Happy What I Ate Wednesday, friendly faces! A day where I share ALL my foods with you! Or at least with your eyeballs 🤓
So it’s been a hot minute since I did one of these posts… with “a hot minute” being somewhere in the vicinity of 6 months since my last one. ALSO! apologies in advance if I seem a little loopy in this one… or at least a little loopier than usual. We had a big thunderstorm on Monday night that didn’t let me get to sleep until past midnight (I stopped checking the clock at 12:17), and I’m just a tad bit tired and caffeinated at present moment.
But the show must go on!
Now if only I could figure out where to start… I guess with a bit of an update on the current diet situation (read: diet = “foods eaten, as by a particular person”). If you recall – which you probably don’t because even I had to go back and check – one of the last diet-related things I talked about was the fact that I was eating bigger meals instead of constantly snacking, aaaaand…. not much has changed. I’m still sticking to 3-4 bigger meals instead of 6-8 smaller ones, and I figured I’d update you guys on some of the benefits I’ve noticed since switching…
[Please keep in mind that this is what’s been working for me based on personal experience. I’m not saying it’s the right/only way to eat – you do you, boo!]
[Breakfast:] 1 cup of oats with a banana cooked in. 1/2 scoop protein powder, 2 spoonfuls of ground flax, a handful fistful of wild blueberries, and maple syrup added post-cook.
More Satisfaction
I like food. I really, really do. And I used to think that it’d be more enjoyable to eat more often, but that meant smaller meals, which wasn’t all that enjoyable in retrospect… mostly because, no matter what I snacked on, I’d always be hungry again 2 hours later and it was a little annoying to be thinking about food that often.
Bigger meals leave me with a nice full belly and usually last me for a good 4 or 5 hours before I get hungry again… which is nice when I’m trying to get something done because it means I’m not constantly feeling distracted/unfocused.
[Lunch:] swampy chocolate n’ice cream (2 frozen bananas, 2 Medjool dates, big fistful of spinach, 1/2 scoop protein powder, tsp of maca, 2 spoonfuls of cocoa, and almond milk) and a few slices of leftover Amy’s pizza. Not quite as good of a combo as a milkshake and fries, buuuuuut it got the job done 😉
Better Digestion
After my stomach got used to the bigger portions, one of the main things I noticed was that I didn’t feel bloated as often. I always thought that smaller meals meant faster digestion, but I guess that my stomach wasn’t getting enough of a break between all that snacking to just relax and do whatever it is that stomachs do when they’re not digesting food.
That and the longer breaks mean I’m not piling new food on top of food that isn’t digested yet… that’s what I’m guessing, anyways. Either way! I definitely notice it gets more temperamental on days where I get more snacky.
[Afternoon Snack:] a slice of chocolate zucchini banana bread and some strawberries.
Bigger Meals
So… uhm… I had to include this one in here because who doesn’t love sitting down to a plate of food the size of their head and leaving the table with a stomach that’s 110% satisfied? Definitely a big perk… especially since some of the “recommended 150-200 calorie snacks” I was eating back in the day would just make me hungrier.
Does that mean I never snack? Of course not. But now it’s usually because I’m testing a recipe or craving a certain something rather than trying to hold myself over between meals.
[Dinner]: burrito bowl the size of my head with white basmati rice sprinkled with lime juice, sweet corn, steamed broccoli, kidney beans, guacamole, and salsa.
So that’s that!
I feel like there’s probably something I’m forgetting, but those are the 3 main things I’ve noticed… and I’m reminded of the benefits whenever I have an off day and go back to old habits 😬
Anywho! I hope you guys enjoyed taking a look at what I’ve been eating lately! I’m planning on doing these every two weeks or so, just ’cause I gotta sneak those Currentlies and Monthly Faves in too.
See you tomorrow for Thinking Out Loud!
Let’s chat!
Are you a snacker or do you prefer bigger meals?
What did you have for breakfast this morning?
