What would be considered a small meal

cookieinbk82

I want to try having 6 small meals instead of 3 big meals. What would be considered a small meal?

MKEgal

I want to try having 6 small meals instead of 3 big meals. What would be considered a small meal?

I'd say divide your calorie allowance into 6 instead of 3.

But if you're interested in losing weight & improving various health markers, it'd make more sense to have about half your calories for breakfast.
Here are studies which support that:

This study compared eating a small breakfast, medium lunch, and large dinner, [200, 500, 700 cal]
with eating a large breakfast, medium lunch, and small dinner [700, 500, 200 cal].
"The [large breakfast] group showed greater weight loss and waist circumference reduction ... fasting glucose, insulin [&] triglycerides ... decreased significantly to a greater extent in the [large breakfast] group."
In addition, hunger was less and satiety was greater.
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23512957
Full text:
http://genetics.doctorsonly.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Jakubowicz-at-al-Obesity-2013-oby20460.pdf

"subjects assigned to high caloric intake during breakfast lost significantly more weight than those assigned to high caloric intake during the dinner"
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24467926
Full text: http://www.tradewindsports.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Nutrient-Timing-and-Obesity-2014.pdf

"data suggest that a low-calorie Mediterranean diet with a higher amount of calories in the first part of the day could establish a greater reduction in fat mass and improved insulin sensitivity than a typical daily diet."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24809437

ana3067

I 2nd just dividing your caloric total into 6. I divide mine (2000 min, 2100 max) into 4 meals. I would not enjoy eating 6x a day, w hich I used to do. I much prefer lots of food at once to help me understand when I'm actually full/hungry.

smarieallen85

I don't know. I ate egg whites and tomato, mushroom, salsa, onions and garlic today. It was a hundred calories. I ate blueberries and cottage cheese, that was 157, cantaloupe and an iced coffee for 75. Those are my small things I eat throughout the day. Though the egg whites were actually my lunch.