In yesterdays post “Breaking the Dogma of Meal Timing” I touched on the brief history behind meal timing. Before I jump into helping you determine what might be a better fit for you, it should be clear that there isn’t evidence to support for everyone eating in a specific way. If you were to ask me what I support, I would say it depends. I happen to lean a little bit more towards multiple meals when dealing with dieting down. That being said, there are so many cases I can make against it for certain groups of people that I seldom feel comfortable providing that as a guideline. Alternative fasting methods or the good ole fashion “3 squares a day” have their place. When it is all said and done, as far as science and the field is concerned there still isn’t a clear winner for everyone. I will say though that stuffing yourself silly seems to fit with yours truly but enough about me, on with the quiz.
1. When younger you ate ( ) meals a day?
a) 1 big meal/maybe a snack
b) 2 meals/maybe a snack
c) 3 meals/maybe a snack
d) 4 or more meals/snacks
2. When younger your parents ate ( ) meals a day?
a) 1 big meal/maybe a snack
b) 2 meals/maybe a snack
c) 3 meals/maybe a snack
d) 4 or more meals/snacks
3. In the morning time you are hungry…
a)never
b)rarely
c)often
d)always
4. You naturally/intuitively will or would start eating…
a) many hours after awake, maybe 7-8.
b) a while after I am awake, maybe 4-5
c) a litte time after awake, maybe 2-3
d) as soon as possible when I wake up
5. You seem to train best…
a) at night
b) in the late afternoon
c) few hours after I am awake
d) first thing in the morning
6. You feel hunger the most at…
a) at night
b) in the late afternoon
c) few hours after I am awake
d) first thing in the morning
7. When you exercise you could eat…
a) a house filled with oatmeal pies
b) just the house
c) hungry, but not starving
d) not hungry at all, even sometime loss of appetite
8. When stressed out you could eat…
a) a house filled with oatmeal pies
b) just the house
c) hungry, but not starving
d) not hungry at all, even sometime loss of appetite
9. You sleep best on a…
a) Thanksgiving full stomach
b) full but not stuffed
c) maybe light hunger or fullness
d) hungry
10. You are currently eating…
a) 1 big meal/snack
b) 2 meals/snack
c) 3 meals/2snacks
4) 5 or more meals/snack
Yout Score:
Mostly A’s-MT1-Meal Type 1
You are the “feels so good but it is so wrong” type of eater. You are easily worked up or stressed. This can be both a good thing and a bad thing. If you are a hardcore trainee then you likely have one of the best bodies of everyone you know because you naturally load your body at its highest point of stress, recovery with sleep, and start the day all over again. However, if you aren’t an aggressive trainee, then you likely have the hardest time out of everyone you know because you load up on a bunch of food, didn’t do anything with it, and just let the sleep store it away. Sure, eating before bed isn’t going to get you fat, but eating everything for your whole day before bed isn’t exactly good for your nutrient partitioning. If not doing anything with that energy internally then also look out for insomnia and general restless sleep. This will cause worse sleep, more stress, and the cycle repeats. You also are likely to have sensitive blood sugar levels and respond to the highs and lows from the food loads.
What to do? If you are an aggressive trainee and your body is coming out the way you want then no need to worry about it right now. If you don’t need to drop a lot of body fat and/or have good discipline with the little you need to then enjoy your stuff.
If you are try to lose fat, and usually it is a good amount of it, then you need to a) train to help with partitioning and b) eat 2 meals a day instead of one huge one and a solid Post WO shake. Too small of meals for you might not be enough to keep you on track due to the signals of “full” you are use to receiving. While you are a prime physical candidate for small multiple meals, your mental will likely never survive. Split the difference at 2 meals and a huge PWO shake.
