As a rule, I take it with food, and on it once a day, I'd take it at breakfast, so you'd have the effect all day. Bear in mind that Met takes at least three weeks to start really working. I didn't see really good results until after 6 weeks. But everyone is different.
Met can indeed cause stomach problems, which is another reason to take it with food. These effects usually go away in about 2 weeks, though. Those are the only side effects I've had from the Met, as far as I know.
Keep eating right, keep exercising, take your meds and you will start to see results. It may take a couple of weeks, but it will happen.
