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Which one is good for diabetes, one big meal or small meals in interval?
- Thread starter biren1973
- Start Date
Fleegle
Well-Known Member
That is a really interesting question. Not tried to find out but wondered. I noted one thing and I thought I would test it. One day we didn't have any berries so between dinner my daughter went and got some - so a 15min break between dinner and desert at least. And my BG didn't really move at all. Really unscientific - correlation not causation and totally out of control of all the variables - but you have asked a question on my virtual lips.
Metabolism_Boss
Well-Known Member
I think that this is very much the case, everyone is different and you have to experiment to find what suits you best. I am currently eating one meal a day and I am doing really well on it. I have found that my morning BG reading has fallen from an average of 8.5 to 6.5. Diabetes is a complex condition that seems to vary from time to time never mind person to person.
Fleegle
Well-Known Member
Yes I agree, complex, everyone is different - test yourself - all essential you are all right.
It will be as interesting if not one single person writes and say's "yes, I went for a grazing diet and had spectacular results". That in itself, given the thousands of small scale experiments going on here, that it doesn't work. One big meal as an example might also be associated with a fasting diet because one would assume in every 24 hours, 23.5 are fasting in the most extreme examples.
It will be as interesting if not one single person writes and say's "yes, I went for a grazing diet and had spectacular results". That in itself, given the thousands of small scale experiments going on here, that it doesn't work. One big meal as an example might also be associated with a fasting diet because one would assume in every 24 hours, 23.5 are fasting in the most extreme examples.
Kristin251
Expert
Well. Here I am. Several small meals and a few small snacks works wonderfully for me. They are definatley snack sized. Like a hard boiled egg. Or a thin turkey slice with avocado or a lettuce wrap with a bit of tuna.
Snacks are a few raw veggies, a couple nuts, a spoonful of avocado, a few olives
This meal plan of mine allows me to stay very steady. No large peaks or valleys.
I don't like to feel FULL or hungry. Just normal. I can't digest large meals either as I get tired and bloated. I also can't eat enough at one time to get the nutrients and calories I need.
As said, trial and error and test
Snacks are a few raw veggies, a couple nuts, a spoonful of avocado, a few olives
This meal plan of mine allows me to stay very steady. No large peaks or valleys.
I don't like to feel FULL or hungry. Just normal. I can't digest large meals either as I get tired and bloated. I also can't eat enough at one time to get the nutrients and calories I need.
As said, trial and error and test
To break the cycle of insulin resistance you need as long a time each day as possible with a low blood insulin level. To get a low insulin level we have to eat few carbs. Therefore ideally most of your daily carbs should be eaten within a few hours of each other. I tend to skip breakfast and have a very low carb lunch, with a low carb evening meal.
(lettuce wrap with a bit of tuna for example as a snack would have very little effect on insulin levels.)
Dr Jason Fung would say you are best with only one meal a day and no snacks, I yet to decide if I agree with him.
(lettuce wrap with a bit of tuna for example as a snack would have very little effect on insulin levels.)
Dr Jason Fung would say you are best with only one meal a day and no snacks, I yet to decide if I agree with him.
I think you may get very different answers depending on whether the person is injecting insulin, using other diabetic medications, or not on meds.
I am very low carb, not on medication, and i find myself much happier and more comfortable on one or two sizeable meals a day. I do sometimes add a snack (say 2 squares of 70% choc) but that is never due to hunger. I just want the flavour, the nibbleabiliy, and the distraction/excuse to get up from my desk and have a little trundle to the cupboard.
Grazing does my head in. Always thinking about food, always snacking, teetering on the edge of hunger, topping up, then teetering again... Really dislike it. I am happiest filling up properly and forgetting about food for hours. Sometimes 24 hours.
As for my blood glucose levels, they are under control when eating once or twice a day.
I am very low carb, not on medication, and i find myself much happier and more comfortable on one or two sizeable meals a day. I do sometimes add a snack (say 2 squares of 70% choc) but that is never due to hunger. I just want the flavour, the nibbleabiliy, and the distraction/excuse to get up from my desk and have a little trundle to the cupboard.
Grazing does my head in. Always thinking about food, always snacking, teetering on the edge of hunger, topping up, then teetering again... Really dislike it. I am happiest filling up properly and forgetting about food for hours. Sometimes 24 hours.
As for my blood glucose levels, they are under control when eating once or twice a day.
Bluetit1802
Legend
I regard grazing all day as a bad thing for non-insulin users. Eat first meal and levels will rise, even if its not by very much, they will rise. By the time of your second meal they may still be higher than your natural base level. This will impact on the post meal levels, which will also be higher. By the time of your third meal they still haven't come down. And so on throughout the day. By the end of the last meal they may well be a lot higher. Additionally, your poor pancreas has been working really hard all day without a rest. This can't be good for it.
My eating regime is that I fast for 18 hours and eat 2 meals in the remaining 6 hours. Lunch is very low carb, Dinner is the rest of my carb allowance.
My eating regime is that I fast for 18 hours and eat 2 meals in the remaining 6 hours. Lunch is very low carb, Dinner is the rest of my carb allowance.
Mbaker
Well-Known Member
I would say if you are insulin resistant 1 meal to fullness. In a normal week I do 1 meal at least 3 times. This has been a natural progression for hiw LCHF works for me.
I felt stuffed on 3 meals, then stuffed on 2 (but my portions were large). You will find your own comfort level.
I felt stuffed on 3 meals, then stuffed on 2 (but my portions were large). You will find your own comfort level.
Struma
Well-Known Member
I do like 'nibbleability'! So apt for chocolate!I think you may get very different answers depending on whether the person is injecting insulin, using other diabetic medications, or not on meds.
I am very low carb, not on medication, and i find myself much happier and more comfortable on one or two sizeable meals a day. I do sometimes add a snack (say 2 squares of 70% choc) but that is never due to hunger. I just want the flavour, the nibbleabiliy, and the distraction/excuse to get up from my desk and have a little trundle to the cupboard.
Grazing does my head in. Always thinking about food, always snacking, teetering on the edge of hunger, topping up, then teetering again... Really dislike it. I am happiest filling up properly and forgetting about food for hours. Sometimes 24 hours.
As for my blood glucose levels, they are under control when eating once or twice a day.
Kristin251
Expert
I agree for non insulin users. When I wasn't using insulin fasting until after 1 worked well for me. I would most often have a salad with tuna or salmon around 2 pm and then another one at dinner. Maybe a few nuts in between.
After reading the Rosedale diet I learned two big key elements to lower my bs. Keep protein meals at least 4 hours apart to allow bs AND insulin as well as leptin to come back to baseline and second was to keep protein MODERATE. His recommendation is 1g per kg LEAN body mass minus 10% ( same as .8 g per kg) and to spread it out throughout the day.
I did graze back then and snacked on protein. Keeping my protein moderate and spacing it at least 4 hours apart helped.
I believe large meals would most likely spike more than splitting that large meal into 2 meals. You'd still have a 20 hour fast. So you could make your large meal and just eat half. Then of course the other half later
Eating one at 2 pm and the other half at 6 pm would be my choice.
Resurgam
Master
I was eating my first meal, of two, quite late in the day, but found that I reverted to feeling wobbly in mid afternoon, so tried various options, and - though I can't think why, I found that eating earlier was a better option.
It could be to do with when I was going out - after rather than before eating, but it was simply a matter of trial and error, and a few nose dives onto the bed on the days when I was not getting it right.
It could be to do with when I was going out - after rather than before eating, but it was simply a matter of trial and error, and a few nose dives onto the bed on the days when I was not getting it right.
