5 Small meals a day really effective?

bekah818

I started this new thing called 'meal prep'..which isn't really new, I've seed it done and heard of it before. However it's new for me because I just started it for the first time. I cooked for the entire week and plan to eat every 2.5 - 3 hours.. Has any of you tried this and if so has it worked for you in terms of weight loss? Feel free to take a look at my diary to see what I'm eating (I made it public). But just so you know my 5 meals all consist of wholefoods in small portions with the exception of a Protein Shake as my first meal.

As for my activity level, I work out 4-5 days a week doing both strength training and cardio.

deannalfisher

meal timing and frequency has little to do with weight loss - some people find 3 times a day works for them, others 5...personally I graze during the day (my MFP is set up in time blocks rather than meals)

bekah818

I started this new thing called 'meal prep'..which isn't really new, I've seed it done and heard of it before. However it's new for me because I just started it for the first time. I cooked for the entire week and plan to eat every 2.5 - 3 hours.. Has any of you tried this and if so has it worked for you? Feel free to take a look at my diary to see what I'm eating (I made it public). But just so you know my 5 meals all consist of wholefoods in small portions with the exception of a Protein Shake as my first meal.

As for my activity level, I work out 4-5 days a week doing both strength training and cardio.

TeaBea

Meal timing is simply a matter of preference. If eating this way helps you maintain a deficit and helps you be consistent......then yes it "works." But if 2 meals or 10 meals helps you do the same thing.....then that "works" too.

Weight loss is about calories, not about timing.

tinkerbellang83

I prep my meals in advance to a degree but I don't eat smaller meals across the day. What is important for weight loss is that you calories in are lower than your calories out, the method that you use to do this doesn't matter as long as you have a calorie deficit. However, it's about sustainability, is this something you can see yourself doing long term?

annacole94

It can work. It can not work. It's about how many calories you eat in a day, and how you feel when you eat that way. Some people like to eat frequently. Some people would rather eat large meals but only twice a day. It's all good, if you eat well and the right amount overall.

qpmomma1

I've tried eating frequent small meals a day. For me eating lunch, dinner and a snack in between works. If I eat breakfast I can get queasy.

TeaBea

Here's my answer from your other post..........

Meal timing is simply a matter of preference. If eating this way helps you maintain a deficit and helps you be consistent......then yes it "works." But if 2 meals or 10 meals helps you do the same thing.....then that "works" too.

Weight loss is about calories, not about timing.

livingleanlivingclean

Worked for what? I find eating that often a PITA, and just leaves me feeling dissatisfied and hungry from such small meals.

I meal prep, but for fewer, bigger meals. Quicker and easier. I also enjoy my food more as I sit down properly to enjoy it at a convenient time, not just shovel it in because it's been 3 hours since I previously ate.

vnb_208

I "lunch prep" I usually alternate for breakfast cereal, oatmeal, eggs or a shake and dinner is whatever fits in macros or I feel like eating. I eat 6 xs a day
Breakfast between 7-10 am
Snack 1. between 11-12 pm
Lunch between 12-2 pm
Snack 2. between 3-5 pm
Dinner between 7-9 pm
Dessert 9-10
This seems to work for me whatever works for you as long as your eating withing your macros!

Tacklewasher

Give it a try. It comes down to personal preference, so if it fits your lifestyle, then great. I'd make room for a treat or two.

One thing looking at your diary, do you have a food scale? I see cups and tbsp. Food scale will be more accurate.

annaskiski

I tried this and it just made me starving all day and grumpy. I like to eat a big meal, and 'grazing' all day was like eating appetizers all day, but never getting the entree.

I now do IF, and this suits me much better.

Find what works for you....

HealthierRayne

I agree with the others - it's really just about what works for you and keeps you on track with your goals. If that is 5 meals, 3 or even just 1, as long as what you're doing is working for you there really isn't much of a benefit to forcing yourself into a trendy schedule.

Some will argue the whole "keep the furnace fueled" theory, while others will argue " but intermittent fasting!".