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Everything looks so satisfying!
I like a big meal, and I tend to stick to that most days, but occasionally I have days where I just want a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Those days I find I graze and pick at things throughout the day.
Today is a big meal day. I had toast with almond & coconut butter for breakfast. Nice and filling!
I definitely have days that are more snacky as well, but I do notice that the bigger meal days leave me feeling more satisfied.
Okay, noting down ideas. I find lunch hard to have a huge, huge meal because even though I ‘know’ afternoons are my slump, eating a huge lunch only makes it worse. I might try upping breakfast and upping my morning snack. 1 cup of cocoa it is.
I am definitely a snacker, I eat 5 or 6 times a day haha. Your breakfast looks so good! I need to get out of my egg white, fruit and greek yogurt rut- though I can’t get enough watermelon right now, it’s so yummy!
We’ve experienced the same “conversion”! I used to snack all. the. time in high school, but after coming to college and having a less flexible schedule (read: not being able to snack in class when furiously writing notes), bigger meals have been my jam. And I think I’ve gained the same benefits as you!
Breakfast yesterday morning was two banana muffins with lots of cinnamon raisin peanut butter + Greek yogurt. But I’m thinking that dairy might be a current cause of some indigestion recently… ← sadness.
I’m always so nosey about what people eat and their eating habits, so I say hurrah that WIAW is back! 🙂
I’m glad you’ve found you’re happier and more satisfied with the 3 – 4 bigger meals. I prefer that too, rather than the 6 – 8 meals you mention. I like my 3 main meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and a snack in between breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner. I think we’re pretty much the same there? It saves time not having to prepare so many meals don’t you think? 🙂
Definitely a snacker. But I do agree–the constant hunger is a bit distracting. For breakfast this morning, I had scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, and one of Cora’s chickpea blueberry muffins from over at My Little Tablespoon.
I’m definitely not a snacker, so bigger meals all the way! And this morning I had my fave big smoothie bowl…yum! 🙂
That burrito bowl looks delicious! I am a fan of larger meals as well – maybe one snack in the afternoon before my evening workout and because my husband and I usually eat a bit later in the evening.
This has to be the prettiest WIAW I’ve ever seen. Seriously, only you could make Amy’s frozen pizza look that good. Love Amy, btw. 😉
I’m a fan of big meal AND snacking. Is that bad? lol. I mainly focus on big meals but I like to have a little something here and there to hold me over. Especially before/after a workout.
I’m with ya – constant snacking gives me indigestion/bloating and I hate that feeling of never feeling satisfied. If I’m running late day/early evening, I’ll have a little afternoon snack – like an apple + nuts or chia pudding for the energy, because I won’t eat dinner until late. Or sometimes I’ll have a ‘comfort’ bedtime snack (DATES + AB FO LIFE!) but that’s it. I know if I’m thinking about food or not feeling satisfied between mealtimes it’s because I didn’t eat enough, or my macros weren’t balanced.
That burrito bowl looks amazing. I want!!!
I go through stages with small meals It really depends on my schedule and what I have going on. I really just try to eat healthy.
I have days where I’m a little more snacky too, but I just prefer the bigger meals now.
I love the way you talk about eating and your diet. Yay for sanity!
Haha! I couldn’t agree more 🙂
Your dinner bowl is almost exactly what I stuffed in my burrito last week. Great minds think alike.
These days, I eat four or five big meals because I’m always hungry. One of the joys of breastfeeding I guess.
I was just going for a poor-man’s Chipotle… Can you believe the last one I had was with you way back in October??!
I could not agree more about the bigger meals! I did a whole30 about a month ago and while I certainly didn’t adopt all othe limitations long term, one of my big takeaways was definitely how effective bigger meals are for keeping me satisfied (and distraction free) throughout the day. Thanks for highlighting this option for people!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Katie! It’s always helpful for people to see that it really does work 🙂
Your meals look so good! I want to come live at your house 🙂
Haha! They don’t -always- look this good, but you’re more than welcome!
