Anyone eat 5-6 small 'meals' a day?

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I've read a lot about eating 5-6 small meals throughout the day being a good way to lose weight and was wondering if anyone has tried it? If anyone has any tips or even opinions I would love some input before I decide if I'm going to give it a go.

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  • GoTeamMeaghan
    GoTeamMeaghan Posts: 347 Member
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    i do 6 meals a day (just figure out that you change change the meal names). i find that it keeps my blood sugar at an even level & seems to help with my Crohns & acid reflux. Feel free to ladd me or look at my diary for ideas.
  • Azaelia11
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    i've been doing the 5 meals a day.
    breakfast - snack - lunch - snack - dinner

    I've found that it's been a good regulation on my metabolism, keeps me full so i only eat little throughout the day, and even if i skip a snack im not starving till my next meal. I also incorporated drinking lots of water throughout this plan, and cutting back all sugary drinks and sticking to 1% milk as an alternative, and have found i've had a ton more energy throughout the day :) it's working for me, i was down 5 lbs, but then i got a tattoo and couldn't bend my leg, so i gained them back. haha
  • moniquedeanne
    moniquedeanne Posts: 249 Member
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    I try to eat every 3 hours. That way my metabolisms up and I'm never starving which causes me to overeat at my next meal. Usually works as breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, and sometimes after dinner snack.
  • itsdonna35
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    I eat 6x a day: Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Dinner, Snack
  • jaclynZ
    jaclynZ Posts: 49
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    agreed with above ^
    i usually do 6 small smeals but the two in between are usually snacks.
    some people do better this way, but some people don't have time to eat that often.
    i just prefer to eat something little anytime i start to get hungry again.
    i don't want to be ravenous by dinner and binge on everything in the house.
  • Glynis1
    Glynis1 Posts: 2 Member
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    I always eat 5 small meals a day every 2.5-3 hrs. keeps the glucose levels even and keeps you from getting hungry and binging. However, I highly recommend each meal contain at least 10 grams of protein or an average of this to keep you from getting hungry. Good luck!
  • arcticfox04
    arcticfox04 Posts: 1,011 Member
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    I have 5-6 meals all the time. Its not hard to do. Though I'm more concerned about spreading out 200g of protein every 2-3 hours then I am with keeping my metabolism up.
  • deelutch
    deelutch Posts: 5 Member
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    What I learned with FoodLovers and even in Weight Watchers. Breakfast, 2-3hrs snack, Lunch 2-3hrs snack, Dinner 2hrs snack.
    The idea is to keep your metabolism rev'd. Thinks healthy, and give yourself variety.

    Sample Day: 2 Waffle, 1 Sausage Link. 1/8c lite syrup Coffee
    Yogurt
    Lean Cuisine Entree
    Apple/Triscuits
    Grilled Chicken, Mashed Potato, Broccoli
    Pretzel Crisps, Hummus
  • alaskaang
    alaskaang Posts: 493 Member
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    Meal frequency is strictly a matter of preference.
  • Maidofmer
    Maidofmer Posts: 908 Member
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    I just started and WOW what a difference. I even posted a topic on it. after reading some books on weight loss and nutrition, just finished the biggest loser, I got an idea of what and how I should be eating. fiber, protein, how they should be split up and to help me, set time frames on when to eat instead of mindless grazing. I can't believe the difference! usually after working out, (and nearing my total allotted cals) i'm super hungry and will ruin my day of "good" eating. Thanks to the research, and with some advice from the people on here, I got control of my eating today, only ate a lil more than half my cals, did my work out as normal, and i'm not starving. in fact, I feel pretty damn good. not sluggish, or bloated. I say yesterday was a huge success on my way to 130.
  • spamantha57
    spamantha57 Posts: 674 Member
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    I probably eat around 5 times a day, around 250 cals average (sometimes it's 150, sometimes it's 400. I'm only 5'2".) I started doing it to see how it would affect my hunger, since I'm the kind of person that can keep eating & not usually get full (not often or easily anyway.) It has helped me manage & control how much I eat in that sense, instead of waiting & getting so hungry you over eat.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    Meal frequency is strictly a matter of preference.
    Yep. Has no effect upon the metabolism:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/820577-meal-frequency-rev-up-that-furnace-lol
  • Rusty675
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    From what I've read, meal frequency is irrelevant.

    I tried doing 5-6 small meals a day and it just dragged out my hunger.

    Now I just jam everything I need into 4 meals. Three of them being wholefoods and the other being a supplement (Protein shake).
  • dhakiyya
    dhakiyya Posts: 481 Member
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    I eat several small meals a day (no specific number, can be anything between 4 and 7) and this works for me. It doesn't work for everyone. What's important is eating less than you burn off, but still eating enough to support your body and the level of exercise you do, and also providing yourself with all the nutrition your body needs. Whether you do that with 2-3 meals a day or 5-6 meals a day is a matter of what works best for the individual, what stops you from feeling hungry, what you can fit into your schedule, etc. There's nothing special about eating more frequent small meals, except that many people find it helps them to stick to the eating plan more easily.
  • NixxyPetal
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    Meal frequency is strictly a matter of preference.
    Yep. Has no effect upon the metabolism:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/820577-meal-frequency-rev-up-that-furnace-lol

    This :) But then again, if it works for you, go for it - best advice I've ever heard is that the best diet is the one that works for you!