Myth #1: You Should Eat Every 2-3 Hours To Lose Weight

Atthea
Atthea Posts: 53
edited September 28 in Health and Weight Loss
Myth #1: You Should Eat Every 2-3 Hours To Lose Weight

«This is a biggie. According to JJ, If you are doing this, you are a sugar burner, not a fat burner !
This does not lead to stable blood sugar. When you eat a diet with "loads" of non-starchy vegetables (like high nutrient greens!), low amounts of slow carbs (like lentils), ideal amounts of healthy fats, a little "clean and lean" protein- you create an environment for stable blood sugar.

When you eat, your blood sugar and insulin rises- it has to. When insulin is up the "message" to your body is that you don't have to burn stored fat because food is coming in. So when you eat every couple of hours you are shutting off fat burning and teaching your body to fuel on sugar. You want to teach your body to access stored fat for food.

What are healthy fats? Olive oil, avocado, coconut milk are great examples.

You should go 4-6 hours (or be able to) between eating. If you need to eat before this, you are out of balance. This can be "healed" in a couple of weeks. Research shows that when you eat a 400-600 calories breakfast- you burn more calories and keep it off.»

It is very interesting and ... well... logical !!
It is quite a big one myth to bust!!! I forced myself into eating more often because I never was a nibbler before.

But eating more often does help to eat less at once and maybe over all at the end..
What do you think??

Here is the link :
http://www.peertrainer.com/myth_busters_jjvirgin.aspx
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Replies

  • katschi
    katschi Posts: 689 Member
    Thank you for posting this. :flowerforyou:
  • godroxmysox
    godroxmysox Posts: 1,491 Member
    Interesting..
  • Black_Swan
    Black_Swan Posts: 770 Member
    Im kind of "weird" maybe but I found out that eating every 3-4 hours is simply the best for me and it works, so I wont change anything. But interesting idea for future...oooooor no haha:D
  • amberlee2011
    amberlee2011 Posts: 129
    That is interesting. I've been eating a snack between breakfast and lunch, but not between lunch and dinner.
  • Chenson2010
    Chenson2010 Posts: 8 Member
    I agree with you that this does help with portion control. I have been doing very well with my weight loss and i eat every three hours, that is three meals and two snacks daily. So this information is very new to me.
  • hush7hush
    hush7hush Posts: 2,273 Member
    This helps me support the reasons I like to go so long between meals.
    And the reasons I fast.
    Thank you!
  • soundjunkie
    soundjunkie Posts: 41 Member
    Myth #1: You Should Eat Every 2-3 Hours To Lose Weight

    «This is a biggie. According to JJ, If you are doing this, you are a sugar burner, not a fat burner !
    This does not lead to stable blood sugar. When you eat a diet with "loads" of non-starchy vegetables (like high nutrient greens!), low amounts of slow carbs (like lentils), ideal amounts of healthy fats, a little "clean and lean" protein- you create an environment for stable blood sugar.

    When you eat, your blood sugar and insulin rises- it has to. When insulin is up the "message" to your body is that you don't have to burn stored fat because food is coming in. So when you eat every couple of hours you are shutting off fat burning and teaching your body to fuel on sugar. You want to teach your body to access stored fat for food.

    What are healthy fats? Olive oil, avocado, coconut milk are great examples.

    You should go 4-6 hours (or be able to) between eating. If you need to eat before this, you are out of balance. This can be "healed" in a couple of weeks. Research shows that when you eat a 400-600 calories breakfast- you burn more calories and keep it off.»

    It is very interesting and ... well... logical !!
    It is quite a big one myth to bust!!! I forced myself into eating more often because I never was a nibbler before.

    But eating more often does help to eat less at once and maybe over all at the end..
    What do you think??

