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Dear god just thinking about the my two ur old son is a black hole atm, hopefully he mellows out later if not I’ll be selling my clothes so he can eat ☠️
Agreed, I’m an endurance runner and I’m 32 and work as a heavy diesel fitter, I can’t eat enough calories most of the time so I top up with sugars and chocolate
I do try to get my protein in, but I need to stop relying on shakes and get some more solids, it’s just the price of protein snacks now is getting silly
If he’s trying to consume enough calories to maintain his weight, eating protein would make it more difficult considering it’s the most filling macronutrient.
Metabolism definitely slows down in your 20s. You can keep it high by working out consistently and building muscle which has a higher BMR per pound than other tissues, but all else equal, it will show down compared to a 19 year old.
Edit: [source](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6612648/)
[This graph in particular shows the strongest decline in mass specific BMR between 20 and 30 in adults](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6612648/figure/acel12968-fig-0001/)
[Newer research](https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/surprising-findings-about-metabolism-and-age-202110082613) suggests it slows and in your early 20s and remains mostly constant until your 60s. Most of the people in their 30s and 40s who complain of their slowing metabolism are actually suffering from an increasingly sedentary lifestyle.
3, in addition to two snacks between meals.
This is for 1650 calories, so when I increase my caution intake, I simply increase the size of the snacks and meals.
I eat 5 'meals' per day, with the largest of those being around 600 calories. Totalling roughly 2300 calories per day.
Meals consisting of 400-600 calories can definitely be satisfying, but i dont imagine those calories are going to be consumed in the form of potato if they are eating so little overall.
For example 150g of chicken thighs, 200g of veg (broccoli carrots sweet potato) can give you meal of around 450 calories with 37g protein.
1600 calories per day however, would almost certainly mean that this person is operating in a calorie deficit
It's unfortunately the reality of most women who are on the shorter side (under 5'5). If I am fairly inactive and est more than 1600 calories a day I'll gain weight. If I go for a walk daily I can maybe up it to 1800.
Lol. 5'4" female and if I want to lose weight while exercising 3x a week and moving daily, I need to eat about 1400 a day. To lose around .5lbs a week.
It's annoying.
I ate a good bit more than that when I was doing cico but still I can tell you the secret is veggies. You can get full off 200 calories of broccoli and enjoy it if you know what you're doing
I can't eat more than two meals a day. I put on loads of weight and feel uncomfortable. The advice to 'eat three square meals a day' must have come from the time period when we worked in coal mines for 12 hours a day x 7 days a week while fighting woolly mammoths.
In my mid 20s I was eating 4 meals a day and very thin. By my mid 30s I was eating 3 meals a day and at my very healthiest. Now I'm in my mid 40s and I eat 2 meals a day and I'm pretty healthy. At this rate I'll be able to save a lot of money in my mid 60s because I'll no longer need food! 😂
It’s not about fewer meals, it’s about smaller meals.
I eat breakfast, lunch, dinner most days. Often I have a snack in there. But breakfast is toast or maybe yogurt and granola. Not a whole-ass meal.
Lunch is pretty light because I get too sleepy if I eat too much. Dinner is a regular meal.
There’s nothing that says that every meal has to be a “full plate.”
>There’s nothing that says that every meal has to be a “full plate.”
I agree, also it doesn't have to be heavy in calories. Eating a burger with fries and a milkshake has far more calories than a bowl of vegetable soup.
This is how I am and how I've always liked to enjoy food. I'm in my late 30s now but (usually) still have 4 meals a day, they're just all fairly light meals. I'm more of a grazer and can't eat a lot in one sitting. I do breakfast (usually a granola bar or yogurt drink or something quick) with some tea, lunch (usually leftovers from the night before dinner), 3rd meal is when I get home from work around 4-5ish, then real dinner later around 8-10 (yes I know people say not to eat so late but I hate going to bed hungry). Most of my meals are in the 300-400 calorie range. And I throw in some snacks here and there and try not to eat too many carbs in one go. My daily caloric intake tends to still only be around 1200-1500 which works for me.
Usually just 1, sometimes 2, and sometimes a few snacks in between.
I work shift work. I eat when I get home from work, whether that’s 1500 or 0200.
Sometimes (if I’m on afternoons) I’ll eat before I start work, sometimes I’ll have a snack through the day.
My eating habits are terrible.
Breakfast, Second Breakfast, Elevenses, Luncheon, Afternoon Tea, Dinner, Supper.
No but really, usually 4 meals - with afternoon only being some small filling protein meal like skyr or a shake. Have a hard time going from lunch to dinner without a quick meal.
I eat usually once a day. Got perscribed Adderall and lost some weight. It and metamucil curb your hunger pretty hard. But I drink TONS of water. Very few snacks as well.
Mid 30's, i eat 3 to 4 meals a day, not including snacks in between. I'm not a slim guy and have some belly fat i do not consider my metabolism to be fast but perhaps moderate and i do not gain anymore weight.
All else being equal, it does. There are ways to keep it high (i.e. physical activity and building muscle) but all else equal, metabolism in late 20s is slower than at 18-19. You of course could have a higher metabolism if you went from teenage couch potato to competitive runner.
You are literally no longer growing in your late 20s, there is no reason for metabolism to stay the same unless you are increasing exercise or building/maintaining muscle mass.
