if i'm not hungry, could i still not be eating enough?

i'm living in mexico, where lunch is usually at 3 or later. weekdays, i start my day with a bowl of cereal, usually snack on an apple or two during the morning, and then go for lunch with my co-workers. lunch tends to be pretty big (though I try to make mine healthy). after a large, late lunch, i often find i'm not hungry at night, so sometimes i have a snack (yogurt or a salad) to keep up my energy for a workout, and sometimes i just don't eat dinner. i always eat if i'm hungry, and i'm losing weight at a reasonable rate (averaging a little more than a pound a week, though it usually goes up over the weekends when i go out and then drops during the weekdays). i don't want to damage my metabolism, though - should i still be eating even if i'm not hungry?

Thu. Feb 9, 11:53am

Try adding up your calories for the day. If they're under 1200, you're not eating enough. That's just a rule of thumb though. Your individual body may require more calories.

There has been research supporting and disproving the theory that you need to eat many small meals to keep your metabolism moving, so, that may or may not be true. If you're not hungry, don't eat a big dinner. That's an American thing to do anyway; in many foreign countries, people eat their large meal for lunch, and eat a light dinner. These countries tend to be thinner than the U.S.!

Thursday, February 9, 2006, 12:32 PM

When in Rome

Hey! I ate just that way when I spent a summer in Spain. A half roll with a cup of hot chocolate for breakfast, a pastry snack mid-morning, a big lunch followed by a nap and a short run, then an apple or veggie soup for dinner. I did NOT diet at all, and I lost 13lbs. in one month. Keep eating the way you're eating, there's something really to it. :)

Thursday, February 9, 2006, 2:18 PM

Yes, overall a better way to eat - you get more calories in your system earlier in the day, giving them a chance to fuel you all through the evening. Yes, check your calories if you don't think you are eating enough.

Friday, February 10, 2006, 6:16 AM

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