Does meal frequency really not matter?

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TestingFun01
TestingFun01 Posts: 89 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
How does the body respond to a change in meal frequency? Do you temporarily gain water weight or anything?

^^ (Main question)

↓↓ Background

I'm a girl, and I always used to eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks.

For the past few months I've been doing fasting a lot. I was testing (my username fits me) different variations of it. I've done 5:2 fasting, I've done 4:3.
I've done a 18:6 window, I've done a 36hr fast (which raised a few eyebrows since I'm a girl and typically only men have the willpower to fast that long -- I'm a special snowflake ::flutters eyelashes::)

Ironically 5:2 was most difficult as it was my first experience with it. Now I've settled on a 24hour fast. Meaning I eat one meal a day. Will there be like any change whatsoever in my body if I bump it up to 5 meals again?

I don't get hungry like I used to while fasting. It's there but very mild. Funny thing is when I eat more times a day I get hungry all. the. time. Is that normal?
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Replies

  • logg1e
    logg1e Posts: 1,208 Member
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    This site isn't for girls, you have to be over 18 to be a member.

    "Girls aren't known for their willpower"? Spare me.
  • TestingFun01
    TestingFun01 Posts: 89 Member
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    This site isn't for girls, you have to be over 18 to be a member.

    "Girls aren't known for their willpower"? Spare me.

    Uh yeah I'm 21. I didn't say girls aren't known for their willpower, I said a lot of women find it difficult to fast that long.

    If you aren't going to answer my question or say something nice, then keep your trap shut. :noway:
  • eliska26
    eliska26 Posts: 6
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    my opinion is that it affects different people in different way. E.g if i skip meal end end up to be really hungry, in the evening I could eat a horse- so I eat more after all (calories of day, not only dinner) but my boyfriend doesn´t have to eat all day and ends up eating the same amount of food as he would if he eat all day. However, when I was young I sometimes forgot to eat and ate only lunch at school (they gave us also food which remained, so quite big portion)- if it was 3 or 4 times in a row, my stomach hurt at night- but after that I was not hunger at all in the morning. I think my stomach was smaller, since then I felt great, had a lot of energy and wasn´t hungry at all. When I am thinking about it now, It was much more convinient. I eat 4-5 meals a day now and yes hunger is more frequent and bigger than it was.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
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    Calories can't tell time. I eat whenever I want, and I've had no issues. Same with many other users on here. As long as you get your cals in for the day, it doesn't matter if you're spannining them across one meal or ten.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    no meal frequency does not matter at all.
  • ExRelaySprinter
    ExRelaySprinter Posts: 874 Member
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    I don't really like the idea of fasting tbh.
    Going for long periods of time without food, "just don't seem natural".
    I almost collapse if i go without food for about 3 hours! :laugh:
    If you've only been doing the 24 hr fasting for a short time, i doubt if you'll gain loads if you bump back up to 5 times a day eating.
  • GuybrushThreepw00d
    GuybrushThreepw00d Posts: 784 Member
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    Or you could look at what other people do;

    http://www.simplyshredded.com/michelle-lewin.html

    Meal 1: Oatmeal with Big Blend from Betancourt Nutrition
    Meal 2: Ham with Swedish Crackers (Wasa)
    Meal 3: Chicken Breast with Brown Rice
    Meal 4: Pork Chops with Salad
    Meal 5: Beef with Asparagus & Spinach
    Meal 6: Salmon with Broccoli
    Meal 7: Casein Protein Shake (Before bed)
  • TestingFun01
    TestingFun01 Posts: 89 Member
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    Or you could look at what other people do;

    http://www.simplyshredded.com/michelle-lewin.html

    Meal 1: Oatmeal with Big Blend from Betancourt Nutrition
    Meal 2: Ham with Swedish Crackers (Wasa)
    Meal 3: Chicken Breast with Brown Rice
    Meal 4: Pork Chops with Salad
    Meal 5: Beef with Asparagus & Spinach
    Meal 6: Salmon with Broccoli
    Meal 7: Casein Protein Shake (Before bed)

