I intended on writing these daily. I have since discovered that I am a slacker when it comes to blogs.
A fellow DietBetter, Kaitlyn A., posted an article last Friday on The Transformer Facebook Page on a study regarding mice and timing of meals. TL;DR: The mice who only ate during a 12 hour timeframe, regardless of diet (standard vs. high fat vs. high sugar) maintained an appropriate body weight and no metabolic syndromes. The mice who were allowed to "snack at all hours" (again, regardless of diet) gained weight and had many weight-related issues. Midnight snacking anyone?
Since Friday, I've been limiting my eating to 12 hour windows. On Sunday, I literally got home 30 minutes past my 12 hour timeframe and didn't make dinner... BUT! on my way home, I snagged some popcorn I already had in my car (I planned ahead in the event I didn't make it home in time) and made a dinner of popcorn. I didn't go to bed hungry, and I didn't wake up ravenous.
In addition to restricting my eating times, I am still eating breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner, and trying to log all of the above into MyFitnessPal. I've had a couple of tough meals due to work meetings and such, but I'm wondering if keeping to the 12 hours has helped mitigate the meals I couldn't plan for...
That being said, I'm a big fan of planning the week's meals on Sunday. My DH and I go grocery shopping Sunday night, and I make sure I have all my meals (snacks included) accounted for. (I've become a huge fan of raw carrot chips-- those carrots in the veggie aisle next to the baby carrots that are sliced like ruffles.) Fresh veggies + 100 calorie guacamole from Wholly Guacamole = a great mid-morning (or afternoon) snack.
I also buy 100calorie packs of pistachios. IMHO, you can't go wrong with single servings of fruits, veggies, or nuts.
All in all, for my weigh-in this week, I was down 4.8lbs. Not too shabby. It was the first week, though, so let's see how next week goes!