RNY Vets: 3 meals a day or 3 plus 2 snacks? Which is better?

My doc has us doing 2 of every meal.  Each meal to be small, protein forward, and around 100 cals (give or take).  But I usually combine dinners into 1 because it works for me.  an example:

1st breakfast: protein shake

2nd breakfast: coffee with fairlife milk

1st lunch: 2 laughing cow cheese wedges

2nd lunch: deli meat with cheese stick

dinner: 3oz pork chop with green beans

I don't follow it every day, but I make a habit of trying to space things out so I don't get hungry and make bad decisions.

You should eat frequently enough to keep yourself satisfied and within your daily calorie goals.  Beyond that it doesn't matter.

My surgeon said I could eat up to 6 times a day. He didn't say I had to. In the beginning I probably did because I was only eating 2-3 bites at a time. Now I have protein drink in AM and usually 3 meal/snacks, it varies on the day though....

I eat something small every 3 hours.  I even have something small to eat in the middle of the night (I eat a protein forward diet).  I find that I don't feel well if I don't eat every 3 hours or so.  

Ditto what Grim said.

My surgeon had 3 meals and 2 protein snacks, but I actually eat 6-7 times a day (I have a small something right before bed) because I have mild hypoglycemia and that keeps me from waking up shaky. Eating smaller, more frequent meals will keep your blood sugar more stable throughout the day and will help keep your metabolism up a bit as well (since it increases a bit after each meal).

As Grim said, in the end, it is the day's total that matters, so as long as you don't consume more calories if you eat more frequently, it doesn't really matter how many times a day you eat.

Lora