How many meals a day do you eat? What's a typical day of meals for you?

[chaskavitch]

I eat 3 meals a day, plus snacks if I get hungry (or if the toddler leaves behind something that won't keep well or is delicious).

Breakfast - For the last month I've been making a "banana pancake" with 1/2 banana mushed up, 3 eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla, cooked in ~1 tbs coconut oil, topped with ~ 1 tbs butter.  Otherwise it is scrambled eggs cooked in bacon fat (yes really) with cheddar cheese and diced tomatoes or salsa.

Lunch - Leftovers or whatever I can throw together out of the fridge - today I had a protein shake and a Greek yogurt, but I'm honestly still pretty hungry.

Dinner - DH doesn't like repetition so dinner varies a lot, but usually it is a meat with a starch and some veggies.  Tonight will be grilled salmon with baby potatoes and green beans topped with plenty of butter. Last week we had tacos; pasta with shrimp, alfredo, sauteed mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes; a freezer pizza; a whole 30 compliant meal with chicken, baby kale, and cauliflower rice; and "deconstructed" stuffed peppers with Italian sausage, because they're easier to saute than bake.

Dessert lately has been some Talenti, a few Thin Mints, or a rice cake with peanut butter and honey and banana.  It's a bit of "wtf do I have right now that's sweet?"

I average about 2100 calories a day, with a goal of ~100 g fat, ~100 g protein, and ~200 g carbs.  I'm aiming for kind of a body recomp, because I haven't really been exercising at all since I had a kid last year and I miss having quads. I'm 5"4 and 145 lbs, so it is more about building muscle than getting significantly smaller.  I am still breastfeeding, so I'm sure that's giving me at least 200 cal/day extra food, but hopefully I'll still be able to eat this much (or more) once I start exercising more regularly again.

[jamesbond007]

3 meals. I'm a vegetarian.

Breakfast: Boiled red lentils with some spices for added flavor and taste.

Lunch: Mostly Indian vegetable rich curries with one naan or hals a cup of basmati rice

Dinner: Just cooked vegetables with some spices.

Snacks: I buy hummus dip or guacamole at work.

A cup of coffee in the morning and one at around 3 PM. No milk or sugar. Just black.

Weekends, all bets are off. Skip breakfast, east a heavy lunch and depending on how much I eat for lunch I will skip dinner or eat very less for dinner.

[remizidae]

I'm a tall woman and I've always noticed that I eat more than most other women, who are generally shorter than me.  I've never been overweight which I think is partly because I can just eat more as I'm bigger.  Typical workday meals for me are:

breakfast - bowl of cereal and milk, OJ and coffee with milk

morning snack - usually flavored yoghurt plus almonds

lunch- usually leftovers from the night before (chicken and rice or similar) or a big salad containing protein plus bread or crackers, fruit for dessert.

Afternoon snack - cookies, crackers or nuts, maybe some fruit

Dinner - pasta plus salad or protein plus rice or potatoes, with steamed veggies on the side. Usually either fruit or yoghurt for dessert.  Sometimes chocolate for dessert.

After kids are in bed - glass of wine or beer

I understand where you're coming from. I'm 5'5", so not particularly tall, but from working out a lot I get to eat a lot and still be in the best shape of my life (not to brag, but...I guess I'm bragging.)

I eat about 5 meals, 6 if I have breakfast. Pre-workout snack, lunch, second lunch, dinner, evening snack. Total of 1800-2400 calories.

I've tried a couple of times to get down to three meals a day, but it just doesn't work for me. Even if I stuff myself to the point of physical pain, I can't eat enough at each meal to not be hungry a few hours later.

[rdaneel0]

Three meals a day for me, but I switch up my recipes a lot, no calorie counting here. I find as long as I cook everything from scratch and pack my breakfast and lunch in conservative containers (2.9 cup tupperwares) I can eat most things. I do try to switch it up and have lots of veggies and protein and not lean too heavily on empty carbs, but carbs am delicious.

This would be a pretty typical lineup for me:

(Context: I'm 5'2", 30yo, female and around 112 lb.)

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and Tomato
Lunch: Spicy Chicken, Side of Rice and Black Beans, Salsa
Dinner: Meatballs, Hummus, Greek Salad, Pita

My meals get bigger in portion size through the day. I like a small breakfast, medium lunch, and large dinner. I know that's apparently against what you're "supposed" to do, but it works for me and I don't have trouble maintaining my weight. I think the main thing is that I rarely eat sugar and I'm not much of a snacker, no sugary drinks either. I'm just not that into sweets, and because my meals are so filling and satisfying I don't really want to nosh in between.

[expatartist]

"Average" US size female (5'6", 128 lbs or so, don't own a scale), in subtropical climate, don't diet or really watch weight, just listen to what my body says. In Asia, dairy and many western foods tend to be relatively expensive which helps keep me mindful about portion sizes and cost/benefits/pleasure ratios of many relatively unhealthy food purchases.

Weekdays

Breakfast
* DIY muesli (oats mixed with varied ingredients like sunflower seeds, dried fruits, powdered seeds, etc) with local soymilk or fancy imported yogurt on sale, ideally fresh fruit.
* Big cup of strong black coffee, no milk/sugar
* Cherry or pomegranate juice concentrate if no fruit

Lunch
* Starch, protein, veg (today's was dense wholewheat bread with Indian saag [spinach] spread, topped with a bit of fresh mozzarella, and fresh spinach in our work toaster oven), often fish cakes with salad or ready-to-eat Indian dal and toast with carrots

Dinner
* Something simple and light on the way home or to an evening event, like noodles or dumplings or congee

Weekends
* Lunch similar to weekdays

* Dinner on the go, or home-cooked at the boyfriend's, bit larger than weekdays, enjoyed with wine or beer

No idea how many calories I consume, no snacking unless doing a full day of outdoor activities, weight's not an issue but have a hard time staying hydrated regardless of climate....