Eating 4/5 small meals or a few larger ones daily???
Still_Sossy
Posts: 868 Member
I am confused, plain and simple. Some "experts" say you need to eat every 3 to 4 hours in small amounts to keep your metabolism going strong and then you have groups like WW who say you can save up your calories for a larger meal in the day. This is so conflicting what do you all do? Cause it seems to me, if I eat 3 to 4 times a day not only do I go over calories, I seem more hungry and am anticipating the next time I get to eat, if I think only of breakfast, lunch, and dinner then I do not think about it when they come I eat. I do not know if there is any real evidence to validate either side, it seems if you look hard enough you can find some point of view that agrees with what ever model you are trying to make fit. Opinions please........
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I'm 3 meal encounters and 3 snack encounters each day.0
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I think it's just based on what feels right and works for you. I use to follow the 5-6 small meals a day for years but I always had digestive problems and simply stayed neutral weight wise. Now I started to eat 3 full meals a day and it works for me because it gives my digestive system to breakdown the nutrients and release toxins and waste. I say do what is best for you. And what you're doing now seems to be working because you look amazing anyway
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I do 5 - 6 meals a day. It helps me because I know I'm always eating soon after.
I was depriving my body too much of what it was telling me it wanted. So I have decided to listen to it more and even though I just started..I feel a lot better. If you feel better eating 3 meals a day then try it out and see how it works for you. We learn from trial and error. Every body is different.0 -
I think the small meals is probably best, but only if it works for you. If it doesn't work for you, then do the 3 large meals. Or try 3 meals, plus a snack. Have a good breakfast, and make either lunch or dinner a little smaller.
Really the most important thing is sticking to a healthy amount of calories, and not starving or stuffing yourself.0 -
My motto is to do what I can with what makes me happy, as long as it is still working.
I prefer 3 meals and 3 snacks. I do usually eat more calories at dinner than any of the other. I've been consistently losing each week so I believe this is working for me now. If it ever stops working (ie - I don't lose weight), then I'll change my approach. If you prefer three meals and saving calories for later and it works for you, I say go for it because you are right - you can find a study to back up anyone's cause.0 -
I just read an article about this on the "nutrition diva's" FB page. She says that over all people who eat 5 smaller meals all day end up eating more total calories. 3 squares and a snack or two is the new thing they seem to be recommending. I agree though it's confusing and annoying to think you've been given the right info then they change it. She had science to back it up but I guess it's best to see what works for you. Good luck Sos 0
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You should eat smaller "meals" more frequently throughout the day. This should help you keep that full feeling, which should inherently prevent you from overeating during any one meal. Additionally, drink 8+ cups of water per day as this will help with keeping you feeling full longer/more consistently. Additionally, try to make breakfast your highest caloric meal of the day, with your last meal being least in calories.
Here's an example of what my food intake might look like (~2k calories):
1) Breakfast (within 30 minutes of waking) - 4 egg white omelette with low fat chesse and some sort of vegetable, 3 - 5 slices of turkey bacon, piece of fruit and/or low fat greek yogurt
2) Snack approx 2 hours later - south beach mix nuts or turkey jerky
3) Lunch (approx 2 - 3 hours later) - salad with grilled chicken or fish, vegetable, fruit
4) Snack (approx 2 hours later) - celery w/ low fat peanut butter or low fat string cheese)
5) Dinner (approx 2 hours later) - grilled chicken or tuna, or fish. veggies, maybe a serving of whole wheat pasta.
6) Snack (before bed) - protein shake (~115 calories of protein mixed water)0 -
I do 3 meals and sometimes an afternoon snack if I'm starving. For me the 5 small meals thing just felt like I was eating all darn day... and I really didn't have the time to keep up with the schedule (if you have a meeting, what then? if you are out of the office for the afternoon do you just skip that meal? - and then I was STARVING if that happened).0
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I have read and follow, eat when you are hungry.....and only eat till you are full....chew every bite fully and enjoy every bite. When you are full push the plate away....
for me small meals often is like grazing then I am constantly thinking of food and that drives me crazy....0 -
I eat 3 meals & 3 snacks - eating something every 2-3 hours. I try to refrain from large meals at one seating because afterwards, I feel sluggish and/or stuffed. Sometimes I may split my breakfast &/or lunch in half.
Chick Fil A Breakfast: Have main course for breakfast; then 2-3 hours later have the Granola Yogort for a snack
Panera Bread Pick 2: Have soup for lunch; then 2-3 hours later snack on the salad
Good Luck!
Maybe you should try it one way for 2 weeks; then the other way for 2 weeks. Just enter notes, and monitor your progress. Then make your decision.0 -
I saw a video recently on youtube about how the body uses food. It stated that if you eat a 1000 calorie meal at one time, your body will only use what it needs at that time, say 400 calories, and store the other 600. I really feel that this is true because sometimes I'll have lots of calories to spare during a day and eat a huge meal and gain weight. So know I'll still have that same meal, but I'll split it up into smaller portions.0
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The doctor said that 3 meals and 2-3 snacks per day was one that would support keeping your metabolism going and preventing hunger. In WW, they do say that you should save your points for a large meal and that would be equivalent to us using 600 or 700 calories for one meal and then dividing the remainder among the other meals. I personally do the meals and snacks because they help me to stay ahead of hunger.0
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I eat 6 meals per day inverted per calories... Which means that I eat my biggest meal at breakfast and then eat less and less per meal to the end of the day. This will fill you up in the morning and you won''t be hungry all day... Your metabolism will stay high as well.
