3 square meals vs. mini meals??

lindseyb317

So I've noticed that it's hard for me to eat a "proper" sized meal in one sitting.. I've heard that it's okay/beneficial to eat 5 or 6 mini meals throughout the day.. has anyone else tried this and does it work?

wutamunkee

So I've noticed that it's hard for me to eat a "proper" sized meal in one sitting.. I've heard that it's okay/beneficial to eat 5 or 6 mini meals throughout the day.. has anyone else tried this and does it work?

I LOVE 5-6 meals... my lunch and dinner are a little bigger but not much... usually about 200 calories 3-4x a day and 300 2x

Rilke

This is generally what I do. When I eat only a few large meals per day, I don't function well. I prefer to spread my food out over the day.

The only problem with this style is how easy it is to lose track. Grazing must be done mindfully or you will take in way too much. It might not feel like a lot because it's not large amounts at once, but it adds up.

My diary is open if you would like to see how I eat. Ignore my recent addiction to trail mix . . . good example of *not* eating mindfully :P

daves160

That is what I do.

I believe that it keeps your body working so it won't go in to "starvation mode". If you are on a diet, that is a good thing.
I have heard this keep your metabolism going from many knowledgeable people as well

CoraGregoryCPA

This is generally what I do. When I eat only a few large meals per day, I don't function well. I prefer to spread my food out over the day.

The only problem with this style is how easy it is to lose track. Grazing must be done mindfully or you will take in way too much. It might not feel like a lot because it's not large amounts at once, but it adds up.

My diary is open if you would like to see how I eat. Ignore my recent addiction to trail mix . . . good example of *not* eating mindfully :P

I'm glad someone mentioned grazing! <-- often people forget about this then get out of control. I did that and trail mix was one of the foods that I got out of control with. THOSE calories add up so fast!!!! ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Rilke-I like your signature, I've never seen that before!

CoraGregoryCPA

I generally do 3 meals a day, but snack when I'm truly hungry. The non-meal foods are listed in the snack category in my diary.

prestonmay

I do 6 a day.... to lose fat 1 pd a week and gain muscle---every 2 weeks 1pd........................ON a GREAT 2 week cycle. Make every meal look like a rainbow if you can. The more color the better. alllot of protein, some carbs and a lil fat (witin 300 to 350 cal for me). 2 of my meals are shakes and protein bars.

engineman312

i'm trying to do it. even changed my meal names in my diary to times, so that i can focus more on eating every 4 hours or so.

Biancalee76

I have the MFP app on my phone and my ipod, so I add my food while I make my plate/snack. That way I never go over, and I account for everything I eat.

lindseyb317

i have heard that eating frequently keeps your metabolism up... with school in the morning and work in the evening with little time in between, its hard to find time to eat six meals that are clean and whole!

anunley1

I also eat 5 - 6 times a day. Typically breakfast (6 am), snack (9 am) and snack (3 pm) are around 200 cals and lunch (12 pm) and dinner (7 or 8 pm) are around 300. If I go running in the evening, I throw one more small 100 to 200 cal snack right before I go run. I've lost 43 lbs. doing this and am never really hungry. It keeps your metabolism going all day. Good luck!

Acg67

That is what I do.

I believe that it keeps your body working so it won't go in to "starvation mode". If you are on a diet, that is a good thing.
I have heard this keep your metabolism going from many knowledgeable people as well

yeah...

your body isn't going to go into starvation mode from not eating every few hrs, in fact research has shown a metabolic INCREASE in subjects who have been fasting and that lasts around 48hrs, it is beleived the increase in plasma norepinephrine is the cause of the metabolic increase

meal frequency is personal preference, it doesn't matter if you eat 6 times a day or 1 time a day

Amyding115

It really depends on the day for me. I take it day by day and whatever the day calls for, that's what I do. Today i just so happen to have done 3 larger meals. Yesterday I ate like 5 times. Do what works for you.

lindseyb317

good viewpoints and advice guys! thanks

joejccva71

i have heard that eating frequently keeps your metabolism up... with school in the morning and work in the evening with little time in between, its hard to find time to eat six meals that are clean and whole!

Meal timing is irrelevant and it does not "stoke the metabolic fire".

That is what I do.

I believe that it keeps your body working so it won't go in to "starvation mode". If you are on a diet, that is a good thing.
I have heard this keep your metabolism going from many knowledgeable people as well

Please do a little research to find out exactly what starvation mode really is and how it works.

caramkoala

It really depends on the day for me. I take it day by day and whatever the day calls for, that's what I do. Today i just so happen to have done 3 larger meals. Yesterday I ate like 5 times. Do what works for you.

