Eating very little and often to achieve calorie goal

faithstar · February 14, 2011

I feel like I've been posting a lot recently so apologies if I'm driving you all nuts, lol!

I just wondered if what I'm doing is considered 'normal.' I'm finding I eat 6-8 tiny portion sized meals a day, that usually add up to 600 calories. If I eat only 3 meals I can only seem to get in 300 calories or so a day.

My food today included: raspberries, soya milk (2 glasses today), tuna, 1/2 an avocado, i salmon stick and one or two parsnips.

I'm counting a glass of soya milk as a part of my 'meal' here- basically adding it on to my daily calorie intake.

I think it's probably the same amount you could put in 3 slightly bigger meals but because I'm kind of stretching the meals out, so I can achieve at least 600 calories I'm eating my meals 6-8 times. I'm finding myself stuffed in the morning and it's so hard to eat more than a spoon or two of something so sometimes I leave it for 20 minutes and go back to it.

I am finding I will have maybe half and avocado and 30 minutes later sit to eat a bit more but still be full from before if I eat too much so I need another break again.

It's hard work now reaching at least 600 calories! lol.

Would this be considered snacking or grazing? I was sort of thinking snacking and grazing would be something you do in between your recommended meals, so eating 3 good sized meals and then eating little bits here and there in between.

pneal · February 15, 2011

Our day of eating is identical! I wanted to know the same thing! so BUMP =)

PamelaAM · February 15, 2011

You don't say how far out you are that you are only consuming 600 calories. If you are in the fist couple of months that is totally normal and the only way you will get your calories in. If you are past 3 months and only getting in 600 calories, that is not enough.

As far as the eating small meals all day long. . .I am still doing that at almost 5 months out to get in the 1200 calories I need to have.

faithstar · February 15, 2011

Thank you for your responses!

I'm 6 weeks out at the moment and trying to have between 600-800 calories and nothing below that really. Mostly I'm around the 600 or 700 mark.

I think because we eat so little at this stage, I am basically splitting my meals into two times, and rather than extending the time to say 45 minutes around the food, I'm eating and waiting until my body is ready to eat again and will have another small portion. So I might eat and then 1-2 hours later have another tiny portion of what I could have eaten with the meal before.

I've just heard so many people saying their doctor's tell them to eat only three times a day; perhaps this would be a better aim for me when I am further out and can eat the right portion?

For one or two days I had 3 meals and it equaled 250 calories, which was a bit worrying, so this is when I had to start eating more frequently.