Mostly B’s-MT2-Meal Type 2
By nature you are likely a eat for pleasure and have in the past, or present, enjoyed restaurant eating and getting a nice big meal in at night with perhaps a small lunch and snacking during the day. You don’t over do it on a massive scale, but you still over do it. You likely creep and crawled your way up to being overweight (or muscled if you train) rather than just “woke” up in a bad state 50 pounds heavier (or stacked). You are the average overweight or obese in the country in which that slowly bad caloric intake over time built the fat up. If you train you likely have a great muscle base but still have a harder time with lower body fat. You might have some general stress and blood sugar problems but nothing that finding that right motivation tape can’t fix, the bookstores just seem to be out.
What to do? You are the perfect candidate for 2 meals/2 shakes. What this means is you have two larger meals in your day, perhaps around lunch and dinner time. However the catch is to make sure that you place a proper Pre and Post workout shake around your training to aid in recovery and love the stress on the body and the feeling of blood sugar crashed that could lead to more eating at night time. At the same time you will still have the room and enjoy have a few more calories to have a larger meal that you are primarily used to and your body enjoys.
Mostly C’s-MT3-Meal Type 3
Generally you always just fall in the middle. Not really that fat, not really that buff. Average is what you feel and to some degree you are right. You likely don’t get big hunger spikes. You aren’t that likely to crash, burn, and binge. You are not usually the one has to back up from the table to unbutton that top button. So what is the problem? Why can’t you hit your goals? Because you are likely a nibbler. Just as the deficit is about to take its hold you naturally kick into its defense and provide your body with what it needs to keep where it is at. Your set point is a bitch to fight because in truth you are likely pretty healthy and strong you just can’t shake that last bit of fat. The worry is that your stress and frustration about it will drive you to moving to a different category.
What to do? You need to back off on the snacking and stick to just meals. Let the hunger hit you a little, don’t fear it, just don’t make it be to aggressive. Try 3 meals a day and no snacks but on lifting days a Post WO shake. So for the boring and average answer.
Mostly D’s-MT4-Meal Type 4
You are likely the “skinny fat” and have a hard timing achieving fat loss because it isn’t fat loss you really need but Body Recomposition. You likely are pretty lean as it is, fear getting fat, and are more likely to not eat when depressed rather than let Ben and Jerry ease your pain. Catabolic is more the name of your game. While you have low hunger spikes this isn’t always a good thing and could be from undereating do to too much stress in the body that has shut down certain signals in the body. You will carry higher levels of body fat even at lower weights and are set up for just as many health issues as the A’s.
What to do? Eat! Since eating and hunger might be a problem for you though you would best be served by giving your body time to process everything. Try all day snacking but don’t avoid protein. Turkey and cheese can be a snack and you need the protein. Basically get in as many meals and snack as you can through out the say, keep caloric dense items with you, and make your training more strength based than aerobic.
Pass it around and Break the Dogma of Meal Timing and remember, your body is ruler and usually knows more than you think.
Hurray! It’s a quiz! Thanks Leigh! You’ve fulfilled my geek-dream!
Leigh this is a A+ follow up from yesterday. I didn’t expect a quiz, very cool. One of the biggest reasons I enjoy your work is that you provide the middle ground view. It is so refreshing to step away from those that preach just one method for everyone. I will be pointing people to this article and I hope others do too because the word needs to get out.
Can I make a request for a future article? Could you talk about this but in relation to macro? Meaning who should be taking in more carbs or fats based upon this kind of history or a “quiz” like this?
I had 5C’s, 3 B’s and 2 A’s. That is mostly right, except I do crash and binge, overstuff (only “clean” foods, ha!) and I do love to
eat when stressed or depressed ( 90% of the time!) but I will re-read and digest the advice. This is a very good article/quiz. I especially agree that I will eat a “snack” at first bit of hunger, although with my ED it has so screwed up my ability to know real hunger and real fullness. I am going to print this out and read over and over!!!
Thanks again!!!