Meal prepping in general I find a huge asset to staying on track, when you're hungry you have your healthy goal oriented meals ready to go. You're planning for success, I think that is awesome

bekah818

annaskiski wrote: »

I tried this and it just made me starving all day and grumpy. I like to eat a big meal, and 'grazing' all day was like eating appetizers all day, but never getting the entree.

I now do IF, and this suits me much better.

Find what works for you....

Intermittent Fasting? Hmm Interesting. I will try this for now and if it doesn't suit me, I'll look into IF. Thank you!

earlnabby

bekah818 wrote: »

I started this new thing called 'meal prep'..which isn't really new, I've seed it done and heard of it before. However it's new for me because I just started it for the first time. I cooked for the entire week and plan to eat every 2.5 - 3 hours.. Has any of you tried this and if so has it worked for you in terms of weight loss? Feel free to take a look at my diary to see what I'm eating (I made it public). But just so you know my 5 meals all consist of wholefoods in small portions with the exception of a Protein Shake as my first meal.

As for my activity level, I work out 4-5 days a week doing both strength training and cardio.

Do whatever works for you. Some are less hungry with more frequent meals, others are less hungry with fewer but larger meals.

Personally, I eat anywhere from 4-6 times a day.

ETA: It helps to pre-log your day so you know what you calorie and macro counts will be. If you find you are really hungry mid afternoon, just borrow from dinner or your evening snack. If you find you are not hungry, add the meal you skip to a different one.

Silentpadna

Whatever works for you and your budget. I shoot for 5, usually get 4, while my 3 majors are slightly less than what used to be regular meals and my snacks are more. It works for me.

stanmann571

HealthierRayne wrote: »

I agree with the others - it's really just about what works for you and keeps you on track with your goals. If that is 5 meals, 3 or even just 1, as long as what you're doing is working for you there really isn't much of a benefit to forcing yourself into a trendy schedule.

Some will argue the whole "keep the furnace fueled" theory, while others will argue " but intermittent fasting!".

Meal prepping in general I find a huge asset to staying on track, when you're hungry you have your healthy goal oriented meals ready to go. You're planning for success, I think that is awesome

It comes down to each person's psychophysiology, and what brings him or her optimum satiation such that sufficient, but not excessive calories are consumed...

Ignoring for a moment the benefits of periodic fasting(24-48 hours) for mental, emotional, and physical health. Find what works for you... 3 meals, 4, 5,...10. 1, 1.5, 2.. every 3 hours... or 2 ... or 18.. It's an individual preference that comes solely from how you reach satiety.

toxikon

It's individual - what works for me might not work for you!

I am most successful following intermittent fasting. I don't eat breakfast and I eat lunch around 12-1pm and dinner around 6pm. Those are my only 2 meals of the day - sometimes I will throw in a small snack before bed but that's it.

I like it because I'm able to have a large dinner. I used to NEED breakfast, but I slowly switched over to IF and now my morning hunger is almost non-existent. I start getting hungry around 11am.

need2belean

bekah818 wrote: »

I started this new thing called 'meal prep'..which isn't really new, I've seed it done and heard of it before. However it's new for me because I just started it for the first time. I cooked for the entire week and plan to eat every 2.5 - 3 hours.. Has any of you tried this and if so has it worked for you in terms of weight loss? Feel free to take a look at my diary to see what I'm eating (I made it public). But just so you know my 5 meals all consist of wholefoods in small portions with the exception of a Protein Shake as my first meal.

As for my activity level, I work out 4-5 days a week doing both strength training and cardio.

This is exactly what I do every day except I typically have 6 meals with one being a post-workout protein shake. I've lost 20lbs and I think the eating every few hours has truly helped me. BUT, on that note, everyone is different. Try it out for a month and see how you do. It may or may not work for you but you won't know unless you try.

ksz1104

I eat three meals and snacks in between, but I am diabetic so I am more concerned about keeping my blood sugar stable.

bekah818

All of your comments were very helpful! Thank you!

Lizzy622

I had tried 5 meals but it did not work for me. I never felt full or satisfied. I now do 3 meals and sometimes a snack. Do what works for you. You need to be able to incorporate it into your lifestyle and work and home schedule.