    Too much thinking involved :P
  • GuybrushThreepw00d
    GuybrushThreepw00d Posts: 784 Member
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    Too much thinking involved :P

    You're going to go far, sweetcheeks.
  • TestingFun01
    TestingFun01 Posts: 89 Member
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    I don't really like the idea of fasting tbh.
    Going for long periods of time without food, "just don't seem natural".
    I almost collapse if i go without food for about 3 hours! :laugh:
    If you've only been doing the 24 hr fasting for a short time, i doubt if you'll gain loads if you bump back up to 5 times a day eating.

    For me that's the interesting. I've been eating 5 meals my whole life...I've always eaten breakfast.

    So one would think it's ingrained in me and I would be like you (wanting to faint after 3 hours without food Lol), but actually fasting that long comes really easily to me.

    And I'm MORE hungry when I eat more often than I am if I'm fasting. Everyone's different hey :smile:
  • trinatrina1984
    trinatrina1984 Posts: 1,018 Member
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    This site isn't for girls, you have to be over 18 to be a member.

    "Girls aren't known for their willpower"? Spare me.

    Uh yeah I'm 21. I didn't say girls aren't known for their willpower, I said a lot of women find it difficult to fast that long.

    If you aren't going to answer my question or say something nice, then keep your trap shut. :noway:

    Blimey someone got out the wrong side of bed today
  • ExRelaySprinter
    ExRelaySprinter Posts: 874 Member
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    Or you could look at what other people do;

    http://www.simplyshredded.com/michelle-lewin.html

    Meal 1: Oatmeal with Big Blend from Betancourt Nutrition
    Meal 2: Ham with Swedish Crackers (Wasa)
    Meal 3: Chicken Breast with Brown Rice
    Meal 4: Pork Chops with Salad
    Meal 5: Beef with Asparagus & Spinach
    Meal 6: Salmon with Broccoli
    Meal 7: Casein Protein Shake (Before bed)

    Too much money involved. :laugh:
    Those foods cost a fortune here in the UK.
    I'd be seriously out of pocket if i ate this every day.
  • RandallFSF
    RandallFSF Posts: 2
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    There is absolutely ZERO scientific evidence proving the correlation between eating times and weight loss. ZERO. There are, however, studies which show how people that ate more frequently tended to SNACK LESS BETWEEN MEALS. Honestly, if we had to eat frequently, to "keep our metabolism burning...." we would have died off millions of years ago, when we would go days or weeks without eating.

    Bottom line: If you tend to snack between meals, by all means, eat MEALS more frequently. However, realize that you are then keeping your insulin levels raised most of the day, which can cause some metabolic issues. Elevated insulin + prolonged periods = quicker and more stored fat!

    Randall, FSF

    http://vonblancofitness.com/the-truth-about-meal-frequency-and-nutrient-timing/

    http://syattfitness.com/fat-loss/meal-frequency/

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSLn0vGh5ZQ&index=5&list=LLS7kyY9hqClnfIYreR5xvpg
  • TestingFun01
    TestingFun01 Posts: 89 Member
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    This site isn't for girls, you have to be over 18 to be a member.

    "Girls aren't known for their willpower"? Spare me.

    Uh yeah I'm 21. I didn't say girls aren't known for their willpower, I said a lot of women find it difficult to fast that long.

    If you aren't going to answer my question or say something nice, then keep your trap shut. :noway:

    Blimey someone got out the wrong side of bed today

    Nah. I just hate if someone judges me by my cover. They wanna be rude, I can be too.
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
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    I work grave yard 12 hours shifts. Half of the week, I eat all my meals at night and the other half at regular times of the day. It doesnt make any difference.
  • TestingFun01
    TestingFun01 Posts: 89 Member
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    There is absolutely ZERO scientific evidence proving the correlation between eating times and weight loss. ZERO. There are, however, studies which show how people that ate more frequently tended to SNACK LESS BETWEEN MEALS.