This is what I do! I eat when I am hungry. I just keep the fridge and fruit bowl stocked with clean foods! I have a garden salad in the fridge (huge bowl) at all times. If I graze from that, costs me hardly anything in calories and keeps my hands and mouth busy (not on chocolate!)

engineman312

i have heard that eating frequently keeps your metabolism up... with school in the morning and work in the evening with little time in between, its hard to find time to eat six meals that are clean and whole!

Meal timing is irrelevant and it does not "stoke the metabolic fire".

That is what I do.

I believe that it keeps your body working so it won't go in to "starvation mode". If you are on a diet, that is a good thing.
I have heard this keep your metabolism going from many knowledgeable people as well

Please do a little research to find out exactly what starvation mode really is and how it works.

please elaborate on starvation mode, if you wouldn't mind giving your point of view.

calderst

I get cranky if I have to go more than 2-3 hours without food.

Acg67

i have heard that eating frequently keeps your metabolism up... with school in the morning and work in the evening with little time in between, its hard to find time to eat six meals that are clean and whole!

Meal timing is irrelevant and it does not "stoke the metabolic fire".

That is what I do.

I believe that it keeps your body working so it won't go in to "starvation mode". If you are on a diet, that is a good thing.
I have heard this keep your metabolism going from many knowledgeable people as well

Please do a little research to find out exactly what starvation mode really is and how it works.

please elaborate on starvation mode, if you wouldn't mind giving your point of view.

To gain fat at say 900 calories, and to do so at any fast rate would imply that daily energy expenditure was significantly less than that. For example, assume that someone eating only 900 calories per day were gaining fat at a rate of 1 pound per week. That would imply a 500 cal/day surplus or a total daily energy expenditure of 400 calories per day.

For an average sized male who started out with a maintenance energy expenditure of 2700 calories per day that would be an 85% reduction. For an smaller female who started with perhaps a 1700 calorie/day maintenance, that would be a 75% reduction from where they started. And simply, that level of reduction is far and beyond everything that’s ever been measured in the history of research on this topic.

Now, some might argue that the stressors of competition dieting haven’t been examined and they’d probably be right; to my knowledge, no-one has examined the metabolic rate of a bodybuilder following an extreme contest diet. Quite in fact, most studies don’t examine lean individuals at all but there is one study that is possibly relevant which is the seminal Minnesota Semi-Starvation Study.

I’ve talked about this study before and it represents one of the most massively well-controlled studies on the topic ever done (or that will ever be done). In it, war objectors were placed on approximately a 50% reduction from maintenance calories (which only put them around 1500 calories/day or thereabouts in the first place) and were held there for 6 straight months. Activity (walking) was enforced and most men reached the lower limits of body fat percentage by the end of it. I’d note that only men were studied so it’s possible that women, who are prone to showing more resistance to fat loss, could show a differential response.

And the total reduction in daily energy expenditure only amounted to 40% (of which the majority of that was due to the weight loss). Weight and fat loss had basically stopped at the end of the study which makes sense; the original 50% deficit had been reduced to at most 10% due to the 40% reduction in metabolic rate.

The bottom line is that no study I’ve ever seen has suggested that total daily energy expenditure could be reduced to the levels that are implied by ‘gaining fat rapidly at 700-900 calories/day’.

more here

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/permanent-metabolic-damage-qa.html

joejccva71

i have heard that eating frequently keeps your metabolism up... with school in the morning and work in the evening with little time in between, its hard to find time to eat six meals that are clean and whole!

Meal timing is irrelevant and it does not "stoke the metabolic fire".

That is what I do.

I believe that it keeps your body working so it won't go in to "starvation mode". If you are on a diet, that is a good thing.
I have heard this keep your metabolism going from many knowledgeable people as well

Please do a little research to find out exactly what starvation mode really is and how it works.

please elaborate on starvation mode, if you wouldn't mind giving your point of view.

Glad you asked.

Starvation mode or adaptive thermogenesis is a continual adjustment that happens to your body over a period of time through lack of energy consumption (calories). It's not something that happens overnight or even short-term but over a lengthy period of time. It's your body's way of protecting itself during a time of famine.

Think back to the caveman times.

Your body loves fat alot more than it likes muscle. When you deprive your body of energy over long periods of time, it thinks you are starving, your BMR drops, your endocrine system and the brain that will stimulate hunger and cravings as well. Your activity expedenture also is affected which is your NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis).

It holds onto the extra fat (weight) as much as possible to keep you alive. This isn't something new as it goes back to Paleolithic period.

Both Lyle McDonald and Steve Troutman can clearly explain it better and in much more detail than I can.

Point being: You will not go into starvation mode because you didn't eat 5-6 meals a day. 2 meals is fine, 3 is fine, doesn't matter.

dontletmegetme

I believe that as long as you're getting the nutrition that you need and aren't overeating, you can eat your meals however you want throughout the day. I usually eat around 5-6 times a day. I always eat breakfast,lunch,and dinner as normal sized meals. I always have a snack between breakfast and lunch and I'll usually have a dessert or an "extra" Depending on my intake, sometimes I'll have a dessert and an extra and that equals 6 times a day.

