Trouble sticking to 5-6 mini meals a day.

ReversedTime

I always heard that i should eat 5-6 mini meals a day to keep my metabolism high, but i always have problem sticking to it. i'm perfectly fine with small meals in the day but I'm used to large dinners with my family at night and i can't seem to stick to a mini meal. Worse still, i end up feeling hungry again around 10pm. Its always that last tiny snack at night that causes me to go over my calorie budget. How frustrating! Any advice?

Edit: i'm really short. 4'11. My BMR when sedentary is only about 1300+ so any normal sized meal (400plus calories) can easily be 'big' for me.

vypeters

So don't.

I do the eating 6 times a day thing and love it. Others, it doesn't work for. There really is no evidence to support it, so I consider it one of those "your mileage may vary" things - some people love it, some don't.

If it's not working for you, modify it or throw it out.

dad106

Honestly, 6 meals a day does nothing for your metabolism... so if it doesn't work for you, then ditch it.

I eat 3 meals with a random snack here and there. Most of my meals are between 500-600 calories a meal.. and I always feel full and satisfied.

MissFit0101

Don't do it if it doesn't work for you. Whatever you find that you can stick to, do that. Forget about what everyone else says or does. If you want to eat 3 large meals go for it. I have to do the same. I can't eat small meals or else I feel forever hungry.

Lesa_Sass

How many calories are you eating a day?

RunHardBeStrong

Honestly, 6 meals a day does nothing for your metabolism... so if it doesn't work for you, then ditch it.

I eat 3 meals with a random snack here and there. Most of my meals are between 500-600 calories a meal.. and I always feel full and satisfied.

Ditto! Studies have shown eating frequently does nothing for your metabolism, your metabolism doesn't start to slow till about day 3 of NO food. I tried eating 5-6 times/day and hated it as well. So I'm back to 3 meals and a snack if needed.

drewols

There are a number of reasons why eating many small meals per day works for people, but a lot of the reasons people do it are BS. Time your meals the way that works best for you, not based on what you think will speed up your metabolism

lionskitty

It's more about total daily calories, making sure you're not too hungry in between and getting good balanced nutrition at every meal. I eat 3 meals, snacks only if I'm hungry and it's working fine. Other people do better grazing.

dawnhart77

I agree with others on this. If it works for you, great. If it doesn't, then adapt. Only you know your body and what your body tells you. No where on MFP does it say you need to eat all of your calories at certain times or how ever many times a day. It's taking the program and fitting it to you. Planning is good too. Plan out what you want to eat for the day and see if there are times you feel more hungry throughout the day. If it's the 10 pm snack and you have identified it, then plan for it. Know that you will probably be hungry at that time and save a few calories for a small snack. It's your plan!

Good Luck!!!!

cordianet

So don't.

I do the eating 6 times a day thing and love it. Others, it doesn't work for. There really is no evidence to support it, so I consider it one of those "your mileage may vary" things - some people love it, some don't.

If it's not working for you, modify it or throw it out.

I absolutely agree. I also do the 5/6 times a day thing because it keeps me from overeating on the big meals, but the idea that it "keeps the metabolism revved up" is just plain silly. Proponents of this are suggesting that the Thermic Effect of Food is higher based on frequent meals. While it may keep your overall metabolic rate more evenly high, larger meals correspondingly have a higher TEF, thus there is not net difference between eating it as 3 larger meals, or 5/3 smaller meals.

NewFitKeri

I personally eat 6 small meals a day. It DOES speed up your metabolism. When you eat( clean of course ) your body burns calories as your body is digesting your food. But like the others said-you need to do what works for YOU or this won't be a sustainable life for you. I've personally lost more weight with six small meals, for ex something every 2-3 hours. It can be hard to stay under, but since I workout at night, by the time I get to the gym I know that I MUST burn "x amount of calories" to creat the needed deficite.

You are doing a great job! I hope you find what works for you:flowerforyou:

RedHeadDevotchka

I always heard that i should eat 5-6 mini meals a day to keep my metabolism high, but i always have problem sticking to it. i'm perfectly fine with small meals in the day but I'm used to large dinners with my family at night and i can't seem to stick to a mini meal. Worse still, i end up feeling hungry again around 10pm. Its always that last tiny snack at night that causes me to go over my calorie budget. How frustrating! Any advice?

Edit: i'm really short. 4'11. My BMR when sedentary is only about 1300+ so any normal sized meal (400plus calories) can easily be 'big' for me.

Personally, I love eating several times a day. It's fabulous to know that I have more food to look forward to in a few hours, wow am I a chubster? haha.
Can you try eating different foods that late at night? Maybe something that has more fiber like oatmeal.....otherwise, you can just not eat 5-6 meals. Nothing bad will befall you if you only eat 3-4 times a day. It's all a balancing act, make it work for you.

Lesa_Sass

I am still interested in knowing how many calories a day she is eating because she could be under eating and that is why she is hungry.

tasiamere

If it doesn't work don't do it! Personally feel like you'll set yourself up to quit. But if you're determined to try the 5-6 meals I was having a hard time with that at first too. Until I broke down the calories and tried to fit that in to acommodate my big dinners with my family.

Breakfast - 180-210Cal (normall cereal, egg sandwich, or protein shake)
Mini #1 - 125-140 cal (normally PB and J or side salad or 100Cal snack)
Lunch - 200-275cal
Mini #2 - 125-140Cal (normally PB and J or side salad or 100Cal snack)
Dinner - 400 Cal
Mini #3 - 125 -140cal (normally PB and J or side salad or 100Cal snack)

At the max this is still only a 1305Cal/Day. (can normally offset back to 1200 with a walk or something quick as far as exercise) Try breaking the hours so you're eating something at least every 2.5-4hrs. Good luck

dad106

I personally eat 6 small meals a day. It DOES speed up your metabolism. When you eat( clean of course ) your body burns calories as your body is digesting your food. But like the others said-you need to do what works for YOU or this won't be a sustainable life for you. I've personally lost more weight with six small meals, for ex something every 2-3 hours. It can be hard to stay under, but since I workout at night, by the time I get to the gym I know that I MUST burn "x amount of calories" to creat the needed deficite.

