Eating smaller meals more often/ big meals 3x a day

lcyfrn

I am wondering what everybody's opinion is on small meals regularly vs big meals 3 times a day is?

Have you tried both? And which works best for you (hunger/ weight loss wise) ?

Thanks in advance xx

GiveMeCoffee

I've tried both and eating smaller meals does not work for me, I'm never satisfied that way. I prefer eating 1-2 bigger meals a day and my nighttime dessert. Works best for my lifestyle and its something I can do for the rest of my life.

Times you eat and frequency is a personal thing, it won't impact your weight loss. And unless you have a medical condition that you need to eat more frequently then it's entirely up to what works for you

stt43

Neither should make a difference when it comes to weight loss. When it comes to hunger it's personal preference. I eat something like a bowl of cereal for breakfast, an omelette for lunch, and a very large meal for dinner, with snacks in between, and I am never hungry.

lcyfrn

I think that I'm just so used to eating rubbish all the time, through boredom, that my mind tells me that I'm constantly hungry. Will try to see if I can get it down to 3 main meals with snacks if need be and see how I get on.

stt43

In that case something like intermittent fasting may be useful for you.
You allow yourself just an eight hour window in the day in which you are allowed to eat (10am-6pm for example).
You shouldn't get hungry within this time as you will be eating, and you shouldn't be hungry afterwards as you will have already spent most of the day eating, and then you will be going to bed.
Limiting the amount of time you have available to eat should stop you snacking constantly as it won't fit your eating window.

FatSkillet66

I've read and believe (it seems to work for me) that eating several smaller meals through the day helps metabolism because the body will burn more of what you eat because it knows more food (energy) is coming. When you eat one or two (or three) big meals, your body fears it will not receive more food (energy) for a long time and will store fat (energy). I'm also a big believer in consuming lots of fiber and water. Good Luck

livingleanlivingclean

I've read and believe (it seems to work for me) that eating several smaller meals through the day helps metabolism because the body will burn more of what you eat because it knows more food (energy) is coming. When you eat one or two (or three) big meals, your body fears it will not receive more food (energy) for a long time and will store fat (energy). I'm also a big believer in consuming lots of fiber and water. Good Luck

no. it will make no difference. you can eat how you like though, everyone needs to do what works for them

tigersword

I've read and believe (it seems to work for me) that eating several smaller meals through the day helps metabolism because the body will burn more of what you eat because it knows more food (energy) is coming. When you eat one or two (or three) big meals, your body fears it will not receive more food (energy) for a long time and will store fat (energy). I'm also a big believer in consuming lots of fiber and water. Good Luck

This is a myth. Total calories matter, how many meals you eat doesn't.

jimmmer

You can choose whatever eating style allows you to adhere to your calorie deficit/macros.

What works in terms of sustaining a calorie deficit will vary from person-to-person. But it's the calorie deficit that's the part that's going to lose the weight for you and that doesn't vary.

coppertop_4

It's all about finding what works for you.

When I was struggling and tried the small meals, I had it down to a science.... and it seemed to work.
I ate about 200 calories every two hours. The weight fell off. But I think it was more about the dicipline.
I was on a freaking schedule that revolved around my food and eating and it kinda made me crazy. yes, the weight fell off for me and I thought it was great at the time! Looking back..... not so fond of it. It did help me find great snacks though!

The plus side was: I was always eating, and since I'm a snacker it was nice for the time being. I hung in there for almost 2 months and lost about 25lbs. I can't bring myself to do it again.... I was cranky and it took a lot of time to prep my little 200 calorie meals.

Play around, find what works for you.

Amandainyaface

I can tell you it's a lie that it's better for your metabolism to eat smaller meals often. The only thing your metabolism cares about is you getting the amount of calories you need during the day.

I've tried both, and found that what I enjoy most is 3 bigger meals, and small snacks if I get hungry. On average, I probably have a breakfast of 500 cals, lunch of 500 cals, dinner of 700 cals. If I'm hungry in between I usually snack on fruits or veggies.

MeanderingMammal

Have you tried both? And which works best for you (hunger/ weight loss wise) ?

There is no physiological difference in principle, although both approaches have benefits and disbenefits, subject to your lifestyle.

Personally its a question of smoothing my energy as I do notice the effect.

On working days I leave the house at 0530, get home again at about 2030. I'll eat before I leave and when I get home but in between I generally eat three or four times, although that may only be a couple of pieces of fruit.

Home working days I start work about 0700, eat about 0900, 1300 and snack at 1600, then train at about 1800 with dinner about 2100.

Weekends tend to be similar although only eating three times.

On working days I'd struggle to function without eating more frequently.

twixlepennie

I am wondering what everybody's opinion is on small meals regularly vs big meals 3 times a day is?

Have you tried both? And which works best for you (hunger/ weight loss wise) ?

Thanks in advance xx

I'm in maintenance-
I've tried both and really enjoyed 2 large meals a day, following the 8/16IF way of eating. However, I wasn't able to eat all of my maintenance calories in two meals and continued to lose weight, so I'm now trying the 6 meal format. Don't particularly like it, but my weight has stabilized so for now I'm sticking with it.

