3 meals or 6 meals a day is better?

bambinii
bambinii Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
so i have lost weight already but for quite some time i've just been at this same weight for about a few months and i've still been eating the right amount of calories but i'm not losing. i always eat like 6-7 snacks a day. the snacks are like my meals. i dont have proper meals.. i just have snacks throughout tjhe whole day and i would like to know if that's better for weight loss or not?? cause i read somewhere that eating too mcuh during the day will send my insulin levels sky hgih which is not good at all.. and does eating fruits at night decrease my fat loss though it's in my calorie intake?? :smile: need some advice :-(

Replies

  • ravenmiss
    ravenmiss Posts: 384 Member
    There is one single thing that affects your weight loss and that's calories in/calories out. Create a deficit and you lose weight. Doesn't matter what you eat, how you eat or when you eat in the long run. Of course the aim is often to be healthy as well but there's no "better for weight loss" than a deficit.

    This is all assuming you don't have any underlying health issues as well.
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
    DOES NOT MATTER if its ONE, TWO, THREE or SIX.

    Goes by the amount of calories.
    Personally I like less meals which would be bigger. For me 6 would suck....would seem just like 6 snacks and no meals!
  • LumberJacck
    LumberJacck Posts: 559 Member
    The advantage of say 6 meals instead of 3 is that you'll probably experience less periods of hunger.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Meal timing won't affect your weight loss. It may affect your energy levels, mood, hunger, gym performance, etc. throughout the day. Schedule your meals as you see fit.

    If you're not losing weight you're going to have to look elsewhere for the culprit. You're logging everything? Including things like cheat days, condiments, cooking oils, veggies, etc? Are you using a food scale, measuring cups, or estimating portion sizes? Are you eating back any of your earned exercise calories and if so what method are you using to estimate your burn?
  • ravenmiss
    ravenmiss Posts: 384 Member
    The advantage of say 6 meals instead of 3 is that you'll probably experience less periods of hunger.

    If you eat a reasonable amount and focus on satiating foods higher in protein etc then there is never any need to be hungry in the first place.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    The advantage of say 6 meals instead of 3 is that you'll probably experience less periods of hunger.

    This is absolutely true for some people.

    Others find that it keeps them hungrier throughout the day.

    Again, personal preference.
  • AlyssamR6712
    AlyssamR6712 Posts: 114 Member
    well if your not eating meals, only snacks you probably aren't getting an adequit amount of macronutrients in.

    As far as eating 3 or 6 meals. It doesn't matter.... me ? i am a snacker so i prefer the 6-7 meals (3 actual meals and 3 "snack type" meals) but if you get enough macros in your 3 meals and you aren't a snacker then there is no need. All that matters is how much nutrients your body is getting.

    But remember everyone is different you have to find what works for you! Hope this Helps!

    - Alyssa
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
    The advantage of say 6 meals instead of 3 is that you'll probably experience less periods of hunger.
    Or more as you may not get enough to really make you feel full
  • gary241069
    gary241069 Posts: 255 Member
    The disadvantage of 6 meals per day is that you spend your whole day thinking about food and you forget the major priority of what you are trying to achieve, Which is to get Fit and Healthy.
  • sarafischbach9
    sarafischbach9 Posts: 466 Member
    It doesn't matter. As far as weight loss goes, what matters is that you consume less than you burn. If you are not losing weight, then you are probably not at a deficit. I say this because if it were water retention, then that fluctuates more and you'd see a gradual loss over time.

    If you are the type of person that has to eat every few hours, then eating 6 times a day is better. Especially if you have blood sugar issues or if you get crabby if you don't eat.

    There is also nothing wrong with 3 bigger meals in a day, or even 2 very large ones.

    They do say that eating 5-6 smaller meals can increase metabolic rate a little bit because your body is constantly burning something. Even if that is true, I don't think it makes that much of a difference.

    At the moment, I eat 5-ish times per day. I eat 2 larger(er) meals at lunch time and then at dinner time. I eat two snacks and then my breakfast is usually light, but still bigger than a snack.
  • sarafischbach9
    sarafischbach9 Posts: 466 Member
    The disadvantage of 6 meals per day is that you spend your whole day thinking about food and you forget the major priority of what you are trying to achieve, Which is to get Fit and Healthy.

    I do agree with you on that sentiment. I eat more frequently throughout the day because that is what my lifestyle demands, but sometimes I find myself thinking about food and stressing about meal timing.

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