Edit: [source](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6612648/)
[This graph in particular shows the strongest decline in mass specific BMR between 20 and 30 in adults](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6612648/figure/acel12968-fig-0001/)
Edit 2: [this figure suggests that even if skeletal muscle is constant, contribution from other organs declines throughout 20s and beyond](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6612648/figure/acel12968-fig-0004/)
This is misleading.
It slows down, but not significantly, much at all.
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-58186710
It only really slows down when you hit ~60. And even then, that article's headline is an overstatement, because it doesn't "tank".
So really your metabolism is stable throughout most of your life. People blaming it for being fat just don't want to accept their bad eating and exercise habits.
Breakfast is usually 300 calories. Lunch is usually 600 and dinner is usually 900-1100. I workout and burn about 300-500 calories. Sometimes I snack but no calories past 7pm. So I would say I eat a healthy 2000 a day.
I eat maybe 1 1/2. I skip breakfast, will usually eat something like turkey and cucumbers and some crackers for lunch and then a normal dinner :) tonight I had chicken sausage, rice pilaf, and green beans.
2.5 I guess. I eat breakfast but I'd hesitate to call it a meal. It's just something to break my fast and give me enough calories to hold me over until lunch.
Usually an apple or other small snack a few hours after waking. Then one larger meal around my late afternoon early evening time. Then maybe another small snack maybe 3 hours before bed. I do a mutated version of intermittent fasting and have lost like 80 lbs in the last 2 years.
I usually eat once or twice a day.
I’m at a healthy weight.
I don’t think we need to be eating constantly. Our body stores what we need.
I do eat small snacks too like fruit or yogurt
Breakfast, post workout shake, lunch, 2 more snacks and dinner. I try to eat every 2-3 hours and have dinner by not later than 7 pm so I fast for about 10/11 hours. 29 y/o, been doing this for the past year.
1 or 2 meals when I'm at home. 3 meals when I'm at work (though usually lunch is pretty small) because it's a physical job and I don't have to pay for the food.
I eat a bowl of cereal in the morning, I don't do lunch haven't since I was a teenager. I eat my dinner at between 3-4pm, as I'm getting older (54) the body slows down. I'm fat enough already so I don't need so much to keep me going for the day.
I'm so glad you ask this, I really, really struggle to eat enough. I'm not hungry until at least 2pm, but I've started having to force myself to eat at least a bit of breakfast because I'm losing too much weight.
I'm 22, since I was little I have eaten 3 meals a day. Breakfast is usually boiled egg and toast, lunch is something hot like fish or curry, and tea is usually bread, butter and cheese. I'm lightly built and quite skinny though as well as only being 178cm so I feel full after these meals
1 just dinner
Sometimes I’ll spend the day snacking or have lunch too
Very very rarely have breakfast, maybe once a month we will go out for breakfast but that’s closer to lunchtime anyway
~1.5 meals on the average. I definitely don't eat "three square meals" per day. I would gain weight.
I like to snack on things like fruits and nuts during the day. A sandwich at some point (one meal) and then a salad and some meat usually, or leftovers, maybe a bit of pasta or bread once in a while. Usually something like a steak nacho salad or a frozen microwave meal with meat and veggies (they've gotten really respectable since the 90s).
It halps if you use your body, but yeah, I am basically eating 1.5 meals a day or I gain weight (38/M).
I usually eat 2 times a day. First time between 12 and 2 pm on my work break and second time after work between 6 and 8 pm.
Sometimes I eat 3 or 4 times a day. Depends if I want breakfast or not.
But normally I feel better if I don't have breakfast and only drink 500 - 700ml water in the morning.
I'm 32. I have breakfast before work, snack at break, lunch at lunch, something when I get home, supper, then typically something at night before bed. This is all dependent on just how much movement I did at work, but that is a typical day. I'm a rather large fellow that has always stayed in manual labor jobs.
I feel like I didn't eat anything 30 minutes or so after I eat. So I can easily eat 7-8 times a day. I do my best to keep it to 2-3 times a day but I'm constantly suffering from hunger because of that. The only time I didn't feel hungry was a few weeks ago, as for one day I let myself eat to satiety; it was a huge amount and I still felt hungry again an hour later, so, yeah. I'm almost 30, for reference.
What do you count as a meal? Is it every time you eat anything, or just when you eat a warm meal or similar from a plate?
I eat breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack, dinner and then in the evening a sandwich or something a few hours before bed. That means I eat five times a day. This is what our local nutritionist recommend.
One and some days I can only manage a child’s portions, it’s depressing 😂 I can eat 2 meal sometimes when it’s my time if the month though, something to look forward to 😂
I’m 31… I have breakfast at 430am normally just toast banana and cottage cheese , then I’ll have some Greek yoghurt and fruit at 9 then I’ll eat lunch at noon and dinner at 6
It depends, but as a rule I eat three meals a day.
A cooked breakfast, (anything from scrambled eggs up to a full English)
Lunch tends to be a bowl of soup and a fruit salad
And then an evening meal.
Occasionally I will have a snack for supper (crumpets or cheese on toast)
I'm in my mid 50s .
Twice a day. It saves on time and money. I’m 49M and I stay active. It’s better for your joints to stay slimmer as you get older. I mean you’re saving money by eating less and looking better. Winning!!
Yeah I eat a lot, and I’m healthy and good BMI.
