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Different meal times

JenniferW

Well-Known Member
Messages
598
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I grew up with one typically British set of meal times but had periods of my life living in other countries with very different ideas about what's the right time for lunch and the evening meal. What difference does it make what your meal times are? For example, living in China, the main meal at the end of the working day could be as early at 5:00pm, living in Spain and Portugal it was usually after 9:00 pm and often at 10:00 pm. Living now back in England, mine is somewhere between the two - but I liked both the others as well.Now I have T2, I wonder what's really best for me.
 
What's best for you should be what's best for you - how about checking your BG 2 hours after every type/timing of dinner, before bed and the next morning (FBG) and see if there's a difference due to meal timings?

I personally prefer to eat early in the evening, as that way I have a longer fasting window until the next meal (breakfast), which is good for reducing insulin resistance. However, my priority at present is to have dinner with my OH, who gets home by about 7pm, so that's when we eat. My FBG values seem fine with that timing anyway.
 
Mr B works highly variable shifts, and goes to bed anytime from 7.30pm to 02.30am, depending on those shifts.
As you can imagine, this has quite an impact on eating times.

Since I go to bed consistently between 10.30 and 11.30, I soon learned my preferences, and we often eat separately as a result.

I find that I preferr to eat 3-4 hours before bed.
Any earlier and I end up snacking (can't sleep if I am peckish)
Any later and I drift off to sleep more slowly. My meals are slow to digest because I eat LCHF (there is no indigestion at all, since I cut out grains, but I do feel comfortably satisfied for hours)

I guess the type of food and speed it digests is pretty important, as well as activity levels during the evening.
 
Brunneria said:
... I find that I prefer to eat 3-4 hours before bed. Any earlier and I end up snacking (can't sleep if I am peckish). ...
Click to expand...

That's one of the reasons why I was thinking of starting to eat one meal later - I'm a bit of a night owl, so can end up with a very long evening where I'm actually hungry again before I think of going to bed.
 
JenniferW said:
That's one of the reasons why I was thinking of starting to eat one meal later - I'm a bit of a night owl, so can end up with a very long evening where I'm actually hungry again before I think of going to bed.
Click to expand...
I drink green tea a few hours after dinner, it sends my appetite to sleep!

ETA: But to be honest, I've always had problems with snacking before dinner, not after. That's probably the underlying reason for eating early (ish)
 
My meal times depend on whether I'm working or not and whether I'm eating on my own or not.

If I'm working then I have nothing for breakfast, a lunch of soup, eggs & bacon or low carb pancakes at 12.30 to 1.30 and then a meal at work at 5.30 which is normally salad with cold meat/cheese.

If I'm on a day off AND if Mr Chook is on the same day off as me, then we will normally have a full English type breakfast (as low carb as possible) at 9am and a special dinner at about 7pm, but if he isn't then I'll normally skip both breakfast and lunch and have a fairly simple meal at about 6.
 
Chook said:
My meal times depend on whether I'm working or not and whether I'm eating on my own or not ...
Click to expand...

I think one of the reasons why I started this thread off, is that in various things I've read since my diagnosis earlier this year, I'd got the impression that eating at regular meal times was important. I'm interested that this actually isn't what everyone does. Have I made the wrong assumptions?
 
I think that regular meal times are important for those people who are not on LC (HF or otherwise). After eating a meal rich in carbs, the BG rises sharply, insulin is released and often more than necessary, then BG falls and the person needs to eat to replenish it (or, in case of diabetes, to avoid a hypo). People on LC diets mostly manage to avoid this type of BG rollercoaster, and therefore have no need for regular mealtimes, or indeed regular meals (one of the reasons why intermittent fasting is much easier on LC than on high carb)
 
Yes, I fast occasionally. I did used to eat every four hours before LCMF. It's a relief not to be so tied to a timetable all the time.
 
I'd not put two-and-two together about the regular mealtimes and low-carb (or not-low-carb) diets!
 
Just try it out. Test frequently and have something on hand to 'top up' if your bg dips a little lower than you would like between meals. I use cherry tomatoes - well, I used to but I haven't needed to for a while as my BG is really stable while I'm on LCMF. I'm finding the lower carb I go the more stable my BG.
 
Just to add, when I have a fast day my BG usually drifts slowly down over the day but then normally settles and stays at 4.5 to 4.7 until I eat. I've never yet gone hypo on a fast day.
 
I have no problem with BG dropping too low. I'm T2 on no medication - diet and exercise - overall levels are a bit too high with the first one of the morning the worst of all. My recent HbA1c was 46 (down from 47 on diagnosis). I do have differences in readings before and after meals, but it can be lower after some meals, not higher. I have overeating problems (a lifetime thing which turned serious a few years back) and whereas I could - and did - fast when I was younger, I don't have the motivation yet to do it again. But I'll get there, and can now see the point.
 
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