Metabolism: when to eat?

bw307910

Is there a difference between eating all of your calories for the day in 2-3 large meals as opposed to spreading out your calorie intake by eating small meals every 2-3 hours? How does this affect one's metabolism and/or weight loss?

Thanks

nomeejerome

Is there a difference between eating all of your calories for the day in 2-3 large meals as opposed to spreading out your calorie intake by eating small meals every 2-3 hours? How does this affect one's metabolism and/or weight loss?

Thanks

It doesn't matter when you eat. Meal timing should be what works for you, your schedule and your goals.

RunHardBeStrong

It doesn't affect metabolism. As for weight loss, if eating more often keeps you with in your goals without getting hungry, great. For me, eating more often makes me obsess about food and I feel hungrier. 2 meals and a snack work great, for me.

http://examine.com/faq/do-i-need-to-eat-six-times-a-day-to-keep-my-metabolism-high.html

diannethegeek

Meal timing won't affect weight loss. If you feel better eating 2 or 3 meals, great! If you feel better grazing throughout the day, go for it! Play around and see what's right for you.

Wetcoaster

This is from an interview with Alan Agaron

Q - Do you believe in Intermittent Fasting and other non-generic meal patterns? Do you have to eat a certain amount of times per day to eat and why? It seems Meal Frequency is thrown around as Layne Norton has a 4-5 meal approach with BCAA’s in between, and some individuals who follow Intermittent Fasting thrive off 2-3 meals. What do you believe is optimal?



A - The big question is, optimal for whom? Layne’s protocol’s theoretical basis is sound, at least on paper. It aims to strike a balance between avoiding the refractory nature of MPS under conditions of constantly elevated circulating amino acids, while still maximizing the number of nutrient-mediated anabolic ‘spikes’ through the day. This protocol might be appropriate for someone trying to pull the final strings to edge out the competition on a bodybuilding stage. However, I’m skeptical that this strategy would benefit those already consuming a high protein intake (which is already rich in BCAAs). For most non-competitors, I don’t see the realistic long-term sustainability of this routine.

As for the other end of the spectrum (2-3 meals per day), this is obviously more realistic for regular people. This works out well, since the importance of muscle retention during dieting varies according to the population. The more overfat & deconditioned someone is, the greater the proportional & net loss of fat vs. muscle is when dieting. Further along the progression, the leaner & more conditioned someone is, the more muscle they stand to lose as they continue to diet. So, can low meal frequency work for competitors? Yes, it can. Is it optimal? Well, that’s a question that so far doesn’t have a definitive, science-based answer, and it might never have one. For advanced athletes in a dieting situation, the objective is to retain as much muscle as possible while losing fat, since muscle loss at this point is a more urgent threat than it is for guys coming straight off the couch. Nitpicking for advanced athletes, I‘d speculate that anything below 3 meals (technically, 3 protein feedings) per day is not optimal, regardless of program phase

TheBitSlinger

I'm told it doesn't matter, but then I only eat when I'm hungry, which happens to be about 3 times a day.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

Meal timing and number of meals doesn't matter

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11319656

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1905998

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9155494

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15085170

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8399092

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8383639

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21123467

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19943985