6 healthy meals a day...need advice

MrsCarpenter719
MrsCarpenter719 Posts: 31 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So ive recently starting eating six small healthy meals a day. i dont exceed my protein carb sugar and fat levels. i eat all healthy stuff like oatmeal eggs meats soup all kinds of fruits and veggies and cottage cheese and so on and so forth.
i just feel like eating 6 meals a day is soooo much i feel like im constantly eating. i also feel like im going to be gaining a lot of weight by eating so many times a day. i talked to my bf who has done this but he did it for bulking up so he ate different stuff but he said 6 meals a day is a great way to lose weight. Can someone enlighten me on this whole thing please?! Im trying to lose the last 20 lbs i need to lose. Ive lost 55 to date so far.

Replies

  • diaryofaskinnygirl
    diaryofaskinnygirl Posts: 146
    Hi there,

    I currently eat 6 meals a day and have reached a BFP of 20% :)
    Just make sure they are 6 small meals rather than 6 large meals!
  • ubermensch13
    ubermensch13 Posts: 824 Member
    How many meals you eat is irrelevant in your weight loss. It is more about what you are eating and how many calories you consume. Eat 1 big meal a day if it gets you your macro's and fits within your calorie goals, if that is what you wanted to do.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    I don't understand why you're eating 6 meals a day if you don't like it? Eat 3....or eat 4 times a day....whatever works if you're within the right nutrients and calories for your goals...
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,590 Member
    You need to find what works for you - I work best with 3 good meals, otherwise I end up grazing because I never feel full. Yeah, I might have 1 or 2 snacks, but they tend to be very small. No set rules in this healthy eating game :flowerforyou:
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
    I don't understand why you're eating 6 meals a day if you don't like it? Eat 3....or eat 4 times a day....whatever works if you're within the right nutrients and calories for your goals...

    This^^^
  • LishieFruit89
    LishieFruit89 Posts: 1,956 Member
    How many meals you eat is irrelevant in your weight loss. It is more about what you are eating and how many calories you consume. Eat 1 big meal a day if it gets you your macro's and fits within your calorie goals, if that is what you wanted to do.

    QFT
  • PG58
    PG58 Posts: 4 Member
    Eating six small meals a day is usually a pattern of eating that's recommended to those with hypoglycemic issues or to regulate your blood sugar levels. WebMD does say:

    "Hunger is a dieter’s worst enemy. That gnawing feeling usually occurs between meals, when blood sugar levels drop. In theory, if you divide your daily calorie allotment into several small meals throughout the day, hunger won’t be an issue... while eating more frequently seems to help some people control hunger, the scientific evidence indicates that there's nothing magical about it... A review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded there was no real weight loss advantage to eating six meals a day. Another study, in the British Journal of Nutrition, found no weight loss difference between dieters who ate their calories in three meals daily or six meals a day."

    You decide what's the right move here I guess.
  • hannahcall2
    hannahcall2 Posts: 175 Member
    The whole idea behind the six meals a day thing is to keep your metabolism firing all day long without putting it on overload (i.e. eating a huge meal). If you haven't hit your calorie count and you're full, don't sweat it. Listening to your body is more important than listening to numbers. Your body knows what you need day to day, this website is just here to help you listen to it. There's no rule of thumb that says you have to eat as often as six times a day. There has simply been some research that suggests eating 4-6 small meals a day may help you lose weight faster.
  • GoTeamMeaghan
    GoTeamMeaghan Posts: 347 Member
    I eat 6 ~300 calorie meals a day because I have Crohn's disease & acid reflux. It's just easier to digest smaller meals...plus food is good and I enjoy eating. If you don't like 6 meals, then just eat as many as you want. There is really no advantage, unless you have a medical condition.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    The whole idea behind the six meals a day thing is to keep your metabolism firing all day long without putting it on overload (i.e. eating a huge meal). If you haven't hit your calorie count and you're full, don't sweat it. Listening to your body is more important than listening to numbers. Your body knows what you need day to day, this website is just here to help you listen to it. There's no rule of thumb that says you have to eat as often as six times a day. There has simply been some research that suggests eating 4-6 small meals a day may help you lose weight faster.

    Disproven in the past few years
  • petstorekitty
    petstorekitty Posts: 592 Member
    Yo. I eat like this, sort of. Based on what PG58 said it makes sense for me! I get all wonky if I go without food for hours!

    When I'm doing well, I usually eat 3 small meals, 2 small snacks and dinner which i aim for less than 500 cals.

    Everyone else is right thought that as long as you're within your calories & macros you'd be OK.

    For someone who used to have Dr. Pepper for breakfast, switching to small meals throughout the day took some getting used to.
    I don't always do it, but I feel better when I do.

    My diary is public if you want to see things that I eat. (( Please feel free to ignore my weekends and the last few days! I've been emo and eating/drinking too much. ))
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
    The whole idea behind the six meals a day thing is to keep your metabolism firing all day long without putting it on overload (i.e. eating a huge meal). If you haven't hit your calorie count and you're full, don't sweat it. Listening to your body is more important than listening to numbers. Your body knows what you need day to day, this website is just here to help you listen to it. There's no rule of thumb that says you have to eat as often as six times a day. There has simply been some research that suggests eating 4-6 small meals a day may help you lose weight faster.

    Disproven in the past few years

    Yup!

    OP, eat as often as is best for you. You can eat once a day if you want.
  • MrsCarpenter719
    MrsCarpenter719 Posts: 31 Member
    Thanks to everyone who put their input. Im eating 6 small healthy meals a day because i hit a plateau and my bf suggested trying 6 small meals instead of 3 large ones. and they arent really meals its still 3 meals a day they are just smaller and then inbetween meals i eat a healthy snack of veggies or fruit or yogurt or cottage cheese or something. I didnt really expect to get shi*t for asking a question. but Im thankful for the good replys i did get and thank you!! I just started the 6 meals a day about 3 days ago. so i wanted to give it a week maybe two and see how i like it. and then if i dont think it suits me ill switch to like 4 meals a day or something. I just have belly fat from having a baby that i wanna get rid of and need to boost my metabolism and lose and tone my belly up. Im within all my micros and calorie intake and when i work out i try to eat back atleast half my calories but with good proteins!!! :) Thanks again everyone that responded nicely
  • ExRelaySprinter
    ExRelaySprinter Posts: 874 Member
    6 meals a day would be ideal for me as i'm Hypoglycemic.
    I couldn't get through the day without eating every couple of hours....or i'd start shaking and stuff. :/
    At the moment, i only eat 5 times a day (3 Meals & 2 snacks) but once i lose the weight and get back into my training i'll start eating 6 times.
    But just do what suits YOU best!
  • jilliew
    jilliew Posts: 255 Member
    I sort of do this as a means to control my cravings and boredom eating. I pre-plan my main meals (breakfast, lunch, supper) and then eat them spread out throughout the day. Does that make sense?

    So today I planned eggs and a banana for breakfast, which I ate two hours apart, some trail mix for a snack at 11, then lunch started at noon. I had my stirfry at noon, my peppers I'll eat around 1pm, then my apple at 2pm. Then snack time starts, and lasts 2 hours. lol. Some apple sauce at 3pm, tuna salad and crackers at 4pm, a 100 cal pack of something at 5pm on the drive home. I usually eat supper in one sitting between 6-7, but I save my "dessert," which is usually more fruit or something involving peanut butter, for a little later in the evening. People at work comment all the time that i'm constantly eating, but it works for me! There is no room for chocolate bars and chips when you're constantly stuffing your face!

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