I’m a 3 meals and 1 snack kind of gal! I like bigger meals too 🙂
That’s my sweet spot as well!
I definitely still need snacks, but increasing my meal portions has also helped me a lot, especially with breakfast. Great pics here, they look awesome.
Thanks Liora 🙂
Sadly I am a smacker, although maybe my stomach would be happier if I tried your way! I just can’t seem to eat enough at once to not be hungry later on. My breakfast was chocolate overnight oats (oats, Greek yoghurt, almond milk, chia seeds, cocoa powder, rice protein powder and maple syrup) with lots of raspberries and a chopped up square of Ombar raw chocolate. 🙂
*snacker (typo!)
If it’s volume you struggle with, I’ve found that eating more calorie dense foods really helps — it’s why I usually eat double the serving sizes of all my grains. Other than that, it’s just a lot of tinkering till you find that sweet spot. Definitely takes some time!
This is interesting! I feel like I get really hungry every four hours and usually have snacks in between each meal. Do you eat until you feel full or do you eat until you’re no longer feeling hunger? I’ll have to try this instead of the smaller meals and see if it helps my constant hunger.
I eat until I feel full and don’t want to eat anymore. That “eat until you’re 80% full” thing is what what got me into the habit of constantly snacking and never feeling fully satisfied. It’s nice to be able to just eat and forget for a handful of hours.
I am a snacker till around 3 then I am an eater of meals that come in plates bigger than my head! 🙂
This morning I had oats with cloudberry jam and coconut whipped cream – have you tried cloudberry jam? I found a jar at ikea and was so curious and it is soo good – I wanna eat it straight up with a spoon but I might finish the jar in one sitting then – and that wouldn’t be good!
Cloudberry jam?!? Ok that just SOUNDS magical. You’ve just given me a reason to head to Ikea, although I’ll probably have to prepare myself to be in there for 3 hours since I can never use go in and out!
Mmm I totally want Amy’s frozen pizza now haha. Amy’s stuff is always so good! I had a square of egg white bake that I prepped on Sunday, along with a slice of PB wheat toast. I’m all about the bigger meals and less snacks. I hate the feeling of thinking about food alllll day long. I’ve got things to do!
She’s seriously saved my life more times than I can count. And that was totally my line of thinking as well! I don’t want to be visualizing my next snack all the time.
Very interesting to read about your switch to larger meals! I’m a constant snacker too but now you’ve got me thinking! I do feel like I’m constantly hungry and constantly thinking about my next snack!
That was me too! Only really taking the edge off my hunger without having that fully satisfied feeling. It’s definitely worth playing around with if things aren’t working for you currently!
I know that everyone is different, but I’ve found that more substantial meals is a good pattern for me as well. On those days where I have to split things up more, I find it’s much more difficult to stay satisfied and energized, as I’m on the verge of being hungry the whole time-not good for powering through a busy day!
That was my biggest thing as well. I always felt like I was just taking the edge off my hunger instead of truly satisfying it, which meant I always kind of had food on the brain. It’s nice to just eat and forget for a little while.
It’s really interesting to hear how the bigger meals affect you as someone who was a constant snacker like me. I tried sticking to 4 larger meals instead of smaller ones with snacks, but I ran into an issue of feeling too full afterwards, and if I eat only to satiety, I continue to need a snack. It’s a process!
It took a little bit of getting used to for sure, and I can’t do it with foods that aren’t really calorically dense. Like if I tried to sit down to a bunch of veggies or a plate with a tonne of fiber in it? I’d be needing a nap 20 mins later.
This is really fascinating to me! It would be very hard to get myself into this routine since I’m such a grazer, but you’ve got me really intrigued. Maybe if I ate until I was truly full at every meal, I wouldn’t be thinking about what’s in the pantry 39 minutes afterwards.
