Eating Frequently

Mike937

Trainer has me eating what feels like constantly (6 times a day), 200-400 calories at a time, depending. I have not been doing this for long (only started with a trainer very recently) but it does not feel very long-term sustainable.

Is there anyone out there who has been doing this for a while now? Any tips or suggestions on how to best use this approach to food?

thepetiterunner

I've done this for years. I'm definitely a grazer. I hate feeling overly full and eating huge foods at one sitting. I feel like my sugar levels are much more stable this way and I'm more responsive to my body's needs.

I try not to think of them as meals but really rather as snacks throughout the day. I just pack lots of little things - fruits, veggies, cheese, bread with peanut butter, etc, and eat when I'm hungry. I find this much easier to manage myself this way than binge on a huge meal, get a food coma, want to pass out, then starve until the next big binge.

Rae6503

Not to disagree with your trainer, but I've seen studies proving that frequent eating has no effect on metabolism. You can eat 6 times a day or once. As long as you are at a deficit you'll lose weight.

thedreamhazer

Not to disagree with your trainer, but I've seen studies proving that frequent eating has no effect on metabolism. You can eat 6 times a day or once. As long as you are at a deficit you'll lose weight.

Everything I've read agrees with this. I say, eat as frequently as you are comfortable, once a day or eight times a day or what have you. I find that if I eat more frequently throughout the day then I have more control over my macros and am much, much less likely to binge or overeat later. However, I know many people who eat once a day simply because that is how their body functions best. Go based on what gives you the best control over your food intake and hunger and just leave the prescripts about metabolism out of it. There's too much unproven or conflicting data there.

shaycat

I use to eat twice a day and I always over ate.
I eat three meals a day now and three snacks. I like this way much better. But it did take some time to get use to.

Yanicka1

Not to disagree with your trainer, but I've seen studies proving that frequent eating has no effect on metabolism. You can eat 6 times a day or once. As long as you are at a deficit you'll lose weight.

Everything I've read agrees with this. I say, eat as frequently as you are comfortable, once a day or eight times a day or what have you. I find that if I eat more frequently throughout the day then I have more control over my macros and am much, much less likely to binge or overeat later. However, I know many people who eat once a day simply because that is how their body functions best. Go based on what gives you the best control over your food intake and hunger and just leave the prescripts about metabolism out of it. There's too much unproven or conflicting data there.

This.... you have to do what work best for your life. I eat twice a day.

tameko2

Not to disagree with your trainer, but I've seen studies proving that frequent eating has no effect on metabolism. You can eat 6 times a day or once. As long as you are at a deficit you'll lose weight.

Everything I've read agrees with this. I say, eat as frequently as you are comfortable, once a day or eight times a day or what have you. I find that if I eat more frequently throughout the day then I have more control over my macros and am much, much less likely to binge or overeat later. However, I know many people who eat once a day simply because that is how their body functions best. Go based on what gives you the best control over your food intake and hunger and just leave the prescripts about metabolism out of it. There's too much unproven or conflicting data there.

This.... you have to do what work best for your life. I eat twice a day.

I'll fourth this or fifth it or whatever.

Small meals work GREAT for some people. They work terrible for others. If its ot working for you, stop forcing it and try something that works better. WHEN you eat or HOW OFTEN doesn't matter - what matters is overeating. If small meals help you not-overeat then great. If they don't, ditch em.

Dahavol