3 meals vs. 6 little meals a day

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  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    No, it is not ALL about calories in/out. Anyone stating this is not up on their science. Calories do count but there are many other things that also count. Our bodies are very complex in how they use what we eat.

    please explain the science behind this statement, as you seem to be up on "the science"….
  • PetulantOne
    PetulantOne Posts: 2,131 Member
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    Do what YOU can stick too.

    I eat many small meals throughout the day because that's what works for me, not because I think it will speed up my metabolism.
  • ComradeTovarich
    ComradeTovarich Posts: 495 Member
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    The whole "increasing metabolism by eating several small meals a day" thing is bs. I do eat that way, but it's because I've found that I don't feel that hungry throughout the day when I do it that way. If I eat a big meal, I'll feel full for a while and then I get super hungry later.
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
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    It's personal preference. Meal timing has no effect on weight loss.

    I eat 6 meals Monday through Friday to keep me from going insane at my desk... and I like to have a snack before my workouts.

    I eat a big breakfast, small lunch, and moderate dinner on the weekends because... I want to.

    Find what works for you. :drinker:
  • Happyhealthymassagetherapist
    Happyhealthymassagetherapist Posts: 7 Member
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    I'm doing much much better and slimming down eating 3 meals a day and one protein snack between lunch and dinner and one small carb, such as organic puffed corn with unsweetened almond milk (sugarless) snack before bed. ( i sleep better) I also eat after my Hiit and weight training session. I am slimming in my waistline and my body its shaping up nicely. Hope this helps.

    I was doing 5-6 small meals and It just never made me feel satisfied and i was always hungry because i never got a good plate of food in. all the meals were mini and i never stopped thinking of food. once i had 3 regular healthy meals, i felt fine between meals. And i stopped binging at night too.

    6 small meals doesn't work for me but it may for you. try both and see which one you have more energy with, and feel thinning after a week or so.
  • EpsilonGamma
    EpsilonGamma Posts: 96
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    As one member has said, the 6 meals a day has been debunked. There is no benefit except when you are eating say 5000 + calories a day. It's hard to eat that much in 3 meals.

    I do IF and I only eat on avg 2 meals a day. I might eat an apple in between on some days.

    6 meals a day if it works for you sure, but as you said in your original post. Calories In and Out is one of the biggest factors.
  • wijody
    wijody Posts: 26 Member
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    3 (or sometimes 2). I'm the kind of person who LOVES to eat and when I eat a meal, I want to eat a MEAL, not a 200-calorie 'snack' - so when I eat less times per day, I can eat more when I do eat. Works for ME - but some people love their plan of eating 6x per day and if that works for them, awesome! :)
  • sarafischbach9
    sarafischbach9 Posts: 466 Member
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    I eat 3 meals and a snack.

    I'd rather have the bigger meals because they make me feel full. I do not get super hungry in between meals. When I maintain, I will have 3 meals and 2 snacks. My 3 meals will be slightly bigger than now and there will be an extra snack. I think the 6 small meals sounds like a good idea in theory, but with work and school its hard to eat in that frequency.

    It all matters with personal preference. I don't know about the whole metabolism thing, but some people might find that eating 6 times a day keeps them from getting hungry because they eat frequently. I find that eating the bigger meals and the feeling of fullness works for me.

    It's up to you. Maybe experiment to see what you like?
  • sarafischbach9
    sarafischbach9 Posts: 466 Member
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    3 (or sometimes 2). I'm the kind of person who LOVES to eat and when I eat a meal, I want to eat a MEAL, not a 200-calorie 'snack' - so when I eat less times per day, I can eat more when I do eat. Works for ME - but some people love their plan of eating 6x per day and if that works for them, awesome! :)

    Same here!
  • ashleycde
    ashleycde Posts: 622 Member
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    I just eat whenever I'm hungry. I have my food diary set with 3 meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), midday snacks, and late snacks, but I'd say I probably eat 6-8 times a day on average. I snack a lot on things like carrots and mangos, so I wouldn't consider those meals, and if I were to count my full meals, I'd say I eat 2-3, but realistically I'm eating all throughout the day so I don't pay too much concern to a meal structure at all. It all depends on personal preference. I found even before coming on here, I never ate a lot in one sitting. I'm the kind of person who gets full quickly, but is hungry every hour. It was normal for me to eat part of my dinner, then keep going back to it every hour until it was done. Now I just give myself smaller portions, and snack on healthy choices or meal leftovers when I need to.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    Constant grazing, unless I'm too busy or too tired :( Guess I've got some more work to do
  • EpicMedic
    EpicMedic Posts: 24 Member
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    It doesn't matter. Except if having meals more often keeps you more satisfied so you don't eat too much at the 3 meals.

    ^^^^^^^^^ THIS

    It's all about being able to STICK to those deficits. If you eat one HUGE meal at breakfast and nothing else the rest of the day, come bedtime you're going to be starving and MUCH more likely to hit a late night snack. Eat as often as you feel hungry, try to space out the meals (I eat every 3 hours and I'm never "hungry") and maintain your deficit.

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