a trigger food, but by stress.

[lmt2pt]

Who said it had to be three full meals? If small quantities works better for you what about 4/5/6 mini meals?

That said, from your original post I, too, am worried you aren't eating enough.

[BrightAngel]

Isn't it funny how each of us can get something different from another's post?
In the original post, I was concerned that he/she might be actually taking in too much food via large, rich meals.

[reubenthetadpole]

Who said it had to be three full meals? If small quantities works better for you what about 4/5/6 mini meals?

That said, from your original post I, too, am worried you aren't eating enough.

That's true, but (honest question here) how would I work that in the No-S diet?

I'm probably not eating enough, to be honest. Last October, my IBS flared up and incapacitated me (and that's when I was officially diagnosed). For a good seven weeks, I was unable to eat anything besides crackers and fruit juice and candy and dry cereal (no fat, dairy, meat, grease, carbonated drinks, caffiene, chocolate, even raw fruits and veg put me in considerable amounts of pain). So I did become pretty malnourished and ended up in the hospital on an IV due to dehydration. I'm sure that period jacked up my metabolism something fierce which could explain why even though I eat very little, I'm beginning to gain a little weight and am compelled to diet.