You guys ever notice a difference between scheduled eating vs. eating when hungry?

[Lates85]

Even if you aren't hungry and force it down, have you ever noticed a hurt in gains with lifting or how you feel if you force it down because it's "time to eat" since your last meal that you have planned? sometimes I feel like I'll just eat my meals when i'm hungry and if I get it all down in the day I feel overall better, except if I wait too late i'll want to eat more. is forcing your meals down better on a schedule to prevent eating too much or too little? thanks

[ironwill2008]

Wven if you aren't hungry and force it down, have you ever noticed a hurt in gains with lifting or how you feel if you force it down because it's "time to eat" since your last meal that you have planned? sometimes I feel like I'll just eat my meals when i'm hungry and if I get it all down in the day I feel overall better, except if I wait too late i'll want to eat more. is forcing your meals down better on a schedule to prevent eating too much or too little? thanks

What's 'better' is to simply eat to your day's requirement however you have to accomplish it.

[Lates85]

What's 'better' is to simply eat to your day's requirement however you have to accomplish it.

right but i can literally do that in 2 meals if i wait long enough and eat only when hungry and i could pack it all down and feel sluggish. wouldn't spacing it out help? i see what you mean and in that case i might as well eat when i'm hungry, but the main reason too is i'm not hungry first thing in the morning so to get that meal in i have to force it down

[ironwill2008]

right but i can literally do that in 2 meals if i wait long enough and eat only when hungry and i could pack it all down and feel sluggish. wouldn't spacing it out help? i see what you mean and in that case i might as well eat when i'm hungry, but the main reason too is i'm not hungry first thing in the morning so to get that meal in i have to force it down

Again, do whatever suits you that allows you to eat to requirement.

[Lates85]

bump

[NeroMaj]

bump

ironwill is giving you the best advice. Split the meals up however you want them as long as at the end of the day you are at your caloric and macro requirements.

If you have trouble eating a lot at one time, eat smaller meals more frequently. If you don't have a lot of time, eat fewer, larger meals. If you simply can't eat that much, look into making smoothies as they are quick and can be packed with tons of calories.

I do think there is some solid science behind being consistent each day with your meal schedule, whatever it may be, but someone else can probably post a source.

[APipeDream]

bump

bump for what? You are not reading perfectly correct advice. Eat when you want and when it's convenient so long as you meet your daily macro and micro requirements.

/thread

[InItForFitness]

Yes. I've noticed a huge difference in my stress levels after learning to just ensure I meet my calories throughout the day (however I see fit) as opposed to setting a schedule for myself.

It's pointless.

[SwoleMe]

Scheduled meals? I just plan to eat food each day

[Italiantank26]

For me, following a scheduled meal tends to trick my brain into being hungry regardless when I'm full or not because I've become accustomed to eating at a certain time. For example, I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner about the same time every day due to work schedule. On the weekends, if I sleep late, eat breakfast at 10am, and my lunch time rolls around (12:30pm) my body tricks my mind into feeling hungry because it is used to eating at that time. So to answer your question, it is difficult to tell sometimes. Following scheduled meal times allows you an easier method to track you eating times throughout the day. But as the previous posts said, as long as your daily intake for the day is accomplished, that's what counts.