    Here is the link :
    http://www.peertrainer.com/myth_busters_jjvirgin.aspx

    :heart: I think I love you! Do you know how many years of hard training at a gym and a "fkd up" 2 hour eating regimine I went through to achieve -0- results!!!!! I'd like to strangle all the fitness trainers who claimed this 2-hour small meal eating plan would stabalize my blood sugar level and make me lose weight.
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    I saw this too, it is interesting. I had read something where she said snacking is making you fat, but this explains it a little bit more, makes sense to me.
  • julslea
    julslea Posts: 436 Member
    saving to read when i have more time.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Well if you look at the six-week body makeover, it is designed to keep your blood-sugar levels at a constant all day and you eat six times a day. But that particular diet is hardcore, and it would take some serious self-discipline to make that a long-term lifestyle change.
  • 27strange
    27strange Posts: 837 Member
    Interesting. I've heard pros and cons about this before. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that it comes down to the individual and what their lifestyle is and body type and previous food intake is and so forth. Some people do best with multiple little meals a day, some do best with the traditional 3, some have best results with a big breakfast others doesn't seem to make a difference. There is no one "best fit" plan for everyone. It comes down to how your body reacts and what you can find works for you mentally as well.
  • Kelly_Wilson1990
    Kelly_Wilson1990 Posts: 3,245 Member
    I eat 6 small meals a day and I have lost 94 pounds to date. It works for me to do it that way.
  • The_Saint
    The_Saint Posts: 358 Member
    I am going to have to disagree with the broader topic. I think there are a number of things I disagree with in the message. But I am bumping this to read the article later. There are a couple of statements that I have a contradicting opinion on. I would offer dissent, but I do not want to interrupt the consensus of opinion, nor start an argument.

    I can see this is going to become a controversial thread quite fast...
  • Kristhin
    Kristhin Posts: 442 Member
    People always say not to do this, but I've never been clinically overweight in my entire life really so I figure it works pretty well. Especially when I stuck to this best I was my skinniest.
    I pretty much skip breakfast, have a very small lunch (200-300 cal range) then have all my calories at dinner.
    I find if you consume food it makes you hungry for more food and you eat more. For me anyway.
    Whereas, if I don't hardly eat anything, I'll get hungry eventually, but not nearly as much or as often.
  • JDRBT
    JDRBT Posts: 264 Member
    Well, I can say that I lost 50lbs by eating around 200 calories every 2-3 hours, and drinking at least 64 oz of water (focusing on protein or fiber laden foods). I think it all depends on how active you are, and how you define a "meal". My "meals" were more like side dishes. My calorie input was stable every day at around 1200 calories (more if I was active).
    It worked for me. Eating 6 meals a day left me never really feeling hungry. Now, I "could" go longer w/o feeling starving or lightheaded or anything, but I found it gave me stable, constant energy throughout the day. (I kept about 20 lbs off, but I didn't keep the rest off due to emo eating that got the better of me - and bad company for a few years.)

    That said, I'm currently working the "big breakfast" thing. A typical breakfast includes 2 scrambled eggs, a piece of Double Fiber bread, and honey or all natural preserves of some kind, and a piece of fruit. That's around 6:30am. I snack at 10am, lunch around noonish, Snack around 3ish, and dinner around 6-7pm, with the occasional light snack around 8 or 9pm if I'm staying up past 10:30pm. Work outs are usually in the middle of the day or the evening.

    Seems to work for me! Steady 1 a week when I stick to my calories!

    I think we focus a bit too much on the "when" and not enough on the "what". But I still avoid huge dinners because I'll just end up sleeping on them.
  • fredd500
    fredd500 Posts: 106 Member
    I can see that eating regularly keeps our metabolism going, but surely the best lesson is simply to eat less than your total daily energy expenditure? Unless you are risking starvation mode by not eating enough, and hence causing your body to store the fat that it will in starvation mode anyway, then whether you burn sugar or fat is immaterial, you will burn it all eventually.

    Personally I stick to the usual three meals a day with the odd snack in between as most of humanity has done for millennia. Sure, I am obese at present, that's why I am here, but I know that is because I always used t eat more than I needed sitting at a desk all day. Now I am consiously eating less than my TDEE, I am loosing weight and have been for six weeks.

    Eating sugar rich foods does lead me to being hungry sooner, but it isn't stopping me loosing weight.

    Just my thoughts...
  • fredd500
    fredd500 Posts: 106 Member
    I can see that eating regularly keeps our metabolism going, but surely the best lesson is simply to eat less than your total daily energy expenditure? Unless you are risking starvation mode by not eating enough, and hence causing your body to store the fat that it will in starvation mode anyway, then whether you burn sugar or fat is immaterial, you will burn it all eventually.

    Personally I stick to the usual three meals a day with the odd snack in between as most of humanity has done for millennia. Sure, I am obese at present, that's why I am here, but I know that is because I always used t eat more than I needed sitting at a desk all day. Now I am consiously eating less than my TDEE, I am loosing weight and have been for six weeks.