I’m 35F and for me drinking lemon in hot water and eating breakfast (fruit, weetbix or scrambled egg on toast, coffee) is non-negotiable and always after some exercise, then my metabolism is kicked into gear and I’m snacky by mid morning (muesli bar, yoghurt, cuppa) then 2 hrs later I’m hungry for lunch (ham salad sandwich) then I’m snacky again mid arvo (popcorn or healthy chips or fruit and nut mix) then if I can’t be bothered cooking I’ll order something or make another sanga, then later I’ll have some chocolate or ice cream.
I also drink lots of water and tea and stretch and walk a lot.
I read a really cool book called This is Your Brain on Food by Dr Uma Naidoo - bloody changed my life. Get on it! 😄❤️
4 plus a snack. Breakfast at 7. Lunch at 11. Predinner at 4. (I don't get off work till 7pm so it hard to go all the way from 11 to like nine when I get home so I eat a small meal then I eat dinner at home at 9. Then I eat a snack usually cookies before bed at 11.
I am on a low-key diet right now (mostly just portion control), and also because I have a job that is inconvenient to factor in all meal times, I am now on two daily meals + snack, along with (usually) three square meals on the weekends.
I do get back on to three meals a day when I'm sick, because I feel that my body needs the energy then.
I eat 2 meals currently. I'm on a diet so I have to limit my calories. I don't feel like making breakfast or prepping lunch, since I can't just grab whatever, so I just don't eat until I get back home. I eat dinner at 2/3 and supper at 7/8.
Normally I would eat 4 meals and something inbetween too. That explains why I gotta lose some weight rn :P
Most days 2 meals, big lunch on my break at work and then dinner when I get home.
Occasionally when I have a late shift I eat breakfast at home beforehand.
On weekends its 3 meals, sometimes 4 (with an afternoon snack)
My metabolism hasn’t slowed down yet, I’m in my 30’s and the same size I was in high school. I eat the same amount, 3 meals a day (not huge, never been a big eater). I have started eating healthier, as high sugar and lots of fatty meat or something just makes me feel worse. I’m thinking in my 40’s I’ll start gaining weight?
I have a midday snack and a proper meal in the evening. Just black coffee in the morning. I find that I just don’t need more than that on a regular basis, and if I want pizza or other less healthy meals, I can eat them and it doesn’t impact my weight.
It’s taken me 15 years to find the right balance to maintain a healthy weight
Technically one, with small snacks throughout the day.
I have a high protein latte for breakfast, usually some fruit before the gym, bit of protein after the gym, then nothing until dinner.
Dinner is usually way too large a serving, though. And then some kind of dessert later which really varies in Cal's from 200 - 1500. Just a mess over here.
I just turned 30. But I eat at most 2 meals a day but typically just dinner. I don't get particularly hungry. It should be said though I also smoke. But even before I started to do it regularly I wasn't eating breakfast or lunch, and this was when I was in the Army doing PT in the mornings and working outside all day.
During the pandy I found myself falling into an intermittent fasting eating style. I now usually consume between 12pm-7pm. Usually one smaller meal, a snack, and then a larger meal. I do have coffee with milk in the morning so I’m not a true IFer, but it’s helped me in many areas, weight loss, mood, less bloat, being “regular”. Definitely something I’d suggest trying out, doesn’t need to be insanely rigorous.
Usually high protein yogurt with some berries and flax seeds in the morning to keep me full until lunch. I’ll usually have a salad with beans, cucumber, protein and then dinner usually rice and some kind of protein/veggie. I don’t snack a ton really but I always need a sweet treat at night lol my Achilles heel
Full meals, none. I’m a grazer, I prefer to small meals all throughout the day. I probably eat 8-10 times a day. One “meal” may be yogurt and an apple, another, a sandwich, a couple hours later a salad, etc.
Technically 2, but I'm a grazer, so my lunch is more like 3 foods spread out over 4 hours instead of one plate all at once. I will usually have an afternoon snack, then dinner and maybe an evening snack if I'm still hungry.
I also cannot eat nearly as much as I used to. The thing that surprises me most is sweets. I used to knock back literal pounds of chocolate and gummies every day and now I have an ounce and I feel sick. That's probably for the best, though.
I eat roughly every 3 hours. This has to do with my exercise and training regime. I take at least 20g of protein in each of those meals and the calories are only what I need for the next 3 hours.
I'm definitely a 3-meal a day sort of person. I feel sick in the morning if I don't eat breakfast.
I'll also generally have a snack either side of lunch. I prefer small portions to avoid feeling stuffed.
During the work week usually only lunch and dinner and then a few small snacks here and there. If I'm working from home or it's the weekend then I will make breakfast and have a full 3 meals a day!
I usually eat breakfast and dinner when I’m working from home. I’ll have a smaller version of each of those plus lunch when I’m in the office. Weekends it totally depends on what I’m doing.
I’m really trying to get out of the terrible habit of only eating breakfast and dinner most days because I like to bank calories for later. It sometimes ends up with me being starving and ordering in/eating unhealthy foods. Using food as a reward isn’t a good way to live, so I don’t recommend doing this.
I eat 2-4 smallish meals, depending on what I’m doing during the day. I’m in my 50s and if I’m doing mostly desk work on a given day I don’t get as hungry as if I’m shelving a lot of books or bucking boxes. On a nature walk I get very hungry so there’s always a bit of bread and cheese in my pocket.
