6 meals a day to lose weight

terrichristensen1

Hi,

Does anyone have suggestions on a 6 meals day diet plan that has plenty of protein in it? I'm 62 years and have been following Joan MacDonald (the 74 year old grandmother who is now a fitness influencer) on Instagram. She said we need to get more protein in our diets to lose weight. I would to hear your ideas. Thanks! Terri

Ddsb11

Hi Terri! Can you give us more info?
Why exactly do you want 6 meals a day?
What is your height, weight, gender?
What is your goal weight?

ETA: For protein: If you know your LBM, then 1g per lb, but otherwise 0.8g per lb of goal (for you, current) weight is a good estimate. That should be your minimum, fine to go higher.

When and how often you eat does not matter when it comes to weight loss. Only eating in a calorie deficit is required to lose weight.

There are no good and bad foods, just eat flexibly in your calorie goal.

Exercise is important for health and adds to your calorie availability.

SuzySunshine99

To lose weight, you only need to consume less calories than you burn.

How you achieve that is up to you. You could eat 6 meals a day...you could eat 1 meal a day...as long as you are in a calorie deficit you will lose weight.

It's important for your health to get adequate protein, but it's not a factor in weight loss.

quiksylver296

If my breakfast isn’t high protein, I never meet my daily goal. So, I mix plain Greek yogurt with protein powder and then add frozen berries (and allow them to thaw.

I mix up the flavors of protein powder and the type of berry to keep it interesting. My current favorite is Trutein Lemon Meringue protein powder and raspberries.

I need to add: I would hate six meals a day. I prefer a big dinner. So, I push “breakfast” back as late as possible, til it’s basically lunch, have an afternoon snack, then a big dinner. But, everyone is different and if six small meals a day works for you, go for it! :flowerforyou:

kshama2001

I'm seeing Joan eats 5 small meals per day. There are example of three of them in the link below. So if you want to follow Joan you just need some snacks with protein.

Fat-free cottage cheese is a good source of protein and is very versatile. I have it with fruit, or with nuts, or with bread and smoked salmon, or with bread, mustard, and chicken breast, etc.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-7583389/Ripped-gran-sheds-25kg-learning-use-iPhone-plan-diet-workouts.html

riffraff2112

I've had success with 6 meals a day. At the time it suited my life better to feed often, it seemed to lessen my appetite and i enjoyed being able to eat often (albeit smaller 'meals').
Lately I favor less meals (usually just one or two)- it is just easier to plan and I find I don't get the afternoon fatigue that I used to get after lunch.
As far as protein goes, I find it a bit of a waste to overthink it. Monitor your macros and if the %'s are not completely out of whack, there are more important things to spend your time on. I work out with weights a lot so I try to get some protein at every meal, but generally it is because I enjoy meats, nuts, protein bars and some dairy that have a decent protein punch.

ndj1979

terrichristensen1 wrote: »

Hi,

Does anyone have suggestions on a 6 meals day diet plan that has plenty of protein in it? I'm 62 years and have been following Joan MacDonald (the 74 year old grandmother who is now a fitness influencer) on Instagram. She said we need to get more protein in our diets to lose weight. I would to hear your ideas. Thanks! Terri

You just need to consume less calories to lose weight. If eating six meals a day helps you do that then go for it...

lemurcat2

I'd go nuts trying to eat 6 meals a day, as I find a bunch of small meals or snacks less sating than a smaller number of larger meals. That said, the key to protein is often just trying to find a way to include it in all meals. I'd look at your meals and either increase protein (serving size of protein source, often) in those that have protein or adding protein and cutting fat or carbs (if cals are already on point) in those that don't.

AnnPT77

While I'm also not a 6-meals kind of a gal, meal timing is purely a matter of personal preference, so if it suits you, go for it. (Some trainers claim things like it "revs your metabolism" . . . not much sound science to suggest that's true, nice as it sounds.)

There is some evidence IMU that spreading protein through the day - vs. getting it all at dinner, say - leads to better utilization among those of us who are aging (I'm 65, so a bit older than you). Personally, I shoot for 100g protein daily at 5'5", 125 pounds. I'd say I always hit that (unless sick and unable to eat or something), and usually exceed it. I can't see how it would be possible for me to do that, without getting a good bit of it in each meal. (I usually eat 2-3 meals, it varies, and sometimes snacks.)

Strictly speaking, the other folks are right IMO: The actual weight loss is about calories, and the protein level isn't terribly important simply for losing pounds . . . if one doesn't care too much whether they're fat pounds or lean pounds. Obviously, though, protein is important for well-rounded nutrition for anyone, and as women our age, maintaining (or increasing!) muscle mass is a key factor in continuing health and independence. That's where adequate protein comes in as a matter of importance. I suspect some of the young'uns can lose weight with a bit less worry about losing lean mass, but we're already in a demographic where muscle loss is an important risk at steady weight, let alone while losing.

