A compliation on meal frequency

Sidesteal

up.

jaweiss1

Here is a recent review article on the effects of meal frequency on appetite control and energy intake:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21123467

The full text is available for free.

Note that this article addresses a related, but different topic than presented by the OP.

The authors conclude that the effects of increased feeding frequency on appetite control are still unclear, and additional research is needed.

However, there are at least two studies that provide reasonable support for the notion that reduction in meal frequency below 3/day causes an increase in appetite. This seems to depend on which meal is omitted.

Cheers,

Jeff

timbowatts79

Intermittent Fasting is the way, and has been the way for centuries for the preservation of health and keeping weight down...

notice how nutrition companies try and claim to solving the eating problem by recommending what?........eating more often! ludicrous.

fasting intermittently is incredibly refreshing.....

As with this site, the bottom line is this - to lose weight, eat less and exercise more (looks easy, but in principle it's difficult because of the way we have been conditioned in to believing we have to eat 3 square meals, or 5-6 small meals for health, what rubbish, get away from mainstream and use plain common sense).

Great post.

Helloitsdan

Intermittent Fasting and 3 meals/day really changed my life so i'm on board!

timbowatts79

Ditto

AeolianHarp

Oh my god! common sense!??! I thought this kind of post was non-existent on here. I'm a IFer and I prefer eating 2-3 meals a day.

While I don't think eating 1 meal a day is necessarily bad, it can have negative effects on your hormones. I believe Lyle McDonald mentioned this and that it messes with leptin and what not.

Also, Lyle has mentioned an issue with protein absorption @ 1 meal a day, and it seems like 3 is the perfect number.

Edit: Oh crap! I didn't notice it was you SideSteal. I haven't seen you on BB.com for a while.

Sidesteal

Oh my god! common sense!??! I thought this kind of post was non-existent on here. I'm a IFer and I prefer eating 2-3 meals a day.

While I don't think eating 1 meal a day is necessarily bad, it can have negative effects on your hormones. I believe Lyle McDonald mentioned this and that it messes with leptin and what not.

Also, Lyle has mentioned an issue with protein absorption @ 1 meal a day, and it seems like 3 is the perfect number.

Edit: Oh crap! I didn't notice it was you SideSteal. I haven't seen you on BB.com for a while.

^ Heya!

I've sort of migrated over here to get my forum kicks. I still pop into bb.com to get my lols in the NutMisc every now and then though, and to see if Alan is posting stufff

cindy4mica

Is it also a myth that if you eat after 7pm you'll gain weight? Maybe I need to start a new topic for this one...

Sidesteal

Is it also a myth that if you eat after 7pm you'll gain weight? Maybe I need to start a new topic for this one...

Yes. Eat whenever you want assuming you are eating the appropriate total amount.

Mompanda4

Bump

Mompanda4

Bump

BetrayedBeauty

Thanks! Let's pin this topic.. oh wait

You know, I can understand why people might think that eating more freqruently might 'stoke' your metabolism (even if it's false), but what amazes me is people who think you need to eat to START your metabolism, and when you don't eat it just stops!

Bump. So very true. Thank you for the links and the very good AM read

Marper8521

Wow, great to see this type of info!!! I've been looking for this. Thanks

graelwyn

I eat bits and pieces throughout the day and one main, well balanced meal in the evening.

DawnEH612

I do want to make one point about how often one eats and does it matter to the world of weight loss. While it may not directly impact the scale, it can affect how your body utilizes/absorbs the nutrients you eat from your meals (both macro: protein, fat and carbs) as well as absorption of micronutrients (vitamins/minerals).

I think, if most people tuned into their OWN bodies they'd find what works for them. No one persons cheimcal make up and metabolism is the same. In fact, on a daily basis, even our metabolisms are not identical to the day before. It isn't one size fits all.... Educate yourself, listen to your body and do what works for you!

BTW... Maybe peoples' definition of 5-6 small "meals" is different. I eat 3 regular meals a day, breakfast @ 200 cal, lunch around 300 cal and dinner around 330 cal. The rest of my caloric intake is from snacks throughout my day. So, my snacks are actually my 4th, 5th and 6th meal, if, you will. But I hate to be so structured about my eating. I am on the go and drive a lot for my job, so I do what works for me.

PHLLLY

bump

neanderthin

The classic example of TEF for meal frequency is the 1800 calorie intake. 3 vs 6 meals a day with TEF representing 10%.

1800 \ 3 = 600 per meal x 10% for TEF = 60 x 3 = 180 calories.

1800 \ 6 = 300 per meal x 10% for TEF = 30 x 6 = 180 calories.

funkycamper

Intermittent Fasting is the way, and has been the way for centuries for the preservation of health and keeping weight down...

notice how nutrition companies try and claim to solving the eating problem by recommending what?........eating more often! ludicrous.

fasting intermittently is incredibly refreshing.....

As with this site, the bottom line is this - to lose weight, eat less and exercise more (looks easy, but in principle it's difficult because of the way we have been conditioned in to believing we have to eat 3 square meals, or 5-6 small meals for health, what rubbish, get away from mainstream and use plain common sense).

Great post.

