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Maximizing Mealtimes Guide

While there’s no reason to be dogmatic about your meal times every day, it can be helpful to map out when you typically eat to give yourself a high-level sense of what your patterns are. Do you often skip meals? Do you tend to snack around the same times or does that vary day-to-day? 

You may have already gotten a good sense of much of this in the last lesson when you identified your hunger peaks. But especially if you’ve been noticing that there are times in the day when you’re struggling, taking an even closer look at your patterns can be a great move. Below, we’ve outlined some things to think about and simple tweaks you can make.

Betting on breakfast

These days, experts are largely in agreement that breakfast is not the most important meal of the day (much of the data behind that was funded by the cereal industry!). But even so, it’s not a habit to skip, and the value of eating in the morning can’t be overstated. 

That’s because when you wake up, your blood sugar is at a low, and a meal that’s rich in protein will stabilize those levels to prevent an energy crash later in the day. Protein and healthy fats also keep you feeling sated and prevent overeating on subsequent snacks and meals. Beyond that, researchers have found that eating food that’s high in protein at the start of the day boosts mood, attention, and mental alertness. 

That said, if you’re just not a breakfast person, it doesn’t need to be large nor does it need to happen when you first wake up. There are no metabolic benefits to eating breakfast right away, and you can absolutely eat an hour or two later (good news for those who like a morning workout). 

Just make sure that what you do eat is an actual meal and not a handful of snacks strung together, as that’s an easy way to lose track of how much you’re consuming. Also, one thing not to skip first thing is water: We wake up dehydrated so make it a habit to have a glass right away. 

If you’re not hungry at all  until lunchtime, this can be a sign that you’re overeating at night. By contrast, if you’re starving in the morning, too little sleep might be the culprit. Sleep deprivation raises your levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin and lowers your levels of the satiety hormone leptin. 

Lastly, large or small, early or late, make sure your breakfast contains protein, fat, and fiber so you feel satisfied well into your next meal (for more pointers, take a look in the goal section). 

What to do with lunch

As opposed to breakfast, lunch actually can be the most important meal of the day for many people. This is especially true if your “witching hour” (your hungriest time of day) is in the afternoon. (If this is you, it might be worth going so far as to think about your midday meal as your heartiest one.)

Even if you don’t have a midday witching hour, lunch isn’t a meal to skip, no matter how busy you are. That’s because your metabolism is fastest in the middle of the day, so it’s essential to give yourself fuel—especially protein, which is easy to minimize or eliminate altogether as you’re racing through your day. 

Strategizing snacking

Space your ~2 snacks at time intervals that work for you and your hunger patterns. In other words, it’s totally okay to have both of your snacks in the afternoon and none at other times, if that’s what you find yourself gravitating toward and you’re not feeling hungry at other times of the day. 

It’s also important to remember that while ~2 is the number you should strive for every day, there’s no need to be dogmatic about the number here. If you had both of your snacks and are still feeling really hungry, it’s okay to have a third. 

Along those same lines, we obviously put a lot of emphasis on avoiding grazing and always trying to make your snacks complete with protein, healthy fat, and fiber. That said, if you find you need something to tide you over to a planned snack or meal, it’s perfectly okay to have something like a small handful of nuts, a piece or fruit, or one square of 70% dark chocolate. (Just pay attention to how frequently you do this, as these things can add up.) 

The biggest key to all of this is to make sure to use your mindful eating skills to help you make sure you’re actually hungry. If you find yourself craving that third snack or extra bite more often than not, that’s a signal to start thinking about adding more protein, healthy fat, and fiber to the preceding meal or snack and/or reorganizing your meal times to better fit when you’re hungry.

On hunger after dinner

Ideally, you should close the kitchen after dinner. This is both because your metabolism slows down right before bedtime and because the more tired you are, the easier it is to eat mindlessly once you’ve set a precedent for grazing. However, those last hours can be tough for some people. If you’re one of them, you’ve probably also noticed that the hunger you go to bed with can actually affect your sleep (and there’s no reason you should have to hit the pillow so famished you start nibbling the sheets). 

If you’re a nighttime snacker, try taking two nights off and seeing what it feels like to fall asleep with a little room in your stomach. If you don’t miss it, great! This can be a gentle push into a new routine. But if you find that you really need that final snack, there are plenty of delicious options that won't ruin a day of healthy eating. 

For example, almonds and a banana may actually help you get better sleep. They both contain magnesium, which is relaxing and can add to your body’s melatonin (the hormone your body releases to help you fall asleep). A spoon of nut butter is another satisfying and healthy pre-bed option. 

If you’re someone who loves warm beverages, golden milk (also called “turmeric milk”) can also be a soothing way to end the day. We love Gaia (more satisfying) and Garden of Life (more like a tea, so pair with something else if you’re really hungry). Then, turn off the kitchen light for the night.  

A few thoughts on intermittent fasting

If you’ve been interested in trying intermittent fasting (IF), you can absolutely still do it while on the Calibrate program. That said, there are a few things to keep in mind. 

  • While research has shown some promising benefits when it comes to metabolic health and insulin resistance, IF is not recommended for (and can backfire) in people with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, a history of an eating disorder, thyroid issues, autoimmune issues, or mood disorders. This is because IF can lead to blood sugar imbalances throughout the day.  
  • If you’re new to IF, try starting with 12 hours and aiming to close down the kitchen after dinner (no after dinner snacking). So, for example, if you finish dinner at 8pm try to then not eat until 8 AM the next morning.
  • If that 12-hour test works, consider moving to a 14-hour fast, but try an earlier window (i.e. 10 AM to 6 PM vs 12 PM  to 8 PM), so you can reap the metabolic benefits of breakfast. You can stay there, or progress to a 16 hour fast.
  • When you do eat, it's important to maintain some structure so that you’re still aiming for 3 meals a day versus 2 meals and multiple snacks.