Leigh,
I’ve subscribed to your blog for a few months now. I have trouble relating to many of the things you post (not to imply any fault on your part… I’m just not your target audience), but I took this quiz, selected mostly C’s, and your description fits me perfectly! Although I already knew those things about myself, on some level, it is very refreshing to receive a confirmation from someone such as yourself. This blog entry has strengthened my motivation to improve my eating habits (basically, I need to learn to endure occasional mild hunger instead of immediately heading to the refrigerator at the slightest drop in blood sugar) and lose the bit of unsightly fat hanging around my waist! Thanks!
Mostly Cs, although I do eat a lot more under stress/depression. I would guess “average” as you describe it is right–not really lean or really buff.
Thanks for the great post and information! Can’t wait for the rest of the week blog posts!
Great great post Leigh. I am 100% B all the way but have been trying to eat 5-6 small meals a day because that is what I am “supposed” to do. Funny, I have more success eating the exact way you described in the beginning when I started out. My workouts were better, my ability to stick to eating healhty foods were better. Eating this way I find my self going for more crap, where as before I didn’t really happen that much.
Thank you for this! I am going back to what worked and leaving the “Guru’s” to their “one fits all” meal timing.
I had the same number of B’s, C’s and D’s but the description for C fits me to a “T”. As always, thanks for the insight!
This is so interesting! I need to reread the quiz again when I can focus (basically, when I’m not supposed to be working!). I found that there were several places where I was asking myself which answer to choose because I ate one way before I changed my eating this summer and I eat one way now. I’ll have to think about which one I want to focus on when I’m answering the quiz.
Thanks for another terrific post!!
Ha I’m one of those average C people too.
Actually a while ago I cut out one of the snacks and did drop a few lbs. So it makes alot of sense. I was surprised that the results would so clearly target me.
Your know your stuff Leigh
Thanks
Amanda-Next time I might even have circle check boxes.
Greg-Thanks a lot, i think that could be a future article.
Missy-ED always throw things for a loop. Getting on a steady and stable feed and rest, lowering stress, and harnessing your inner Missy is a great start to correct that.
Adrian-I appreciate the patience of the more advanced, I assure you that there is going to be a LOT coming up for you in the future. Glad you enjoyed this though.
Karen-Thanks for reading
Mike-Thanks for the props. Always goes with what has worked. For some eating once a day is what got them in the trouble they are in, for others they did fine before they started having baby meals.
Krispy-Nuttin average about my readers!
Sinead-That is a good point, I recommend people focusing on what they did more naturally or on instinct vs forced good habits.
Annie-I am a quiz genius
Leigh, I am also a “C” (7-c, 2-a, 1-d). For a long time I always did 5-6 meals per day … then recently, since working with you, I seem to do 4 … three bigger meals and a snack before bedtime (my “hungriest” time of day). Seems to be working well, eh?
)
Interesting. I have b, c, and d tendencies. I might try the 2 meal/2 shake thing (mostly d’s). I’d like to know your recommendation for a post-wo shake (cals (maybe as % of daily intake), carbs, protein – for “norm” and “low-carbers”). I can be patient if that is coming!
I wouldn’t have time for a pre-wo shake as I workout first thing in the AM. And I already get up at 5 AM, so I would not like to get up any earlier just to get in a shake!
And what’s the best blood sugar crash fix – besides not letting it happen in the first place
!
[...] breaking the dogma of meal timing (and a quiz), a simple food test, Leigh’s diet distractions, Mike parses MSN (I think my eyes rolled out [...]
I seemed to be part B, part C… the description for B probably suits me best, but there are times that I do nibble. Tends to be on days I am hungry and it will be a little here and there. Mostly I don’t feel the need, but when it happens, I can do serious damage with nuts…
But I feel quite happy with 4-5 meals a day.
Ok, with a clear head (as clear as I ever get, anyway–lol!), I redid the quiz thinking about the way I used to eat when I wasn’t trying to follow any set plan. I’m a B, which makes sense. Medication (prednisone) and health issues (arthritis) combined with a bad diet and lax habits and the creep was more significant than just a gradual creep. I definitely have muscle underneath this fat, though, so I’m so looking forward to getting rid of the fat. Just a matter of time (and hard work and patience).