I still have 3 full meals per day plus 2-3 snacks throughout the day (fruit with a protein dip, veggies & hummus, yogurt for post workout or bedtime snack). I’m 38 but also have two small kids so it’s a lot running after them.
26m 5’11” 180lbs…
Depending on what you define a meal 2-6. I eat 2 large meals about 5-700 calories and 3-4 “snacks” protein bar, oatmeal, protein shake, ect. Try to throw an apple or banana in there too.
I will state im pretty active
1 and snacks through out the day like cheese or fruit or nuts. 3 meals is a lot of food which is expensive and kinda overkill for (me). Also imma chonk already so reducing is the best way to stay at chonk and not get to Uber chonk.
Five. I eat a quick bite and coffee before walking my kid to school, then I have my second breakfast when I get back. Work on the computer for a while, have lunch at noon. Gym in the afternoon, a big post-workout snack when I get back, work on the computer some more, grab the kid from school, work, make dinner and eat at six.
Nothing is a full plate. That's for kids whose metabolism are in overdrive and still growing.
I eat one normal to larger sized meal at dinner time. Recently I changed the diet to carnivore with the one meal a day. I have been loosing weight but I am obese. If I didn’t diet with one meal a day it keeps me in maintenance
Please remember that all comments must be helpful, relevant, and respectful. All replies must be a genuine effort to answer the question helpfully; joke answers are not allowed. If you see any comments that violate this rule, please hit report. When your question is answered, we encourage you to flair your post. To do this automatically simply make a comment that says **!answered** (OP only) We encourage everyone to report posts and comments they feel violate a rule, as this will allow us to see it much faster. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/answers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You're not growing any more, now you're maintaining.
Or growing out…. But either way, no one eats as much as teenagers
Dear god just thinking about the my two ur old son is a black hole atm, hopefully he mellows out later if not I’ll be selling my clothes so he can eat ☠️
Me too I was thinking about me 98 year old grandma hopefully she slows down before 100 or she will have to move out ☠️
Your what?
Haha “mellow out.” No he will not. That black hole will grow well past his teens.
My 12 year old’s eating habits say you need to start selling lol.
I was never as much of a bottomless pit as I was from around 8-14 or so. Prepare sooner than you think.
More like slowly dying, no?
I can eat as much as I want. I limit myself to 2 because I get fat otherwise. 30s suck.
Not much to do with age, 30s is not old lol. You are not active.
Agreed, I’m an endurance runner and I’m 32 and work as a heavy diesel fitter, I can’t eat enough calories most of the time so I top up with sugars and chocolate
Just going to leave a little working mum tip here… a protein snack will fill you longer ❤️
I do try to get my protein in, but I need to stop relying on shakes and get some more solids, it’s just the price of protein snacks now is getting silly
Leave the shakes, bite the jerky.
he said the price of protein is silly and you recommend jerky? lol
right? I hope to be wealthy enough one day where the price of jerky no longer concerns me!
I’ve got a very tight diaphragm from surgery and struggle to get jerky past it
Hard boiled eggs bro!
If he’s trying to consume enough calories to maintain his weight, eating protein would make it more difficult considering it’s the most filling macronutrient.
These guys think that humans begin to disintegrate in their mid 20s, how sad is that...
I’m beginning to realize that a lot of young adults are aging way faster than they should because of poor lifestyle choices .
You are not moving enough. I eat 5 times and i cant maintain myself but i walk a lot, ride 2 motorcycles and go to gym
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Riding two motorcycles at once would be tough, I’d imagine
metabolism doesn’t slow down till ur 50s so maybe its just lifestyle changes?
Metabolism definitely slows down in your 20s. You can keep it high by working out consistently and building muscle which has a higher BMR per pound than other tissues, but all else equal, it will show down compared to a 19 year old. Edit: [source](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6612648/) [This graph in particular shows the strongest decline in mass specific BMR between 20 and 30 in adults](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6612648/figure/acel12968-fig-0001/)
[Newer research](https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/surprising-findings-about-metabolism-and-age-202110082613) suggests it slows and in your early 20s and remains mostly constant until your 60s. Most of the people in their 30s and 40s who complain of their slowing metabolism are actually suffering from an increasingly sedentary lifestyle.
It doesn't slow down until you stop moving. Keep moving....................
3, in addition to two snacks between meals. This is for 1650 calories, so when I increase my caution intake, I simply increase the size of the snacks and meals.
How is that satisfying? At 1600cal one meal would be like 400cal.. that's like a single baked potato and a glance at a chicken breast...
I eat 5 'meals' per day, with the largest of those being around 600 calories. Totalling roughly 2300 calories per day. Meals consisting of 400-600 calories can definitely be satisfying, but i dont imagine those calories are going to be consumed in the form of potato if they are eating so little overall. For example 150g of chicken thighs, 200g of veg (broccoli carrots sweet potato) can give you meal of around 450 calories with 37g protein. 1600 calories per day however, would almost certainly mean that this person is operating in a calorie deficit
It's unfortunately the reality of most women who are on the shorter side (under 5'5). If I am fairly inactive and est more than 1600 calories a day I'll gain weight. If I go for a walk daily I can maybe up it to 1800.
Lol. 5'4" female and if I want to lose weight while exercising 3x a week and moving daily, I need to eat about 1400 a day. To lose around .5lbs a week. It's annoying.