For weight loss I did alternate day IF and it has a pretty unusual eating schedule, but it worked for me

nicenhealthy

big meals all the way, man.

ClementineGeorg

I actually use both and I guess it is an issue of how can I manage my day.

For example, during work-week for me eating 3 meals + 2 snacks is easier, because it isn't confortable having 3 small meals at work. Also, I get to lunch with my co-workers and this is a great way to get in touch and I have notices this is better carrier-wise than eating solo.
I get a little hungry and sometimes snaks don't help me, but I am at work so I can get my mind occupied with something else easily.

When I have more time to myself, mostly during week-ends I prefer having smaller meals, 5-6 a day. It keeps me very satisfied and more energetic, but without proper meal planning it can be hard.
And by small meals I mean around 300 calories meals. Which sometimes can be lots of food (for example if you eat a salad without high calorie dressings or mostly vegetarian dishes).

amcsouth

I prefer eating 5 - 6 meals a day just because I enjoy eating and it makes me feel like I'm eating more food than if I only had three meals a day That being said my three main meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) are usually a lot bigger than my 2 snacks in between them.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

It doesn't make a real difference in weight loss so do whatever works better for you. I personally like to eat often.

DavPul

Do whichever methods you prefer. It won't make a calorie burning difference. Smaller meals keep me from going hog wild after getting really hungry later in the day but they can be a pain in the *kitten* to prepare.

eric_sg61

When you eat one or two (or three) big meals, your body fears it will not receive more food (energy) for a long time and will store fat (energy).

Your body does this over a period of days without food, not hours.

lcyfrn

Thanks so much for all the responses, it sounds like it really is just what works for the individual as long as you are having the same amount of calories. So I will experiment with each and find out what works for me. Thanks again for all your help, you're all stars xx

geebusuk

Tried both, doesn't seem to make much difference for weight loss.
What does work for me is keeping my eating to an 8 hour 'window' - it helps me to eat less and I don't get that hungry in the morning.

hofi2010

I've read and believe (it seems to work for me) that eating several smaller meals through the day helps metabolism because the body will burn more of what you eat because it knows more food (energy) is coming. When you eat one or two (or three) big meals, your body fears it will not receive more food (energy) for a long time and will store fat (energy). I'm also a big believer in consuming lots of fiber and water. Good Luck

no. it will make no difference. you can eat how you like though, everyone needs to do what works for them

From a nutrition point of view it makes a big difference when and how much you eat, because your body can only absorb certain amount of nutrients per meal. For example your body can only absorb 20 g of proteins per meal/snack. So most people eat only 10-15g in the morning, about 25g in the evening and 50-60g for dinner time. Most people need about 80g of protein by day to be absorbed by the body. In the example above you eat 90-100g of protein, but only 45g will be absorbed. This way you have protein deficiency. The same or similar situation is true for other nutrients.

tigersword

I've read and believe (it seems to work for me) that eating several smaller meals through the day helps metabolism because the body will burn more of what you eat because it knows more food (energy) is coming. When you eat one or two (or three) big meals, your body fears it will not receive more food (energy) for a long time and will store fat (energy). I'm also a big believer in consuming lots of fiber and water. Good Luck

no. it will make no difference. you can eat how you like though, everyone needs to do what works for them

From a nutrition point of view it makes a big difference when and how much you eat, because your body can only absorb certain amount of nutrients per meal. For example your body can only absorb 20 g of proteins per meal/snack. So most people eat only 10-15g in the morning, about 25g in the evening and 50-60g for dinner time. Most people need about 80g of protein by day to be absorbed by the body. In the example above you eat 90-100g of protein, but only 45g will be absorbed. This way you have protein deficiency. The same or similar situation is true for other nutrients.

This is also a myth that has been disproven.

geebusuk

Indeed - I probably wouldn't be using this site if you could only absorb 20g of protein per meal - seriously, I'd just eat 1kg of lean meant every meal and be losing loads of weight .

GingerLolita

I eat six small meals because I'm always hungry. Since my body is used to small portions, my portion-control has naturally improved.

jennibear8504

I do both. It depends on whats going on that day... Days when I work 10-12 hrs, I make sure to get 2-3 big meals, I don't have time on those days for snacking. On my days off, when I'm around the house or just out and about, I snack all day and have small meals. It just depends really on whats going on that day...

Fitty_Cent

I've been doing two very low carb small meals followed by one big balanced meal with no snacks for about a week and am loving it. It's very easy to stick to this for me, but I think the carbs have a lot to do with it. When I eat lots of bread or sweets on their own I'm just hungry all the time. I started this diet because I was walking down the street and found a book on the sidewalk called The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet, so i figured why not try it? I'm doing that except not following their weird recipes, which have artificial sweeteners in it. So far I'm down two pounds in a week -- yay!

I agree with what everyone says though - it's a matter of personal preference. Why don't you try big meals for one week and mini meals the next and see which one is easier for you?