6 small meals a day is a scam?

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  • kiachu
    kiachu Posts: 409 Member
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    Maybe, but too much fat and too much protein in one meal make me have a toilet visit. Plus I like to eat....a lot...knowing I have meals coming and coming keeps me sane. :)
  • Zeromilediet
    Zeromilediet Posts: 787 Member
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    To me this is just an excuse to eat constanly and lose track of how many calories are being eaten. Also I was raised no snacking because there wasn't a lot of extra food in the house--not poor, just careful with food (want a drink?have a glass of water)

    Some people need snacks because thy're starving after having a carb-focused meal: insulin shoots up and an hour later when it crashes, a raging hunger. If meals are more protein/healthy fat focused, then it moderates the hunger pangs.

    Six small meals a day is great for companies that make snack packs or microwave meals. Personally, one of those Lean Cuisine things used to make me hungrier than before I ate!
  • kiachu
    kiachu Posts: 409 Member
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    To me this is just an excuse to eat constanly and lose track of how many calories are being eaten. Also I was raised no snacking because there wasn't a lot of extra food in the house--not poor, just careful with food (want a drink?have a glass of water)

    Some people need snacks because thy're starving after having a carb-focused meal: insulin shoots up and an hour later when it crashes, a raging hunger. If meals are more protein/healthy fat focused, then it moderates the hunger pangs.

    Six small meals a day is great for companies that make snack packs or microwave meals. Personally, one of those Lean Cuisine things used to make me hungrier than before I ate!

    Why would they lose track of food if they are tracking their food? You can loose track of your calories in one meal. Especially if you don't know the entire ingredient/measurement list of what your eating.
  • Zeromilediet
    Zeromilediet Posts: 787 Member
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    To me this is just an excuse to eat constanly and lose track of how many calories are being eaten. Also I was raised no snacking because there wasn't a lot of extra food in the house--not poor, just careful with food (want a drink?have a glass of water)

    Some people need snacks because thy're starving after having a carb-focused meal: insulin shoots up and an hour later when it crashes, a raging hunger. If meals are more protein/healthy fat focused, then it moderates the hunger pangs.

    Six small meals a day is great for companies that make snack packs or microwave meals. Personally, one of those Lean Cuisine things used to make me hungrier than before I ate!

    Why would they lose track of food if they are tracking their food? You can loose track of your calories in one meal. Especially if you don't know the entire ingredient/measurement list of what your eating.

    I was referring to people generally and not those on MFP who are committed to losing weight and therefore recording sncks, etc. Sorry, should have been more clear :-)
  • jawheb
    jawheb Posts: 295 Member
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    I've been doing this for the better part of a decade at this point, though it's not something I've ever actively advocated. Even if the science is sound, and I'm really not questioning that, I know that it's worked for me psychologically. I'm happy to just say "to each his own."
    BUT..,how do you cram 2800 calories into 3 meals. I just can't wrap my head around it! My stomach would be so sick.

    By eating healthy but more calorie dense food. 800 calories is not that much for one meal. I practice IF and my main meal is between 1200 to 1500 calories.

    I really don't care about calories because I eat so much. I do eat clean ,that's the problem.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    TEF is virtually the same throughout the day.
    1 meal?
    3 meals?
    6 meals?

    Doesnt matter.
    Just get your Macros and calories in.

    I eat 3 meals a day due to I.F.
    I love the lifestyle because I love to eat big.
    your 100 percent right if is amazing and people knock it without trying it if they only understood the healthy reasons to if


    No to get to sciency here but simply extending your fasted window from sleep really helped a lot of my clients break that insulin resistance and start losing weight.
    You learn what real hunger is and what emotional hunger is.

    I eat like a King every day and most of my breakfasts are bigger than what some people trying to lose weight eat in a day.
    Learn how food works and the world is open to you.

    PopTart time!
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,136 Member
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    5 meals keeps me from eating all the cookies, so I'm rolling with that. If you don't buy into it, don't do it.
  • billyh333
    billyh333 Posts: 213
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    TEF is virtually the same throughout the day.
    1 meal?
    3 meals?
    6 meals?

    Doesnt matter.
    Just get your Macros and calories in.

    I eat 3 meals a day due to I.F.
    I love the lifestyle because I love to eat big.
    your 100 percent right if is amazing and people knock it without trying it if they only understood the healthy reasons to if
    and same here doing if i lost 8 pounds in like 9 days including like a haft gallon of icecream and tons of soda and candy I know that's not good for you but i lost the weight and still 7 percent bodyfat

    No to get to sciency here but simply extending your fasted window from sleep really helped a lot of my clients break that insulin resistance and start losing weight.
    You learn what real hunger is and what emotional hunger is.

    I eat like a King every day and most of my breakfasts are bigger than what some people trying to lose weight eat in a day.
    Learn how food works and the world is open to you.

    PopTart time!
  • Avistew
    Avistew Posts: 32 Member
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    In my opinion, do what works for you.

    If you need to eat a big number of calories, doing it in only a few meals is impractical, so that's one reason to prefer more meals. Another reason is if you want your stomach to get smaller. I have experienced it, I cannot eat portions as big as I used to, due to eating less food every time I eat.

    However, if you tend to eat a lot every time you eat, and you want to lose weight, then eating 6 meals instead of three means double the opportunity to splurge. In that case, not a good idea for you.