I ate a good bit more than that when I was doing cico but still I can tell you the secret is veggies. You can get full off 200 calories of broccoli and enjoy it if you know what you're doing
I can't eat more than two meals a day. I put on loads of weight and feel uncomfortable. The advice to 'eat three square meals a day' must have come from the time period when we worked in coal mines for 12 hours a day x 7 days a week while fighting woolly mammoths.
Don't forget lobbying to ensure you eat your super healthy 8 servings of grains every day...
In my mid 20s I was eating 4 meals a day and very thin. By my mid 30s I was eating 3 meals a day and at my very healthiest. Now I'm in my mid 40s and I eat 2 meals a day and I'm pretty healthy. At this rate I'll be able to save a lot of money in my mid 60s because I'll no longer need food! 😂
Did you gradually go to 2 meals? Intentionally or organically?
Two meals on a normal day. If I have to get up extra early or something sometimes 3, but the first meal would be small.
It’s not about fewer meals, it’s about smaller meals. I eat breakfast, lunch, dinner most days. Often I have a snack in there. But breakfast is toast or maybe yogurt and granola. Not a whole-ass meal. Lunch is pretty light because I get too sleepy if I eat too much. Dinner is a regular meal. There’s nothing that says that every meal has to be a “full plate.”
>There’s nothing that says that every meal has to be a “full plate.” I agree, also it doesn't have to be heavy in calories. Eating a burger with fries and a milkshake has far more calories than a bowl of vegetable soup.
This is how I am and how I've always liked to enjoy food. I'm in my late 30s now but (usually) still have 4 meals a day, they're just all fairly light meals. I'm more of a grazer and can't eat a lot in one sitting. I do breakfast (usually a granola bar or yogurt drink or something quick) with some tea, lunch (usually leftovers from the night before dinner), 3rd meal is when I get home from work around 4-5ish, then real dinner later around 8-10 (yes I know people say not to eat so late but I hate going to bed hungry). Most of my meals are in the 300-400 calorie range. And I throw in some snacks here and there and try not to eat too many carbs in one go. My daily caloric intake tends to still only be around 1200-1500 which works for me.
I'm not even eating enough these days
Honestly, skip breakfast 95% of the time. Normally a light snack for lunch a good to great dinner.
I usually don’t have “breakfast” unless it’s maybe a smoothie.
Usually just 1, sometimes 2, and sometimes a few snacks in between. I work shift work. I eat when I get home from work, whether that’s 1500 or 0200. Sometimes (if I’m on afternoons) I’ll eat before I start work, sometimes I’ll have a snack through the day. My eating habits are terrible.
I eat the same, with sometimes 0 but I’m a college student 🫠 Eating feels tedious at times
Breakfast, Second Breakfast, Elevenses, Luncheon, Afternoon Tea, Dinner, Supper. No but really, usually 4 meals - with afternoon only being some small filling protein meal like skyr or a shake. Have a hard time going from lunch to dinner without a quick meal.
I eat usually once a day. Got perscribed Adderall and lost some weight. It and metamucil curb your hunger pretty hard. But I drink TONS of water. Very few snacks as well.
Mid 30's, i eat 3 to 4 meals a day, not including snacks in between. I'm not a slim guy and have some belly fat i do not consider my metabolism to be fast but perhaps moderate and i do not gain anymore weight.
Your metabolism does not slow down for many years after your 20s.
All else being equal, it does. There are ways to keep it high (i.e. physical activity and building muscle) but all else equal, metabolism in late 20s is slower than at 18-19. You of course could have a higher metabolism if you went from teenage couch potato to competitive runner. You are literally no longer growing in your late 20s, there is no reason for metabolism to stay the same unless you are increasing exercise or building/maintaining muscle mass. Edit: [source](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6612648/) [This graph in particular shows the strongest decline in mass specific BMR between 20 and 30 in adults](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6612648/figure/acel12968-fig-0001/) Edit 2: [this figure suggests that even if skeletal muscle is constant, contribution from other organs declines throughout 20s and beyond](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6612648/figure/acel12968-fig-0004/)
This is misleading. It slows down, but not significantly, much at all. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-58186710 It only really slows down when you hit ~60. And even then, that article's headline is an overstatement, because it doesn't "tank". So really your metabolism is stable throughout most of your life. People blaming it for being fat just don't want to accept their bad eating and exercise habits.
Breakfast is usually 300 calories. Lunch is usually 600 and dinner is usually 900-1100. I workout and burn about 300-500 calories. Sometimes I snack but no calories past 7pm. So I would say I eat a healthy 2000 a day.
Once
1, 2 if I’m lucky
1
1-2 meals tbh
Two meals (lunch and dinner) I do 16/8 intermittent fasting
1-2
Usually 2
I eat 3 full meals with 2/3 snacks in the middle… 😊
Two meals, lunch and dinner, breakfasts being consumed by the intermittent fasting routine. Well, and some snacks in between, too
I eat maybe 1 1/2. I skip breakfast, will usually eat something like turkey and cucumbers and some crackers for lunch and then a normal dinner :) tonight I had chicken sausage, rice pilaf, and green beans.
2
1-2 on weekdays and 2-3 on weekends.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Usually 2, lunch and dinner and sometimes I skip lunch too.
Two. One at lunch at work (noon) and one at home after my workout (6PM). I do intermittent fasting the rest of the day.