I don't really care if someone eats once a day or 20x a day. But I do knee jerk a bit when I read a post stating something as absolute dogma for everybody.

I ate IF for years. I had always hated breakfast and, for years, was too busy to eat lunch. It was not uncommon for my first food to be at around 2-3pm and then I would eat dinner somewhere around 5-7pm. And that's it. I've never been a night-time snacker so just those two meals (but, also, sometimes a small snack in-between the first meal and dinner).

Yup, ate that way until I got to my max weight of 237#.

Mind you, I've never been a big eater at these meals either. I just can't eat a bunch at any one time. So these two meals were not big, huge meals. For example, I have never been able to eat a Big Mac and my fries (even the small serving) at one sitting. Too much bulk. So, even when I ate two meals a day, if I went to McDonald's, I would eat a Big Mac and a couple of fries. And that would be my main meal of the day.

Sure, I totally trashed my metabolism in the process, too, so I'm not saying eating 1-2 meals/day in a 4-5 hour window was the whole cause of my weight gain but I know for a fact that eating that way didn't help. And my nutrition sucked. But my overall caloric intake was now much different than it is now. (Years of tracking calories.)

In fact, I started losing weight without any feeling of effort or deprivation when I started making myself eat breakfast and lunch on a regular basis. No other real diet change at first, just that, and I started losing. And I felt better in so many ways. More energy, endurance, no afternoon sleepiness, sleep better at night, you name it. I'm now up to 5-6 small meals a day and am thriving on it. It can sometimes be difficult to schedule but I feel better and it just plain works better for me. YMMV, of course.

If IF works for you, great, go for it, you have my blessing. But never assume that all of us will always have the same experience. That's dogmatic, zealot thinking and it doesn't do anybody any good.

Kristy_Elizabeth

I'm not much of a science person, but I do know that my mood and energy stay more balanced when I eat small frequent meals. I eat six times a day and that works for me. If I was to cram in all of my calories in 2 to 3 meals, I would feel overstuffed and sluggish and then hungry and cranky before time to eat again. If that works for someone else though I don't see anything wrong with it.

Adah_m

I am a type 2 diabetic so meal frequency in my case is important to maintain good blood sugar levels... I skip a meal or a carb snack and my Blood sugar will/can crash and the inevitable blackouts could be on the horizon and let me tell you let that happen when your at the Y on the Elliptical (been there done that) is a very awaking experience. That be said I totally agree there is no set plan to food intake and know some prefer skipping breakfast all together which is perfectly fine but my diabetes has me eating 3 main meals and 3-4 snacks (one of which I take to bed every night, around 500 calories worth) Great post though.....

Good reply Ed.

Look at that ticker ladies and gents. 303lbs down. That right there is impressive, excellent work sir.

yes! Awesome work!! Truly inspiring

mayralee13

BUMP FOR LATER

JackboyE

Fantastic thread.

All I'm gonna say is: At the moment, it's currently inconclusive as to whether eating 5-6 (or w/e) meals is optimal for MUSCLE GAIN. It's been proven that it doesn't matter for fat loss. According to Alan Aragon, there are short term studies that suggest more doses of protein (spread throughout the day) improve MUSCLE GAIN. However, there are currently no long term studies that prove this.

But yeah, in terms of fat loss (which is the number 1 priority of this site for most people) meal timing isn't important at all.

JackboyE

I do want to make one point about how often one eats and does it matter to the world of weight loss. While it may not directly impact the scale, it can affect how your body utilizes/absorbs the nutrients you eat from your meals (both macro: protein, fat and carbs) as well as absorption of micronutrients (vitamins/minerals).

I think, if most people tuned into their OWN bodies they'd find what works for them. No one persons cheimcal make up and metabolism is the same. In fact, on a daily basis, even our metabolisms are not identical to the day before. It isn't one size fits all.... Educate yourself, listen to your body and do what works for you!

BTW... Maybe peoples' definition of 5-6 small "meals" is different. I eat 3 regular meals a day, breakfast @ 200 cal, lunch around 300 cal and dinner around 330 cal. The rest of my caloric intake is from snacks throughout my day. So, my snacks are actually my 4th, 5th and 6th meal, if, you will. But I hate to be so structured about my eating. I am on the go and drive a lot for my job, so I do what works for me.

Hell yeah, I class a protein shake as a meal whilst others would class it as a snack.

In terms of protein absorption, Dr Layne Norton has said that his data has suggested eating ~5 meals a day. There is a great slideshow on it.

mariagabriella

thanks for this!

I still try and eat frequently not to "increase my weight loss" but because I can't concentrate well and get irritated when I'm hungry. It also helps with cravings.

edit: just to clarify, I eat 3 meals a day (around 400 cal each) then 2-3 snacks.

mel128

Bump! Execellent post.

unsuspectingfish

Or in other words, personal preference.

THANK YOU.

carrie_eggo

I just linked this on Facebook for one of my friends. Thanks again Sidesteal!

Josette89

If you are comparing equal calorie intakes in both scenarios then your husband is wrong. I would suggest a sex bet before proving.

Hahaha.... Sneaky Sneaky.

SideSteel

This needs a bump due to recent forum posts.

ChitownFoodie

Bump because I can dig it! Thanks again!