Is it generally considered healthier/better to eat at certain prescribed times of the day, say 8 am, 1 pm and 6 pm, or to eat only when you feel hungry?
I think the goal is to keep your blood sugar level in the normal range for the entire day, however I sometimes find myself sitting down for lunch even though I’m not hungry, or forcing myself to eat breakfast early in the morning when I normally wouldn’t be hungry until 10 or 11 am. And I know some people who only eat one meal a day and seem to be operating normally. Is everybody different in this regard?
Mods, feel free to move this into IMHO if there is no factual answer to the question
In regards to blood sugar levels, it’s better to eat smaller, more frequent meals at regular intervals throughout the day. Let’s say you get up and eat breakfast at 9a.m. From this point until you retire to bed for the night, you should eat again every 3-4hrs, regardless of the specific time on the clock. Now as far as your hunger is concerned, eating in a regulated fashion such as this will also regulate your hunger (in a sense) so that you become hungry when it’s time to eat. It may take a little while to coach your body into this pattern but once it’s there, you will be waking up hungry.
"Realistically, there is no magic number of times you should eat, nor are there specific types of foods you should eat or a particular time of day to eat to lose weight.
The bottom line is: eat when you’re hungry and avoid overeating. The number of meals you have per day and when should depend upon your schedule and the total number of calories you want to take in."