How much does meal frequency REALLY matter?

StephanieMM2013

I've read lots of studies AND theories on the subject. Clean eaters often go for 5-6 meals a day, some heavy lifters do intermittent fasting, then there's intuitive eating, and of course the typical 3 meals a day with occaisonal snacks.

Maybe it's just because I frequeny read magazines such as oxygen and follow a lot of wbff competitors, but it does seen to me that the majority of people who've been successful with weight loss do the "eat every 2 hours" thing.

Personally I've tried both inconsistently, and I HATED doing 6 meals a day. I was in the kitchen constantly, and lets be real... Pre-prepped food is usually dry and bland ????

Thoughts? Experiences?

melaniecheeks

It's not essential. Personally, I find giving your digestive system a break every now and then is a good thing.

You say you've tried both - so which one works for YOU?

ninerbuff

I eat on average 2 meals a day with a couple of snacks............................for years.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

heybales

Only to your personal compliance.

Studies on average healthy obese and overweight show no differences.

Your calorie burn to process that food (TEF) is going to be the same 3 meals or 6 meals or 1 meal.

Now, if health issues, you can certainly make it worse, or if carb sensitivities you can make it worse.
Eat mainly carbs for a small meal or snack, blood sugar rockets up, insulin rockets up, blood sugar drops too low, you feel hungry than you really would be if not for that effect.
You eat more then or at next meal because you feel famished.

But that's still compliance issues, along with macro make-up.

Dewymorning

I pretty much have 3 meals a day.

Works for me.

I think it does matters that much, but a matter of working out what works for you.

But yeah, my typical (successful) day is:

8:00-8:30 am, drink smoothie and eat boiled egg
9:00am Get to work, make 1-2 cups of tea
12:00pm head to gym
1:00 pm eat lunch
2:00pm eat chocolate bar (25 grams)
2:00-5:00pm drink lots of water, chew gum
6:00-7:00pm dinner
10:00pm Kefir drink

I sometimes feel hungry just before it is time to eat, especially in the morning before I get to kitchen to make breakfast.

I sometimes have fruit for morning or afternoon tea, but usually I just try to have nothing.

Work morning teas are disastrous though.

MelodyandBarbells

Meals can get really small depending on your daily calorie allotment. Small meals just make me angry sometimes, so I need at least a couple substantial meals thrown in there. No, unfortunately 5-6 small meals or IF do not work for me

alisonlynn1976

I eat 2 or 3 meals a day, with the largest meal in the evening. As a person with a job and a social life, eating numerous times throughout the day would be impractical for me.

Different things work for different people in terms of controlling their hunger, but ultimately number of total calories is all that matters for weight loss.

mcspiffy88

as far as your metabolism goes it simply doesnt care if you get 2200 cals in one meal or in 6 different meals.

what matters is what is comfortable for you to make your diet sustainable. get it wrong and you will find yourself bingeing just because you spread your meals wrong.

msf74

I've tried pretty much the whole range over the years from 1-6 meals a day. They all work just fine (I did find eating more often - 6 meals a day - was marginally better for getting lean or maximum performance when that was a top priority for me.)

Now, I am completely flexible. It depends how I feel. I usually eat 3 times a day (I rarely snack any more) but will eat 1-6 times per day if I feel inclined.

So for me: it doesn't matter.

plumsparkle

I have found lately that eating 3 meals plus 2 snacks keeps my blood sugar stable so I don't have those ups and downs that make me crave chocolate and other naughties! I am also careful to have carbs fat and protein at every meal or snack. But a snack can be something like 2 celery sticks with a cream cheese triangle split between them and if i am feeling creative, raisins or a chopped date like ants on a log, so its not huge amounts of food. But after struggling to lose anything for weeks, increasing my calories and eating like this i have lost 4.5lbs in 2 weeks ????

twixlepennie

Personal preference. I've done the frequent meals, and I've done the 2 big meals. Now I just eat when I feel like it-in the end it doesn't matter, as long as you hitting your calorie target

ndj1979

meal timing and metabolism have zero impact…so the answer is they matter zero, zip, nada….

Athena53

I'm perpetually snacking- mostly fresh fruits and vegetables, so the calories don't pile up. That's the way I am most of the time and it works for me.

Mischievous_Rascal

In my experience...not a bit.

martyqueen52

Timing doesn't matter at all.

EAT WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY! If that's 15 times a day.... then eat 15 times a day. BUT, stay within your calorie range.

explosivedonut

None. That being said, I still do six meals/snacks a day. I find i get snacky even if I eat a large meal. So putting that right into my calorie allotment for the day helps mitigate the risk of that.

HermioneDanger118

Glad to hear it doesn't matter. I've been eating smaller meals during the day since I tend to have less self-control over dinner and eat more. Water weight has me up and down but the general trend seems to be going down.