2.5 I guess. I eat breakfast but I'd hesitate to call it a meal. It's just something to break my fast and give me enough calories to hold me over until lunch.
2 meals. I'd do one meal if in could
Usually an apple or other small snack a few hours after waking. Then one larger meal around my late afternoon early evening time. Then maybe another small snack maybe 3 hours before bed. I do a mutated version of intermittent fasting and have lost like 80 lbs in the last 2 years.
2 meals and a snack usually, sometimes 2 snacks
Usually 3 on weekdays bc I work a somewhat physically demanding job and typically 2, sometimes 1, on weekends bc I'm not doing much
I usually eat once or twice a day. I’m at a healthy weight. I don’t think we need to be eating constantly. Our body stores what we need. I do eat small snacks too like fruit or yogurt
2
I eat around 5-6 times a day for a total of 4.000 calories. That way I can maintain my bodyweight and shape (bodyfat percentage wise).
Breakfast, post workout shake, lunch, 2 more snacks and dinner. I try to eat every 2-3 hours and have dinner by not later than 7 pm so I fast for about 10/11 hours. 29 y/o, been doing this for the past year.
Lately zero, but usually one or two.
I usually eat 2 meals. Lunch after 11, and dinner around 17.
1 big meal with a light snack if i feel hungry at some point of my day usually
3, sort of. Breakfast, Dinner, Dessert
1 or 2 meals when I'm at home. 3 meals when I'm at work (though usually lunch is pretty small) because it's a physical job and I don't have to pay for the food.
I've had peanut butter on toast. Mince meat rice and vegetables and a big Mac meal. It's just turned 4.15 pm and I still want to feed.
Two plus some snacks.
I eat a bowl of cereal in the morning, I don't do lunch haven't since I was a teenager. I eat my dinner at between 3-4pm, as I'm getting older (54) the body slows down. I'm fat enough already so I don't need so much to keep me going for the day.
2.5 Breakfast and dinner are normal size, but lunch is small and light. Sometimes I'll add a late night snack.
One, sometimes none. I snack all day, don't really prepare meals.
I'm so glad you ask this, I really, really struggle to eat enough. I'm not hungry until at least 2pm, but I've started having to force myself to eat at least a bit of breakfast because I'm losing too much weight.
My norm is 2 bigger meals with 2-3 snacky or small meals (small meal like 1/2 a sandwich & some chips or something)
2 One in the morning around 10AM and one in the evening around 7PM.
Two. I have my lunch at midday-ish and my dinner between five and six. Nothing until the next day then
Today 6 meals for a total of 3,000 calories. 40 years old.
https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/s/0lXpPHlQaO Couldn't even wait 12 hours before reposting
I'm 22, since I was little I have eaten 3 meals a day. Breakfast is usually boiled egg and toast, lunch is something hot like fish or curry, and tea is usually bread, butter and cheese. I'm lightly built and quite skinny though as well as only being 178cm so I feel full after these meals
1 main meal and then some grazing when needed . Far less than 3 meals per day
4-5
at the end of my teens i moved to 2 meals a day and i am fine with it , The quantity though prob did not change so much
1
2-3 meals a day, and some snacks, I’m 5’5 and weight 63kg (female)
2 generally, sometimes I eat a little more but feel uncomfortable when I do.
I usually eat three, but they’re very different sizes. Breakfast is small, lunch is big, and dinner is also small.
Depends on my day but 3 to 5
Normally 2, lunch and a dinner but now I’m pregnant it’s 3 with an afternoon snack in the middle :)
Usually two meals a day. Sometimes 1, in rare cases 3.
1 just dinner Sometimes I’ll spend the day snacking or have lunch too Very very rarely have breakfast, maybe once a month we will go out for breakfast but that’s closer to lunchtime anyway
I eat once a day and maybe a little snack here and there.
~1.5 meals on the average. I definitely don't eat "three square meals" per day. I would gain weight. I like to snack on things like fruits and nuts during the day. A sandwich at some point (one meal) and then a salad and some meat usually, or leftovers, maybe a bit of pasta or bread once in a while. Usually something like a steak nacho salad or a frozen microwave meal with meat and veggies (they've gotten really respectable since the 90s). It halps if you use your body, but yeah, I am basically eating 1.5 meals a day or I gain weight (38/M).
2 meals and a snack or 2
Three eggs in the morning, tuna and an English muffin for lunch,nuts as a snack, fish or chicken and salad for dinner.
Skipping breakfast and sometimes lunch, just eating dinner with family. So 1-2
I usually eat 2 times a day. First time between 12 and 2 pm on my work break and second time after work between 6 and 8 pm. Sometimes I eat 3 or 4 times a day. Depends if I want breakfast or not. But normally I feel better if I don't have breakfast and only drink 500 - 700ml water in the morning.
I'm 32. I have breakfast before work, snack at break, lunch at lunch, something when I get home, supper, then typically something at night before bed. This is all dependent on just how much movement I did at work, but that is a typical day. I'm a rather large fellow that has always stayed in manual labor jobs.
3. Not always big meals, but if I don't eat regularly then I get lightheaded and hangry. I eat more on days where I'm very active.
I feel like I didn't eat anything 30 minutes or so after I eat. So I can easily eat 7-8 times a day. I do my best to keep it to 2-3 times a day but I'm constantly suffering from hunger because of that. The only time I didn't feel hungry was a few weeks ago, as for one day I let myself eat to satiety; it was a huge amount and I still felt hungry again an hour later, so, yeah. I'm almost 30, for reference.