    Eating sugar rich foods does lead me to being hungry sooner, but it isn't stopping me loosing weight.

    Just my thoughts...
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    To each their own. Eating every few hours works for me and other very healthy thin people in my family. It works for us. Pre-planning out my meals and sticking to the food I take to work really helps.
  • tukrainets
    tukrainets Posts: 119
    interesting... i find it hard to eat big calorie meals so i eat mini meals.. breakfast snack lunch snack dinner snack.... its working so far and i actually feel hungry after about 3 hrs of not eating if i dont have a carb heavy breakfast or lunch..
  • fredd500
    fredd500 Posts: 106 Member
    Apologies for the double post - damn iPad!!
  • Atthea
    Atthea Posts: 53
    Myth #1: You Should Eat Every 2-3 Hours To Lose Weight

    «This is a biggie. According to JJ, If you are doing this, you are a sugar burner, not a fat burner !
    This does not lead to stable blood sugar. When you eat a diet with "loads" of non-starchy vegetables (like high nutrient greens!), low amounts of slow carbs (like lentils), ideal amounts of healthy fats, a little "clean and lean" protein- you create an environment for stable blood sugar.

    When you eat, your blood sugar and insulin rises- it has to. When insulin is up the "message" to your body is that you don't have to burn stored fat because food is coming in. So when you eat every couple of hours you are shutting off fat burning and teaching your body to fuel on sugar. You want to teach your body to access stored fat for food.

    What are healthy fats? Olive oil, avocado, coconut milk are great examples.

    You should go 4-6 hours (or be able to) between eating. If you need to eat before this, you are out of balance. This can be "healed" in a couple of weeks. Research shows that when you eat a 400-600 calories breakfast- you burn more calories and keep it off.»

    It is very interesting and ... well... logical !!
    It is quite a big one myth to bust!!! I forced myself into eating more often because I never was a nibbler before.

    But eating more often does help to eat less at once and maybe over all at the end..
    What do you think??

    Here is the link :
    http://www.peertrainer.com/myth_busters_jjvirgin.aspx

    :heart: I think I love you! Do you know how many years of hard training at a gym and a "fkd up" 2 hour eating regimine I went through to achieve -0- results!!!!! I'd like to strangle all the fitness trainers who claimed this 2-hour small meal eating plan would stabalize my blood sugar level and make me lose weight.

    :blushing: Haha!!!
    I know how crazy is that!! I was always told the same thing...«Skninny people eat all the time, eat more often, bla, bla...»
    Of course you do what comes naturally but some of us just have to re-educate our ways about food.
    If you saw no results then it's not the way to go for sure !
  • BigBoneSista
    BigBoneSista Posts: 2,389 Member
    It can't be a myth if it works for some people and I am one of them. Just like most things when it comes to weight loss there will be avenues taken by some that work and other avenues taken by others that work. It just depends on the individual and the results they get from the path they have chosen.

    Eating every 2.5 to 3 hours keeps me full. I can not eat 400 to 600 calories per sitting unless it has bread or other stuff like mayo and such to add calories. The meals I cook at home are large enough for me and the calories are no more than 300 on most days.

    And since my BF% is going in the right direction I don't know about that sugar burner stuff.
  • pyro13g
    pyro13g Posts: 1,127 Member
    Agreed. Eating every 2-3 hours is to prevent sugar crashes. Helps prevent binging when carbs is a big source of calories. Not going to hurt too much doing it at a calorie deficit.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    I can see that eating regularly keeps our metabolism going, but surely the best lesson is simply to eat less than your total daily energy expenditure? Unless you are risking starvation mode by not eating enough, and hence causing your body to store the fat that it will in starvation mode anyway, then whether you burn sugar or fat is immaterial, you will burn it all eventually.

    Personally I stick to the usual three meals a day with the odd snack in between as most of humanity has done for millennia. Sure, I am obese at present, that's why I am here, but I know that is because I always used t eat more than I needed sitting at a desk all day. Now I am consiously eating less than my TDEE, I am loosing weight and have been for six weeks.

    Eating sugar rich foods does lead me to being hungry sooner, but it isn't stopping me loosing weight.

    Just my thoughts...