You are doing a great job! I hope you find what works for you:flowerforyou:

The calories your body burns digesting food are very very little... not nearly enough to speed up metabolism.

What determines your metabolism really, is how much lean muscle mass you have.

Jacwhite22

I eat two big meals a day. What you eat is much more important than how often.

Rae6503

I always heard that i should eat 5-6 mini meals a day to keep my metabolism high

That's a myth, so don't worry about it.

BrianSharpe

What determines your metabolism really, is how much lean muscle mass you have.

^^^ this!

Rae6503

Digesting DOES burn calories but it's proportional to the calories you eat. So if you eat 2000 calories 5 times a day you burn X/5 calories digesting it each time you eat. If you eat 2000 calories once a day you just burn X calories that one time. So yeah, at the end of the day it's the same amount of calories burned by digestion.

beckajw

If you can't do it, don't do it. It's about calories in vs. calories out (and a little about the make-up of those calories). When you eat doesn't matter.

I eat 5-6 meals a day because I like to have snacks during the day. But, if I didn't want to have a snack and instead wanted a bigger lunch, I would do that.

IronPlayground

I personally eat 6 small meals a day. It DOES speed up your metabolism. When you eat( clean of course ) your body burns calories as your body is digesting your food. But like the others said-you need to do what works for YOU or this won't be a sustainable life for you. I've personally lost more weight with six small meals, for ex something every 2-3 hours. It can be hard to stay under, but since I workout at night, by the time I get to the gym I know that I MUST burn "x amount of calories" to creat the needed deficite.

You are doing a great job! I hope you find what works for you:flowerforyou:

Meal frequency would not matter with regards to TEF over a 24 hour period.

http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html

RenfieldX

As I understand it, it's a myth that 5-6 meals per day has any effect on your metabolism, so if that's your sole reason for doing it you might want to reconsider.

I'm eating 5-6 meals/day, mainly because I find it much easier to resist snacking. It did take me a few weeks for my body to adjust to the change, but I love it now.

There's nothing wrong with having a snack around 10PM, I do it all the time. It's another myth that eating late at night makes you overweight. Just make sure to have something healthy and keep under your goals. It's all about planning your day - most days I try to plan out the entire day rather than waiting until the last meal to find out that I'm over.

capnwo85

Just eat 1 GIANT meal a day.

trm981

I am the same way. So I do kind of a combination of big and small meals. I eat 2 or 3 light meals during the day, totaling around 600 calories. Which leaves me 700 calories for a big, satisfying dinner that keeps me filled up til I go to bed so I don't have any urge to snack at night. I do make sure to eat very high protein throughout the day which keeps me full so I'm not starving by the time dinner comes around. This works really well for me.

NewFitKeri

http://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-boost-your-metabolism
http://www.ehow.com/how_4728654_speed-up-metabolism.html
http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/calories/burning_calories/boost_metabolism.htm

and another from my favorite trainer...Chris Powell

Rule 1. Boost metabolism every three hours with a “Power 3” plate.
One of the best ways to keep your metabolism working is to eat a small meal every three hours. The plate should have three small portions – one protein, one carbohydrate or fat, and unlimited vegetables. Small, frequent meals keep things moving, the simple act of eating stimulates your metabolism by triggering digestion. Every time your body digests food, it ramps up your total metabolic rate. 3 different foods each time you eat, your metabolism slows down very 3 hours, so by eating every 3 hours you are keeping that metabolism burning.

Rule 2. Turn up your metabolic thermostat
Your thyroid acts as a metabolic thermostat. It releases hormones that play a major role in controlling your body’s temperature and the rate that your body burns calories. Chris Powell says when your thyroid is working at its max, your metabolism will be sky-high. If your thyroid’s function is impaired, the metabolic rate slows down and leads to weight gain. The key to keeping your thyroid working hard is in eating good carbs, like whole grains, There are some incredible grains out there for you to try – Spelt, Amaranth, Buckwheat & Quinoa, root vegetables – Sweet Potatoes…etc, and beans – Black beans, Aduki beans, Kidney beans. Believe it or not, studies have shown that cutting out carbs from your diet completely can reduce thyroid function by 50%. So, make sure to keep complex carbs in your diet. Carbs make for a healthy thyroid, by cutting out the carbs which you shouldn’t do it will drop your thyroid function by 50% – Eat a rainbow of colours when it comes to fruit.

Rule 3. Build your metabolic muscle – The number-one consumer of calories in your body is muscle. The more muscle mass you have, the more your body works toward burning calories – even when you’re asleep. It’s extremely important to maintain muscle during any weight-loss endeavor. A great way to build muscle is by doing cardio with light weights. It’ll keep your heart rate up, while sculpting your body to be more lean and muscular.

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I'm totally trying to help..but since everyone seemed to be saying how wrong I was, I figured I'd give you some examples lol. Look, you gotta do what works for YOU as does everyone else. We are all in this journey together and I wish EVERYONE all the best :flowerforyou:

PurrfumeGIrl

I do 5 to 6 meals but I do 3 larger meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and 2 to 3 smaller snack meals in between. My morning snack is yogurt and my afternoon snack is generally a power bar or fruit. I eat at 6, 9, 12, 3 and 6. I recently noticed I wasn't indulging in my evening snack all the time. This just works for me.