    Just do what works with your schedules or needs. One isn't inherently better than the other, they're both fine if they're what suits you.
  • xoxobollywood1991
    xoxobollywood1991 Posts: 75
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    Yeah exactly. In the beginning of my weight loss I only ate breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks. 4 meals! Then two weeks ago I ate 5-6 meals a day , and it kinda broke my plateau and i'm losing 2 lbs a week.

    Breakfast at 8 am. (280 cals)
    Snack at 10.30 am. (100 cals)
    Lunch at 1 pm. (250 cals)
    Snack at 4 pm. (100cals)
    Dinner at 6 pm. (400 cals)
    Snack at 7.30 pm. 100)

    Everything you eat has to be healthy! Every meals and snacks.
  • llstacy
    llstacy Posts: 91 Member
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    To me this is just an excuse to eat constanly and lose track of how many calories are being eaten. Also I was raised no snacking because there wasn't a lot of extra food in the house--not poor, just careful with food (want a drink?have a glass of water)

    Some people need snacks because thy're starving after having a carb-focused meal: insulin shoots up and an hour later when it crashes, a raging hunger. If meals are more protein/healthy fat focused, then it moderates the hunger pangs.

    Six small meals a day is great for companies that make snack packs or microwave meals. Personally, one of those Lean Cuisine things used to make me hungrier than before I ate!

    Great post!
  • llstacy
    llstacy Posts: 91 Member
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    In my opinion, do what works for you.

    If you need to eat a big number of calories, doing it in only a few meals is impractical, so that's one reason to prefer more meals. Another reason is if you want your stomach to get smaller. I have experienced it, I cannot eat portions as big as I used to, due to eating less food every time I eat.

    However, if you tend to eat a lot every time you eat, and you want to lose weight, then eating 6 meals instead of three means double the opportunity to splurge. In that case, not a good idea for you.

    Just do what works with your schedules or needs. One isn't inherently better than the other, they're both fine if they're what suits you.

    I think the point was that one is better than the other for your health. It's not normal to have to eat every few hours its a sign your body isn't functioning right. Remember all those posts about fasting? Your body needs time without food to fix your cells and stuff so you don't grt cancer.
  • cersela
    cersela Posts: 160 Member
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    Eating small amounts more often works for me because it helps me keep my blood sugar/energy fairly equal throughout the day. I eat when I am hungry. If I am hungrier sometimes I will have a bigger meal, and it's fine. I didn't bother reading up on the 'best' way to eat, because people are different. It doesn't matter to me when other people eat or how much they eat at a time. Also, I think the term 'scam' is a little dramatic.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    OP: why do you keep posting articles without citing where you got them from and posting them in such a way that purports that they are your words?

    Quoting sources is good - then people can actually read the articles with approriate citations, if they are available.
  • WestCoastPhoenix
    WestCoastPhoenix Posts: 802 Member
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    It makes no difference. Personal preference. /endthread.
  • WestCoastPhoenix
    WestCoastPhoenix Posts: 802 Member
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    Everything you eat has to be healthy! Every meals and snacks.

    This is utter nonsense.
  • llstacy
    llstacy Posts: 91 Member
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    OP: why do you keep posting articles without citing where you got them from and posting them in such a way that purports that they are your words?

    Quoting sources is good - then people can actually read the articles with approriate citations, if they are available.

    That's just wrong. It's a good article they deserve credit.

    http://www.leangains.com/2008/07/excerpt-from-my-upcoming-book.html
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    OP: why do you keep posting articles without citing where you got them from and posting them in such a way that purports that they are your words?

    Quoting sources is good - then people can actually read the articles with approriate citations, if they are available.

    That's just wrong. It's a good article they deserve credit.

    http://www.leangains.com/2008/07/excerpt-from-my-upcoming-book.html

    LOL - I just came back to the thread to post the link and saw you had just done it!
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    You’ve probably heard that eating smalls meals throughout the day ‘stokes the metabolic fire’ or is the ideal way to eat in order to control cravings and blood sugar; as consequence, this should also be the ideal way to eat for fat burning purposes. This belief is partly based on a gross and blatantly incorrect interpretation of research concerning TEF (Thermic Effect of Food).

    The problem here is that the research has been presented in such a way that it has lead people to believe that the net effect of TEF of several small meals would be greater than that of a few, large meals.

    TEF is directly proportional to the calories contained in the meal you just ate (ref). Assuming a diet of 2400 calories, with the same macronutrient composition, eating six small meals of 400 calories or three big meals of 800 calories, TEF will be exactly the same at the end of the day.

    So, while eating several small meals a day will per definition ‘keep the metabolic furnace burning’,three big meals will ‘keep the metabolic furnace blasting’.

    Good stuff. I can certainly attest that when I have larger meals my metabolism goes into overdrive (I get hotter and could probably break into a sweat!), especially when combined with an IF eating lifestyle

    How exactly does 3 meals v 6 meals actually get your 'metabolism in overdrive'. Here is a direct quote from the article from leangains you have plagarized but decided to leave out: "In conclusion, different meal splits have no effect on metabolic rate or fat metabolism."
  • llstacy
    llstacy Posts: 91 Member
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    OP: why do you keep posting articles without citing where you got them from and posting them in such a way that purports that they are your words?

    Quoting sources is good - then people can actually read the articles with approriate citations, if they are available.

    That's just wrong. It's a good article they deserve credit.

    http://www.leangains.com/2008/07/excerpt-from-my-upcoming-book.html

    LOL - I just came back to the thread to post the link and saw you had just done it!
    You gave the heads up and were spot on about the citations. I couldn't help myself once I knew where it came from. :laugh:

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