That was me! I was the BIGGEST grazer, and there’d be days where I was constantly munching on something. Definitely never hurts to try if it’s not working for you.
Thanks for starting the WIAW again! Can you share where you got your dinner bowl? I love it and it is so much better eating dinner when there are pretty dishes involved!
Aww I wish I could! But it’s so old that I can’t remember where I got it, and it doesn’t have a name on the bottom so I’m not sure where it’s from. Sorry!
Wow, interesting the bigger meals do the trick for your digestion. I do well with things throughout the day 🙂 That burrito bowl looks so good though. Looks just like a chipotle burrito bowl! Have a great day <3
It’s my poor-man’s version of Chipotle since we don’t have any up here 😥
Oh my gosh gimme all of your food!! That last bowl of goodness has me craving all things smothered in guacamole. NOM! I still haven’t exactly figured out which works best for me in terms of meals, but Im getting there. Because of my workouts in the AM which burn anywhere from 500-900 calories I have been having a pre-workout snack [like 3 homemade energy balls] followed up with a giant smoothie post workout and then lunch at around11:30-12. My lunch is typically big enough to sustain me till dinner, unless my workout was just bonkers like a leg day or something. Then it’s just a constant stream of food into my hole 😉
My workouts can throw off my eating a lot too, especially when it’s the day after one of my long rides. I keep wanting to snack, so it takes a little more mental effort to remind myself to just add a little extra to my meals instead.
“whatever stomachs do when they’re not digesting” Ha! I pictured a little stomach swinging on a hammock and reading. <–Weirdo! I usually do three full meals and one or two snacks. I think my body does better when I snack less often, but because I work out in the mornings, I usually need something both before and after exercising to fuel those gains. So I'd never be down to JUST three meals and no snacks.
Haha! That’s probably what I’d be doing 😀
That is so interesting! I have tried to keep my meals bigger than usual as well, except for lunch! A big lunch always leaves me feeling extra sluggish in the afternoons! But big dinner have made it so much easier to not have a belly full of food right before bed because I needed a snack!
With lunch, I’ve found it really depends on what I eat. If I eat something that has a tonne of fiber in it, I’ll be needing a nap around 1:30. That’s why I stick to things like smoothies and slightly more processed foods.
That is so interesting! I have tried to keep my meals bigger than usual as well, except for lunch! A big lunch always leaves me feeling extra sluggish in the afternoons! But big dinner have made it so much easier to not have a belly full of food right before bed because I needed a snack!
I think I prefer the smaller meals during the day and then a larger meal at dinner but it depends on the day. I just can’t handle a too full feeling most of the time for lunch! unless I am extremely hungry, then I need a huge bowl of food.
I’m actually the opposite. I’m always hungrier early in the day and then my appetite tapers off in the evening. That being said, if I don’t eat enough early on, I’ll be starving at dinner.
Love your WIAW posts! This morning I had my usual whole wheat banana waffles for breakfast 🙂 So good!
I’m glad you like them, Lea! Definitely motivating to start doing them more regularly 🙂
LOVE! Bigger is definitely better, and I was the same way when I thought less at meals meant easier digestion. NOT. Thank you for being so inspiring Amanda 🙂
Thanks for the sweet comment, Marina!
I always enjoy reading your WIAW posts because your food photography is always so awesome. I am a 3 square meal type of person. I’ve always had success with eating 3 meals and maybe a snack in between.
Thanks Hollie! I actually remembered you mentioning that, so I was like “I bet Hollie agrees” while writing 😆
Yay for WIAW! Totally agree about bigger meals – works so much better for me because I LIKE eating and it’s so much more satisfying! And I noticed the same thing about my digestion too – even though I was always told the opposite. And that burrito bowl – wish I could eat it for breakfast!
Sometimes I feel like everything recommended by the health and fitness industry is actually secretly meant to sabotage us so that we end up spending money on products and programs. It IS a huge cash-cow, after all. But that’s just my conspiracy-theory brain at work 😆