<<<<<<<<<<<< Proof is in the pudding 0 -
The body burns more fat and the metabolism is regulated better with small frequent feedings (I do 5-6 meals daily). However if you're not the type to be satisfied with smaller meals just eat 3 larger ones. I also heard not to exceed 700 cals a meal because the body can not utilize more than that and the rest converts to FAT! Check out bodybuilding.com.. they have amazing nutritional articles.
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I eat all day...LOL! I just don't go over my calorie intake~ Then most of the time by the end of the day I worked off 1/4 to half of what I've eaten! It really does depend on you and your activity level.0
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I do the 6 meals thing and I like it; but more and more I'm reading that the number of meals and timing doesn't matter so much. So as long as you're hitting your numbers, do what feels right and don't worry too much about it.
(edit: grammar)0 -
I do 3 meals and a protein shake or high protein snack after my workout. I tried the 5/6 meals a day, I felt like I was eating all the time, my day felt consumed with food and I didn't like it at all so I went back to what I know works for me.0
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I eat 5-6 meals and 3-4k calories per day. I need to eat that much just to maintain my weight while trying to make modest lean gains. I have dropped about 50 lbs of fat and only about 2-3 lbs of muscle that way.
There are many advocates for Intermittent Fastng. You will find all the information you need to research it at leangains.com. He makes some interesting points about gut health and things and not obsessing about your next meal. Men that do it can stay at 7% body fat comfortably for years. Basically, you fast every day from 8pm until about noon. Then you eat a gargantuan meal and taper down. There are numerous other plans but you can link to them from leangains.com
Please let me know if you find anything interesting.0 -
I eat 3 small main meals aprox 300-400 calories each and 3 snacks aprox 100-150 calories each, spread out every 3 hours at least minimum totaling 1200 calories, then take into account whatever my exercise calories are and eat some more of those back but only if I feel hungry or did alot , usually not all of it. I try not to go over 1600 max.0
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I eat 6 times a day, sorta works out to three meals and three snacks (all planned out with the help of MFP). I have been doing this for a few months and it is actually easy now. I think it is all about portion control, and I feel my path to success is breaking down and tracking everything I eat until it becomes a habit, .... and then keep myself in check. I have been losing pretty well so until things slow or stop I'm gonna stick to this path.0
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3 meals, 1 protein shake, rarely snack.
I like space between meals and I don't enjoy thinking about meals all day long.0 -
I'd say 6/7 is a good number as long as all the nutrients are in check (balanced). In other words the number is important (quantity) and the quality is also paramount. Also, consistency from one day to the next also counts in the bigger picture...yo-yo diets = yo-yo weight..or just unsatisfactory results (but happy taste-buds - something's got to give)0
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for me small meals often is like grazing then I am constantly thinking of food and that drives me crazy....
Agreed... even if I plan my "small meals" out for the day I often end up going over because I never truly feel "full".
My gut also feels better when it has time to rest.0 -
This is really good information, and the part about your body only being able to process so many calories makes sense to me. Pretty interesting! Thanks! I will keep checking back to see what other helpful tid bits someone may have!0
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for me small meals often is like grazing then I am constantly thinking of food and that drives me crazy....
Agreed... even if I plan my "small meals" out for the day I often end up going over because I never truly feel "full".
My gut also feels better when it has time to rest.
agreed.......I find that I do best with about 4 meal times a day but depending on what I have done for the day I can do just 3 or higher, the best advice I can give is to write down the times of day you are eating and rate your hunger on a scale of 1-10 and make adjustments until you can go from one meal to the next without feeling like grabbing everything in sight.
What I like about smaller meals is never feeling stuffed or uncomfortable.0 -
Frequency doesn't matter. Just eat however is convenient for you as long as you stay within your calorie goal. I eat two meals a day.
http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html0 -
During the work week i eat 3 small breakast meals since i have to get up so early for work.
4:00am- Wake up 250 cals
6:30am- 1st break 200 cals
8:45am- 2nd break 200 cals
11:00am Lunch 350-450 cals
4:00pm Supper 350-500 cals
6:00pm 200-400 cals
Between 1400-1700 per day about 200-800 under my 1lb a week or more loss rate.
Generally speaking on weekends i eat 3 meals with snacks.0 -
Try it both ways and see what you like the best. I tried the 3 small meals and 3 snacks per day thing, eatting every 2.5 hours....it didn't fit my lifestyle. I couldn't keep up the "feeding" schedule, couldn't stop what I was doing or walk out of meetings to go eat a few mouthfulls. I changed to 3 meals (300-600 cals) and a snack (100-200 cals) where I am eatting every 4-5 hours. This works much better for me.0
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My nutritionist recommends me to eat 6 times a day, that's including 3 snacks, breakfast, lunch plus dinner. But in moderate portions. By eating 6 meals a day, your metabolism will keep working constantly which is equal to more calorie burning. The key to loosing weight is to burn more calories than you eat. A fast-working metabolism will definately help you to burn fat and calories quicker. I hope that makes sense to you. 0
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5-6 "meals" per day. Someone's probably already said this, but the fact you're getting hungry is a good sign. It means your metabolism IS rockin! But Men's Health in one issue did say that you should start out with a fairly big breakfast and slowly wind down each meal so that dinner is something very light like a salad.
Typically when I do the 5-6 a day and it's early on... I feel too full. Bloated. Heavy. But after about a week or two, your body adjusts and gets cranking, and then your body is on that clock and knows when to start being hungry.0
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