Back to the protein: I'm not sure this is helpful, but I'm a big fan of a "gradually remodel your diet" approach to nutrition. To me, it seems more sustainable to take a bit of time - it doesn't take prohibitively long - to figure out how to mix'n'match foods I enjoy eating, and find practical to prepare, in order to hit nutritional goals.

What I mean: Since you're here, I'm assuming you're logging your food. Every few days, you'd take a look at your recent days. Look for foods that "cost" relatively many calories, but aren't bringing commensurate value in nutrition, satiation, tastiness, or other things important to you. Those foods are candidates to reduce (portions or frequency) or eliminate. That frees up calories you can "spend" on other foods you enjoy that make a better contribution to your nutritional goals. Repeat that process for a while, and you'll zero in on your nutritional goals. It's pretty easy.

For protein specifically, I found this thread really helpful:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

It links to a spreadsheet that lists many, many foods in order by protein efficiency: Most protein for fewest calories. Find foods you like on that list, and include them in your eating.

If you like that general "remodel your eating" approach, there's a thread here that talks about it as an overall eating plan:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

That general approach is what I did to lose 50+ pounds, obese to healthy weight, back in 2015 (at age 59-60), and to maintain a healthy weight since.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you prefer highly structured, detailed, prescribed meal plans, you might enjoy this web site:

https://www.eatthismuch.com/

You give it your calorie level, number of meals daily (6 meals is an option!), and an eating style you want to follow, and it will give you a suggested daily menu, with recipes. Basic functions are available for free, but there are also premium features. (I believe macronutrient tailoring is available, e.g., ability to ask for a certain protein level, but I'm not sure whether that's free with an account, or premium. I'm a rules-averse aging hippie type, so I wouldn't consider such a structured plan. I prefer to wing it for meal planning, very spur of the moment. The site has a good reputation, however, and I've looked at some of its daily menus and they look pretty good.)

Best wishes!

elisa123gal

I eat six meals a day 2.5 to 3 hours apart.. and it is the single thing that has led to my weight loss. They all have protein... vegetables.. complex carb..fruit twice a day. It just works for me.. big time.

dragon_girl26

Not a 6 meals a day gal (wayyy too easy for me to overeat if I gave myself that many opportunities), but I'm thinking if you're trying to lose weight eating six meals a day, your meals would be more like snacks. Therefore, protein sources for breakfast might come from things like a plate of scrambled eggs/egg whites...maybe like an egg white veggie omelet.

Lowfat cottage cheese with seeds/nuts, or Greek yogurt with nuts/fruit/honey..

Lunch could be a veggie soup with tofu, or maybe beans or lentils...or if you eat meat, maybe a soup or small salad with chicken or beef.

Deli meat with cucumber or pickle slices rolled up,, maybe some light spreadable cheese like Laughing Cow or a string cheese..

A piece of fruit or vegetables are always good filler snacks/small meals. A protein bar is nice too, if you find a brand you like.

Dinner could be a protein with a small portion of rice and steamed veggies.

Lots of ideas and ways to fit in protein.

csplatt

I don’t prefer multiple small meals because I am never full. I would rather eat more at each sitting so I am not constantly thinking about the next snack.

FitAgainBy55

There is no real weight loss advantage to any particular meal frequency, assuming total calories per day are the same. I have lost and maintained a healthy body weight with 5 meals a day, 3 meals a day and even 2 meals a day. You can train your body to adapt to any schedule but it will take 2 to 3 weeks to adjust to the change.

I personally prefer 3 meals a day with smaller meals for breakfast and lunch and a bigger meal for dinner. The reason for this is flexibility when eating with my family. I can essentially eat the same meals as everyone else for dinner while still losing weight. I can go out to eat for dinner without being picky about what I choose on the menu. My wife and I use one of the meal services and the calories on those meals are 600 - 700 calories per meal. If I were to add 2 snacks per day I would not be able to eat a full meal at dinner which just makes it a hassle to try to measure things out. As it stands, I only have to log whatever calories is on that meal and eat my full portion.

I have a similar opinion on post workout shakes for the same reason. I prefer to eat a high protein breakfast instead of supplementing post workout. I'm able to lose fat and gain lean mass with this approach, WITHOUT supplementing.

springlering62

I usually reserve 1/3 to 1/2 my calories for snacks and dessert(s).

I would find it to hard to have six “meals” a day because that implies mean planning the extra meals, cooking, cleaning up.

Two of my snacks are generally 2-300 calories apiece and will include either greek yogurt or cottage cheese, for the protein. And the taste, since I love both nowadays.

The rest are small nibbler snacks to move me through my day.

HerNameIsMischief

I remember the six meals a day was what Body for Life suggested. I figured a large part of it was to sell their shakes and bars since most people can't make six meals each day. I've heard, like Suzy said above, that it doesn't matter if you have one meal or six if your calorie count is right. I prefer to have one or two meals a day. I'm not a big breakfast person.