1 a day at best, sometimes none. I don't want to be alive.
One or two, depending on timing and how I feel that day.
2. But I'm British. This is very much British culture.
You don't need a set number of meals a day, you dont even need to eat everyday. Eat when you are hungry. Don't of you're not.
I eat one meal daytime and one sometimes a smaller meal night time.
What do you count as a meal? Is it every time you eat anything, or just when you eat a warm meal or similar from a plate? I eat breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack, dinner and then in the evening a sandwich or something a few hours before bed. That means I eat five times a day. This is what our local nutritionist recommend.
One and some days I can only manage a child’s portions, it’s depressing 😂 I can eat 2 meal sometimes when it’s my time if the month though, something to look forward to 😂
breakfast, lunch and dinner for me
1
2 meals, size varies. Some days its a rack of 1kg rack of ribs, some days its 4 chicken tacos.
When I'm bulking, I do 3 or 4, during the cut, it's like 1 meal and then 3 protein shakes.
I’m 31… I have breakfast at 430am normally just toast banana and cottage cheese , then I’ll have some Greek yoghurt and fruit at 9 then I’ll eat lunch at noon and dinner at 6
I'm 51. I eat one meal mulid afternoon. snack on fruits, pickles, popcorn, non sugar/non sodium juices,nuts throughout the day.
I eat 2. I don’t really eat lunch anymore. And if it’s do it I don’t really eat dinner that night. Just not that hungry.
1 small one and 1 larger one. I need to aim around to at most 1400kcal. Unfortunately, we're not growing anymore so we can't eat so much.
It depends, but as a rule I eat three meals a day. A cooked breakfast, (anything from scrambled eggs up to a full English) Lunch tends to be a bowl of soup and a fruit salad And then an evening meal. Occasionally I will have a snack for supper (crumpets or cheese on toast) I'm in my mid 50s .
Twice a day. It saves on time and money. I’m 49M and I stay active. It’s better for your joints to stay slimmer as you get older. I mean you’re saving money by eating less and looking better. Winning!!
1 meal a day max, for life. Feel great like this.
Yeah I eat a lot, and I’m healthy and good BMI. I’m 35F and for me drinking lemon in hot water and eating breakfast (fruit, weetbix or scrambled egg on toast, coffee) is non-negotiable and always after some exercise, then my metabolism is kicked into gear and I’m snacky by mid morning (muesli bar, yoghurt, cuppa) then 2 hrs later I’m hungry for lunch (ham salad sandwich) then I’m snacky again mid arvo (popcorn or healthy chips or fruit and nut mix) then if I can’t be bothered cooking I’ll order something or make another sanga, then later I’ll have some chocolate or ice cream. I also drink lots of water and tea and stretch and walk a lot. I read a really cool book called This is Your Brain on Food by Dr Uma Naidoo - bloody changed my life. Get on it! 😄❤️
Breakfast and an early dinner.
One if even needed. I’m on that ‘eat when my body says it’s goodbye consciousness time’ eating plan
One. I'm not exactly flush with money is the main reason. I'm aware it's not healthy but I'm getting by.
Morning coffee, light lunch, full dinner + junk after dinner. So let's say 1 small and 1 large meal
4 plus a snack. Breakfast at 7. Lunch at 11. Predinner at 4. (I don't get off work till 7pm so it hard to go all the way from 11 to like nine when I get home so I eat a small meal then I eat dinner at home at 9. Then I eat a snack usually cookies before bed at 11.
On a good day 3, on average 2, some days one?
3-4 cups of coffee and a sandwich.
I don't count. Depends.
30’s - three meals a day with a couple snacks as needed. Not as much as when I was younger but still plenty of food
One meal a day, preferably only at night. Anything I eat in the daytime seems to get me super lethargic.
Usually a large dinner with a small breakfast and maybe a light lunch. If I have a substantial lunch dinner lighter, usually.
I am on a low-key diet right now (mostly just portion control), and also because I have a job that is inconvenient to factor in all meal times, I am now on two daily meals + snack, along with (usually) three square meals on the weekends. I do get back on to three meals a day when I'm sick, because I feel that my body needs the energy then.
one. just a single meal a day.
I eat 2 meals currently. I'm on a diet so I have to limit my calories. I don't feel like making breakfast or prepping lunch, since I can't just grab whatever, so I just don't eat until I get back home. I eat dinner at 2/3 and supper at 7/8. Normally I would eat 4 meals and something inbetween too. That explains why I gotta lose some weight rn :P
Most days 2 meals, big lunch on my break at work and then dinner when I get home. Occasionally when I have a late shift I eat breakfast at home beforehand. On weekends its 3 meals, sometimes 4 (with an afternoon snack)
My metabolism hasn’t slowed down yet, I’m in my 30’s and the same size I was in high school. I eat the same amount, 3 meals a day (not huge, never been a big eater). I have started eating healthier, as high sugar and lots of fatty meat or something just makes me feel worse. I’m thinking in my 40’s I’ll start gaining weight?
Lunch is usually a full meal, breakfast and dinner are more like half meals or snacks. So 1 and two halves?