Sunna_W

I also do meal prep on the weekend but only for my lunches that I take to work.

I am on Paleo / Keto and I use recipe ideas to plan my weekly menu / shopping list. If it's not on the list I don't usually buy it.

My weekly dinner menu goes on the fridge. The hubster tends to eat any leftovers for his lunches.

My weekday lunches usually consist of:

• a blended meal similar to tabbouleh without the wheat grain carb
• a lightly sauteed mushroom (8 oz) and greens

I weigh / record all of the ingredients divide by 5 and that's one of my lunch items. I include lots of added fiber (rice bran and psyllium husk) to add fullness / satiety. This is done on Sunday while I am preparing my "Sunday" dinner.

The night before each weekday I make up

• 160 g of Full Fat Greek Yogurt with 1 TBSP unsweetened coconut (snack or part of lunch)
• 12 oz coconut milk breakfast smoothie with unflavored protein (egg, hemp or whey), vitamin b, l-glutamine, Moringa powder, ground flax or chia, Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP), rice bran powder and psyllium husk

When I get home I have a spoon of peanut butter to hold me over until dinner.

I tend to take all morning to drink my protein shake / 2nd cup of coffee and also take a while to eat my lunch (at my desk).

I don't know if this adds any insight tor not.

ejsilvi

Yes 4 to 5 more like 4 Meals then a protein shake 1 to 2 times a day works for me to stay lean or bulk up it's what u eat n how much also for me keeps my blood sugar in check

lemurcat12

Meal prepping is one thing, meal timing is another.

I think meal prepping is great.

Meal timing, like others have said, is just about finding what works for you. I'm boring, 3 meals a day works for me. I really dislike grazing or eating lots of small meals and feel dissatisfied and end up wanting to eat more, and plus I feel like I'm thinking about food all the time. But it works great for other people! Similarly, I really enjoy both my morning breakfast and my dinner, so wouldn't like a short eating window, but others do, and find it very helpful.

maurihart

I tend to meal prep but only eat 3 meals and one small snack a day - breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner. I concentrate on keeping breakfast and lunch at a specific calorie amount and my snack and dinner calories vary based on my exercise that day.

CTRLplusZ

I meal prep because I don't have enough time to do it any other way. I've been cooking a week's worth of food every Sunday for years.

I am the opposite of many of the previous posters. I find the need to eat every 2-3 hours but not necessarily meals. I eat a normal sized breakfast (eggs and meat, a bagel or a smoothie) and supper (meat, veg, starch) as well as a couple of snacks through the day like mixed nuts or granola bars. I also have a bowl of oatmeal made with whole milk either between breakfast and supper or before bed depending on what time I am eating supper that day. So generally eating at 10, 1, 4, 7 and 9. (Ish)

AnvilHead

Meal timing (assuming equal calories overall) is irrelevant to weight loss.

However, as shown by the posts in this thread, it can definitely be relevant to satiety/adherence. Some people are more satisfied by multiple small meals, others prefer fewer, larger meals. Do whatever works for you and helps you stick to your calorie goal. It can also be relevant to workout performance - some like working out fasted while others feel more energetic with some kind of small meal before a workout.

Personally, "grazing" (multiple small meals) doesn't work for me. I find that I'm constantly unsatisfied and hungry, and more likely to overeat just to quell the nagging hunger. I've found that the best eating pattern for me is more or less** a 16/8 IF (intermittent fasting). I have a cup of coffee when I get up in the morning, then don't eat until around lunch time. I'm not usually very hungry in the mornings, so it doesn't bother me to skip an early meal - and a decent lunch will easily hold me until dinner time, where I have plenty of calories for a big, satisfying dinner and usually some room left for a snack a little later in the evening.

** I say "more or less" about the 16/8 IF because I don't treat it like a religion, it's just my general guideline. If my eating window becomes 6 hours or 12 hours on a particular day because of whatever circumstances, it's not a big deal to me. I don't ascribe any magical properties to 16/8, it's just the overall framework which generally works best for me.