–sinead
Lex: WRT your question re blood sugar issues, I have some problems with that as well. From what I’ve read (and what seems to work best for me) is small, balanced meals (i.e., roughly equal protein, carbs and fats) at least every 4 hours or so. I also have a tendency for massive blood sugar crashes during longer bouts of steady state cardio and have started sipping diluted Gatorade during it, which seems to have solved the problem. Lastly, I carry glucose tablets with me at all times. They are only about 20 calories and stabilize the blood sugar very quickly.
Lex-Best blood sugar fixes depends to some degree. Frequency isn’t always the best answer. The simple and boring is if you are more sensitive to it…
More slow digesting foods (ie no crap snacks)
Lower GI carbs/veggies
Quality mineral and vitamin levels
Keeping inflammation lower
#1 winner when working out is…
Timing nutrition, not overly depleting yourself unless planned with purpose of refill, and only doing what you have to do in fat loss training.
Sounds like I’m similar to a lot of the rest of you who posted here…. pretty much C all the way, although like Missy, I do sometimes binge and definitely am an emotional eater. I found your info to be right on target Leigh… I’m a picker/nibbler and it’s so easy to eat a ton of extra calories doing that! I’m really trying to learn to listen to my body and eat when I’m hungry…. I love knowing exactly how much and what I have to eat and trying to figure out what times work best for me. It’s a *fun* experiment right now!
~ Lori
Yup, a definite C. Which is good, cause i switched to 3 square meals a day not too long ago. It’s just too hard to keep track (and discipline) when you’re snacking around. I started having post WO-shakes too, so it seems i’m on the right track
Thanks for the reassurance!
I don’t agree with the 5-6 meals a day. I have tried doing this and always packed on the pounds. If you constantly stuff your face all day long; yes even “small” snacks throughout the day, you never train your body to use it’s reserves (i e fat). If I eat once a day,(dinner), I can feel hunger pains during the day and I know my body is burning fat. I can actually feel my body getting harder when I am hungry because it is burning its fat reserves. If I eat 5-6 times a day….I NEVER feel hungry and in fact I get fatter because my body is always being fed and is not using its reserves. Ever hear of “eat only when you are hungry?”. How can you be hungry when when you are eating 6X/day?
What’s nice about eating once a day is that you really don’t have to worry about eating too much in one sitting….most likely you will stay in your daily caloric intake range if only eating one meal. Sorry….I stay at a lean 136 pounds by eating once a day.
I think it’s clear from this post that meal frequency varies depending on the person. Some do well with frequent meals, some do better with few meals.
Now, I used to eat once or twice a day. I didn’t get hungry through the day and usually skipped both breakfast AND lunch. But by 5PM I was utterly ravenous and I’d eat way too much. And then eat more later in the evening. And this behavior got me fat. So yeah, one meal a day categorically DID NOT keep ME in a good calorie range. Worse, I’d be so hungry I’d eat ANYTHING… fast food, huge restaurant meals, or hit the store and buy a bunch of junk food. I remember one day where I didn’t eat all day and when I went with friends to dinner at a Basque restaurant, I literally kept pace eating with a former 6′10″ tall football player. And I am 5′7″. I didn’t even feel stuffed after. Just satisfied.
Now, I eat four to five meals a day… they are small in calories, but decent in volume, because it’s all whole food. Four meals is more likely to happen on a rest day. At first, no, I definitely wasn’t hungry when I started doing this, I felt stuffed all the time! But trust me, the body adapts… and now, I experience real hunger signals that remind me to eat. So yes, even eating 5 times a day, you can be hungry! I never used to wake up hungry for breakfast, but now I do.
If eating once a day works for you, then do it. But it didn’t work for me. My high weight when I ate once or twice a day got to 262 pounds!