Eating 6 small meals throughout the day
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una2282
Posts: 48 Member
So i am coming across a couple of different belief systems. Some say that eating small meals throughout the day does nothing for your metabolism, while others say that it does.
What are your thoughts?
What are your thoughts?
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Replies
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Concerning calories, the amount of meals per day does not matter at all but the nutrient timing does. For instance you can better use protein if it is spaced out every 4 hours for muscle growth. And its better to eat higher carb levels for breakfast and around your workout time than at night.0
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I eat 5 to 6 times a day, 3 meals and 2-3 snacks. I try to keep a balance of nutrients (Carbs/Proteins/Fats) for each but am not overly obsessive. This seems to help me avoid feeling hungry and snacking more often.0
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Concerning calories, the amount of meals per day does not matter at all but the nutrient timing does. For instance you can better use protein if it is spaced out every 4 hours for muscle growth. And its better to eat higher carb levels for breakfast and around your workout time than at night.
no.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/242990500 -
I am the same as Loulamb, I have 3 meals and 2 snacks. This helps to keep me fool and not snack on junk!0
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For basic weight loss, muscle gain, getting healthy, etc, nutrient timing is meaningless. Totals for the day/week are what matter. There are certain advanced situations such as endurance training when timing becomes important. Here, look at this fancy chart:
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Concerning calories, the amount of meals per day does not matter at all but the nutrient timing does. For instance you can better use protein if it is spaced out every 4 hours for muscle growth. And its better to eat higher carb levels for breakfast and around your workout time than at night.
No. Meal timing has been debunked.
OP, if 6 smaller meals works for you, then go with that. I know people that do this as well as others that do 5 meals and at least one that just does 2 large meals (with no snacks in between).
Personally, I have found I do better with 2 large meals and some snacks. Just give it a try for 2-3 weeks to see if more meals versus less works for you.0 -
Concerning calories, the amount of meals per day does not matter at all but the nutrient timing does. For instance you can better use protein if it is spaced out every 4 hours for muscle growth. And its better to eat higher carb levels for breakfast and around your workout time than at night.
I did not know that. Thank you!0 -
For basic weight loss, muscle gain, getting healthy, etc, nutrient timing is meaningless. Totals for the day/week are what matter. There are certain advanced situations such as endurance training when timing becomes important. Here, look at this fancy chart:
That makes perfect sense. It also makes me feel better for not being able to follow a schedule. I can see how it is crucial for endurance and muscle building.0 -
No. Meal timing has been debunked.
OP, if 6 smaller meals works for you, then go with that. I know people that do this as well as others that do 5 meals and at least one that just does 2 large meals (with no snacks in between).
Personally, I have found I do better with 2 large meals and some snacks. Just give it a try for 2-3 weeks to see if more meals versus less works for you.
I was coming across the issue i read other people had, i'd be super hungry if i eat multiple times a day, but much less so if i only have 3 big meals. That's what prompt me to research this.0 -
Concerning calories, the amount of meals per day does not matter at all but the nutrient timing does. For instance you can better use protein if it is spaced out every 4 hours for muscle growth. And its better to eat higher carb levels for breakfast and around your workout time than at night.
I did not know that. Thank you!0 -
OP, if 6 smaller meals works for you, then go with that. I know people that do this as well as others that do 5 meals and at least one that just does 2 large meals (with no snacks in between).
This. It's not about metabolism, it's that lots of people find it easier to cut calories if they eat more often.
I dislike having a bunch of small meals or snacks, so I just eat 3 normal-sized meals and have lost fine. My metabolism appears to be operating normally.0 -
I eat 6 small meal thorough out the day myself! I think that works best for me! But everyone's different so do whatever works for you!0
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my brother is a personal trainer and he eats at least 6-8 small meals per day. he has the lowest % of body fat of anyone I know.
that being said, that doesn't work for me. I practice intermittent fasting, where I only eat for 6 hours per day. I do this for a variety of reasons, and I am losing weight. do what works for you0 -
Whatever works best for you. I eat 5-6 times a day for two main reasons: it keeps my blood sugar level and I have a hiatal hernia so I cannot eat large meals. I find that I am rarely hungry by doing this.0
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Concerning calories, the amount of meals per day does not matter at all but the nutrient timing does. For instance you can better use protein if it is spaced out every 4 hours for muscle growth. And its better to eat higher carb levels for breakfast and around your workout time than at night.
I did not know that. Thank you!
There is plenty of science to support my claims, multiple studies have been done showing that our bodies can only use around 35-40 g of protein max and 25g minimum to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, also for the spacing of carbs, try it yourself and see what happens there is definitely a noticeable difference. Finally there is no reason to be so aggressive on here, dont tell someone not to thank someone. If you dont believe the science look up biolayne.0 -
Concerning calories, the amount of meals per day does not matter at all but the nutrient timing does. For instance you can better use protein if it is spaced out every 4 hours for muscle growth. And its better to eat higher carb levels for breakfast and around your workout time than at night.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
While I do eat 5 times a day...3 meals and 2 snacks I cannot get it my head to eat 6 small meals as my snacks are definitely snacks and my meals are definitely meals..my thoughts when I tried the 6 small meals thing is that I never felt fed, just held over until the next snack and thus I actually found I obsessed about food waiting for the next time I could tide myself over.0
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Concerning calories, the amount of meals per day does not matter at all but the nutrient timing does. For instance you can better use protein if it is spaced out every 4 hours for muscle growth. And its better to eat higher carb levels for breakfast and around your workout time than at night.
I did not know that. Thank you!
There is plenty of science to support my claims, multiple studies have been done showing that our bodies can only use around 35-40 g of protein max and 25g minimum to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, also for the spacing of carbs, try it yourself and see what happens there is definitely a noticeable difference. Finally there is no reason to be so aggressive on here, dont tell someone not to thank someone. If you dont believe the science look up biolayne.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
OP, if 6 smaller meals works for you, then go with that. I know people that do this as well as others that do 5 meals and at least one that just does 2 large meals (with no snacks in between).
This. It's not about metabolism, it's that lots of people find it easier to cut calories if they eat more often.
I dislike having a bunch of small meals or snacks, so I just eat 3 normal-sized meals and have lost fine. My metabolism appears to be operating normally.
On this topic, it is important to separate the physiological issues from the behavioral. Physiologically, there is no beneft to eating numerous smaller meals--no increased TEF, no increased metabolism, etc. Behaviorally, there are a number of meal patterns that people can use to increase their adherence if necessary. They are more jedi mind tricks than anything else, but they do no harm, and might help someone if they believe in the pattern.0 -
I do 2-6 meals, depending on how I feel that day.
Just do what you like.0
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