First of all, see how regular your eating pattern is by looking at your food diary. If you feel there is room for improvement read on. It’s always good to know why something is helpful if you are going to try it out.

Why have a regular eating pattern?

If you often eat for comfort, follow strict diets, eat big portions or skip meals you override the action of chemical messengers that signal and regulate your natural feelings of hunger, and fullness. This makes it difficult for your body to recognise how much food it needs, and when, and increases your risk of bingeing or eating all evening after a day without food. A regular meal pattern lets you become more in control of your eating as it helps to:

• control appetite and reduce likelihood of overeating
• regulate your metabolism
• keep your blood insulin and sugar levels on an even keel
• think less about food between meals
• let your body learn when it’s time for your next meal
• find it easier to recognise when you have had enough to eat at a meal, and stop eating.
• ensure you have the right foods to hand at the right time e.g. fruit for a snack in your bag or office desk draw.

How to eat more regularly

• Aim not to leave more than 3 to 4 hours between planned meals or snacks.
• Plan what time you will have meals and snacks - say around 8am for breakfast, 10.30am, for a snack, 1pm for lunch, 4pm snack, 7.30pm for your evening meal.
• Keep up your food diary – it also helps you check back on your progress.
• If you really struggle with breakfast, have a drink then a planned snack mid-morning and try to move it to earlier in the morning.
• Make sure you have at least sugar free 6-8 drinks over the day – water is ideal – as it’s easy to confuse thirst with hunger.

Don’t feel you have to get it right from the start. It takes time and practice – and pre-planning to have healthy foods to hand – to get it established. Just get back on track as soon as you can.