    Yeah well, you know fasting wouldn't be fasting exactly if you ate while doing it. It defeats it's purpose. So since I fast and eat one meal a day, I eat one meal a day and don't snack. :tongue:
  • logg1e
    logg1e Posts: 1,208 Member
    Options
    This site isn't for girls, you have to be over 18 to be a member.

    "Girls aren't known for their willpower"? Spare me.

    Uh yeah I'm 21. I didn't say girls aren't known for their willpower, I said a lot of women find it difficult to fast that long.

    If you aren't going to answer my question or say something nice, then keep your trap shut. :noway:

    Blimey someone got out the wrong side of bed today

    Nah. I just hate if someone judges me by my cover. They wanna be rude, I can be too.

    Aye, I was equally as rude. I don't think it's helpful to use "girl" when you mean "woman" and I thought that the idea that women don't have the willpower to fast is just silly. Your OP was too "cool girl" for me to take seriously.
  • TestingFun01
    TestingFun01 Posts: 89 Member
    Options
    This site isn't for girls, you have to be over 18 to be a member.

    "Girls aren't known for their willpower"? Spare me.

    Uh yeah I'm 21. I didn't say girls aren't known for their willpower, I said a lot of women find it difficult to fast that long.

    If you aren't going to answer my question or say something nice, then keep your trap shut. :noway:

    Blimey someone got out the wrong side of bed today

    Nah. I just hate if someone judges me by my cover. They wanna be rude, I can be too.

    Aye, I was equally as rude. I don't think it's helpful to use "girl" when you mean "woman" and I thought that the idea that women don't have the willpower to fast is just silly. Your OP was too "cool girl" for me to take seriously.

    Like I said, I didn't say they don't have the willpower. But when you look at women who fast here, a lot of them do a window version instead of doing a 24hr. There are also a few studies suggesting it's harder for some of them (and perhaps bad for their fertility) to do long periods of fasting when compared to men.

    I didn't mean to sound "cool girl"... I meant to be sarcastic when I said I'm a special snowflake. It was supposed to be humorous.

    And wether I use girl or woman, we are both the same species...we both have boobs...just because I said I'm a girl doesn't necessarily mean I'm a minor.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    There is absolutely ZERO scientific evidence proving the correlation between eating times and weight loss. ZERO. There are, however, studies which show how people that ate more frequently tended to SNACK LESS BETWEEN MEALS. Honestly, if we had to eat frequently, to "keep our metabolism burning...." we would have died off millions of years ago, when we would go days or weeks without eating.

    Bottom line: If you tend to snack between meals, by all means, eat MEALS more frequently. However, realize that you are then keeping your insulin levels raised most of the day, which can cause some metabolic issues. Elevated insulin + prolonged periods = quicker and more stored fat!

    Randall, FSF

    http://vonblancofitness.com/the-truth-about-meal-frequency-and-nutrient-timing/

    http://syattfitness.com/fat-loss/meal-frequency/

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSLn0vGh5ZQ&index=5&list=LLS7kyY9hqClnfIYreR5xvpg

    This is incorrect - there is some scientific evidence that meal frequency timing, meal composition, and overall dietary macro composition affect metabolic function and weight gain/loss, especially for some disease states. However, it seems very secondary to the basics of weight loss which are to focus on calories consumed first and the amount of energy spent moving about and exercising. So meal frequency doesn't matter in the larger context of focusing on the major elements for weight loss. It doesn't mean there isn't evidence, it just isn't where one should be focusing.

    Meal frequency matters in that it does sometimes affect how an individual adheres to a plan. Find the meal frequency or variations that you like, that fits your lifestyle and stick to it.
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
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    No - it does not matter if your calories ultimately end up being the same in total

    Yes - it does matter if meal frequency causes you to over eat. Some people my be prompted to over eat on multiple meals a day. Some people may be prompted to over eat on less meals.

    Like most things it depends on the individual.

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