CMmrsfloyd

I think it's an individual thing - I personally like having breakfast, lunch, snack, sometimes another snack, dinner, and another snack or two. Just depends on how my day shapes up. Any time I go too long without eating, I am much more likely to way overdo it at the next sitting (more than making up for whatever I missed, so not good for my weight loss efforts). So I make it a point to make my meals smaller than they used to be and then throw in small snacks here and there when needed. It works well for me.

prestonmay

This really varies from person to person , goal is and your body type. Herschel Walker does 2000 push ups , 2000 crunches and 1000 situps a day and may eat one snicker bar. He is 7 percent body fat and 49 years old. This is not the typical person. I do research in Bioinfomatcis and Anatonmy ---- You are correct about that research, but for every case study you can find 2 that say the opposite. When I am given 2 million dollars for grant funding--- Its in my best interest to make the study sway towards what the en-dower want it to say . With that being said I can drink 6 beers a day eat 12000 cal meal and maintain. Is this optimal my for my body, heck no. But if I want to look and feel like 80% of America---I am being modest . Then go right ahead. I have mixed up p90, insanity , weights, spin, ll cool J workout, Atkins, HCG, WATER and Bread--- you name it... Free weights vs machine weights. YOu must decide what is good for you and what is poison and listen to your body. Some trainer pushed my wife like she needed to be pushed. she said she was in pain he pushed her through it. He was doing 90% of what he was suppose to do---other 10 percent was listen and learn client . My wife had torn triceps muscle- I can not even touch her slightly. Some is her fault. She should have adjusted the weight to her liking .....but when you pay someone 100 a session you think they are god......... . Most Important meal IMO is morning one. Eat all the carbs you want around workout time and try to limit them by 2

---

I can eat 3 snicker bars and drink a glass of milk and work out for an 1 and not worry--that sugar will never turn into fat for I used it as energy through the workout......... When you eat that junk is important if you must

That is what I do.

I believe that it keeps your body working so it won't go in to "starvation mode". If you are on a diet, that is a good thing.
I have heard this keep your metabolism going from many knowledgeable people as well

yeah...

your body isn't going to go into starvation mode from not eating every few hrs, in fact research has shown a metabolic INCREASE in subjects who have been fasting and that lasts around 48hrs, it is beleived the increase in plasma norepinephrine is the cause of the metabolic increase

meal frequency is personal preference, it doesn't matter if you eat 6 times a day or 1 time a day

Rilke

This is generally what I do. When I eat only a few large meals per day, I don't function well. I prefer to spread my food out over the day.

The only problem with this style is how easy it is to lose track. Grazing must be done mindfully or you will take in way too much. It might not feel like a lot because it's not large amounts at once, but it adds up.

My diary is open if you would like to see how I eat. Ignore my recent addiction to trail mix . . . good example of *not* eating mindfully :P

I'm glad someone mentioned grazing! <-- often people forget about this then get out of control. I did that and trail mix was one of the foods that I got out of control with. THOSE calories add up so fast!!!! ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Rilke-I like your signature, I've never seen that before!

Haha, thank you. If you've ever heard the song "Alice's Restaurant" by Arlo Guthrie . . . that's the Alice in the song

student94

I usually eat 4 smaller meals a day, and then snacks. I refer to my meals by number. I have one around 7am or 8am morning, two at or before noon, three around 3pm, and four around 7pm (when my family likes to eat dinner). If I get hungry at any other point, I eat something small (like a piece of fruit, or serving of popcorn)

Eating like this allows me to stay within my calories, but never feel truly hungry or deprived. To others I'm sure it looks like I'm eating constantly.

BrianSharpe

3 meals or 6 is purely a matter of personal preference, one choice is not superior to the other.

Justine13

I have heard and read that both sides are better that the other. ie. small meals are better and 3 meals is better.
I think personally you should experiment with your body as everyone is different.
I personally eat breakfast, then have a coffee in between breakfast and lunch, have lunch, then a snack on my way home from work (i do my workouts right after work) then dinner and if i need a snack before bed.
So usually i eat 5 times a day.
However the idea is to make sure you are never really hungry because that is when your body levels drop (ie. sugar, blood pressure, etc) and you end up eating to much or binge eating.
Justine :0)

chaitrex

I usually eat about 4 or 5:
Breakfast
Snack 1
Lunch
Snack 2
Dinner

I don't really like feeling FULL, and then feeling super hungry later, so this works better for me.

CALLMEGYM

by eating your metabolism is working so eat more often but eat the right things(little an often)...that full feeling is your bodies natural way of letting you know that you have eaten enough at that time...remember food is fuel