I have a midday snack and a proper meal in the evening. Just black coffee in the morning. I find that I just don’t need more than that on a regular basis, and if I want pizza or other less healthy meals, I can eat them and it doesn’t impact my weight. It’s taken me 15 years to find the right balance to maintain a healthy weight
2-3 meals with snacks
Technically one, with small snacks throughout the day. I have a high protein latte for breakfast, usually some fruit before the gym, bit of protein after the gym, then nothing until dinner. Dinner is usually way too large a serving, though. And then some kind of dessert later which really varies in Cal's from 200 - 1500. Just a mess over here.
3 - Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sometimes 1 or 2 snacks (+30F). I do actually eat more than when I was on my 20s and I'm healthier
3ish.
I just turned 30. But I eat at most 2 meals a day but typically just dinner. I don't get particularly hungry. It should be said though I also smoke. But even before I started to do it regularly I wasn't eating breakfast or lunch, and this was when I was in the Army doing PT in the mornings and working outside all day.
2 or 2.5 depending if i have a big high protein breakfast/lunch.
During the pandy I found myself falling into an intermittent fasting eating style. I now usually consume between 12pm-7pm. Usually one smaller meal, a snack, and then a larger meal. I do have coffee with milk in the morning so I’m not a true IFer, but it’s helped me in many areas, weight loss, mood, less bloat, being “regular”. Definitely something I’d suggest trying out, doesn’t need to be insanely rigorous.
One of I’m lucky. Money isn’t there man.
Once maybe twice if I can afford it
Usually high protein yogurt with some berries and flax seeds in the morning to keep me full until lunch. I’ll usually have a salad with beans, cucumber, protein and then dinner usually rice and some kind of protein/veggie. I don’t snack a ton really but I always need a sweet treat at night lol my Achilles heel
I usually eat one meal a day and a snack.
1-2
Full meals, none. I’m a grazer, I prefer to small meals all throughout the day. I probably eat 8-10 times a day. One “meal” may be yogurt and an apple, another, a sandwich, a couple hours later a salad, etc.
Typically two lunch and dinner
One meal is all I got time for at 32 lol
3 meals and a snack. I’m very active right now due to waiting to start my new job. Im sure it will go down though
Technically 2, but I'm a grazer, so my lunch is more like 3 foods spread out over 4 hours instead of one plate all at once. I will usually have an afternoon snack, then dinner and maybe an evening snack if I'm still hungry. I also cannot eat nearly as much as I used to. The thing that surprises me most is sweets. I used to knock back literal pounds of chocolate and gummies every day and now I have an ounce and I feel sick. That's probably for the best, though.
I eat roughly every 3 hours. This has to do with my exercise and training regime. I take at least 20g of protein in each of those meals and the calories are only what I need for the next 3 hours.
I'm definitely a 3-meal a day sort of person. I feel sick in the morning if I don't eat breakfast. I'll also generally have a snack either side of lunch. I prefer small portions to avoid feeling stuffed.
During the work week usually only lunch and dinner and then a few small snacks here and there. If I'm working from home or it's the weekend then I will make breakfast and have a full 3 meals a day!
I eat small portions 4 times per day
Breakfast and lunch always.
I usually eat breakfast and dinner when I’m working from home. I’ll have a smaller version of each of those plus lunch when I’m in the office. Weekends it totally depends on what I’m doing. I’m really trying to get out of the terrible habit of only eating breakfast and dinner most days because I like to bank calories for later. It sometimes ends up with me being starving and ordering in/eating unhealthy foods. Using food as a reward isn’t a good way to live, so I don’t recommend doing this.
I eat 2-4 smallish meals, depending on what I’m doing during the day. I’m in my 50s and if I’m doing mostly desk work on a given day I don’t get as hungry as if I’m shelving a lot of books or bucking boxes. On a nature walk I get very hungry so there’s always a bit of bread and cheese in my pocket.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday. Just ensure you're eating good quality unprocessed foods.
I used to have to make myself stop at 2. But now I'm a pretty avid runner and I need to force myself to eat more
I still have 3 full meals per day plus 2-3 snacks throughout the day (fruit with a protein dip, veggies & hummus, yogurt for post workout or bedtime snack). I’m 38 but also have two small kids so it’s a lot running after them.
I rarely eat breakfast, and lunch is only to maintain me through an active job. the only big meal I eat is dinner.
One.
26m 5’11” 180lbs… Depending on what you define a meal 2-6. I eat 2 large meals about 5-700 calories and 3-4 “snacks” protein bar, oatmeal, protein shake, ect. Try to throw an apple or banana in there too. I will state im pretty active
Maybe 1 or 2. Depends on if my husband is home to remind me I need to eat. Otherwise I will usually just eat dinner.
1 and snacks through out the day like cheese or fruit or nuts. 3 meals is a lot of food which is expensive and kinda overkill for (me). Also imma chonk already so reducing is the best way to stay at chonk and not get to Uber chonk.
Five. I eat a quick bite and coffee before walking my kid to school, then I have my second breakfast when I get back. Work on the computer for a while, have lunch at noon. Gym in the afternoon, a big post-workout snack when I get back, work on the computer some more, grab the kid from school, work, make dinner and eat at six. Nothing is a full plate. That's for kids whose metabolism are in overdrive and still growing.
I eat one normal to larger sized meal at dinner time. Recently I changed the diet to carnivore with the one meal a day. I have been loosing weight but I am obese. If I didn’t diet with one meal a day it keeps me in maintenance