    You kind of brought up a good point. If you are burning sugar while it is sugar, then it can't be converted to fat and stored. So if you are below calorie, and you are eating small meals, you will burn the sugar you consume and the body will turn to your current fat stores for the deficit. I think that might be a little closer to the point of the article. You don't eat every 2-3 hours to burn fat, but rather you eat that often to prevent the sugars you consume from converting to fat.
  • TerpZone
    TerpZone Posts: 12 Member
    I'd think this is wrong. If you go long periods of time between meals your body doesn't think it's getting food, it slows your metabolism down so it won't need as much to survive longer. So while I understand that in theory by constantly giving your body food you're having it burn that first, you should still be burning more overall by doing the small meals because you're keeping your metabolism running. Since the main part of dieting is giving your body less than it burns anyway, you're body should burn through the small meals fairly quickly and then burn some fat. I'm not a nutritionist or anything but everyone I've talked to has supported this theory, it makes sense to me, and it's worked for me (the first time I lost weight I lost 140lbs in 8 months and I'm down 18lbs since starting this time two weeks ago). I've always been a proponent of people reacting to diets in different ways so there may be plenty of people that don't respond well to many small meals but I wouldn't call it a myth.
  • pyro13g
    pyro13g Posts: 1,127 Member
    I can see that eating regularly keeps our metabolism going, but surely the best lesson is simply to eat less than your total daily energy expenditure? Unless you are risking starvation mode by not eating enough, and hence causing your body to store the fat that it will in starvation mode anyway, then whether you burn sugar or fat is immaterial, you will burn it all eventually.

    Personally I stick to the usual three meals a day with the odd snack in between as most of humanity has done for millennia. Sure, I am obese at present, that's why I am here, but I know that is because I always used t eat more than I needed sitting at a desk all day. Now I am consiously eating less than my TDEE, I am loosing weight and have been for six weeks.

    Eating sugar rich foods does lead me to being hungry sooner, but it isn't stopping me loosing weight.

    Just my thoughts...

    You kind of brought up a good point. If you are burning sugar while it is sugar, then it can't be converted to fat and stored. So if you are below calorie, and you are eating small meals, you will burn the sugar you consume and the body will turn to your current fat stores for the deficit. I think that might be a little closer to the point of the article. You don't eat every 2-3 hours to burn fat, but rather you eat that often to prevent the sugars you consume from converting to fat.

    A little more complicated than that. If your glycogen stores are full and you have excess blood sugar then it will be stored as fat. Calorie deficit or not. Then you have to unlock that fat storage which for many, can be quite problematic.
  • bkrbabe57
    bkrbabe57 Posts: 395 Member
    I don't know - it seems to work for me. I eat all the time and I dropped 100 pounds. It is probably one of those things that work for some and not others.
  • BigBoneSista
    BigBoneSista Posts: 2,389 Member
    I'd think this is wrong. If you go long periods of time between meals your body doesn't think it's getting food, it slows your metabolism down so it won't need as much to survive longer. So while I understand that in theory by constantly giving your body food you're having it burn that first, you should still be burning more overall by doing the small meals because you're keeping your metabolism running. Since the main part of dieting is giving your body less than it burns anyway, you're body should burn through the small meals fairly quickly and then burn some fat. I'm not a nutritionist or anything but everyone I've talked to has supported this theory, it makes sense to me, and it's worked for me (the first time I lost weight I lost 140lbs in 8 months and I'm down 18lbs since starting this time two weeks ago). I've always been a proponent of people reacting to diets in different ways so there may be plenty of people that don't respond well to many small meals but I wouldn't call it a myth.

    This!

    The article makes it sound like you don't tap into your fat stores because of the frequent meals.
  • elliecolorado
    elliecolorado Posts: 1,040
    I think it just comes down to what works for an individual person. I eat every 2-3 hours and sometimes a little more often and I am losing 3-4lbs a week doing it that way.
  • raaynes
    raaynes Posts: 58
    I can see that eating regularly keeps our metabolism going, but surely the best lesson is simply to eat less than your total daily energy expenditure? Unless you are risking starvation mode by not eating enough, and hence causing your body to store the fat that it will in starvation mode anyway, then whether you burn sugar or fat is immaterial, you will burn it all eventually.

    Personally I stick to the usual three meals a day with the odd snack in between as most of humanity has done for millennia. Sure, I am obese at present, that's why I am here, but I know that is because I always used t eat more than I needed sitting at a desk all day. Now I am consiously eating less than my TDEE, I am loosing weight and have been for six weeks.

    Eating sugar rich foods does lead me to being hungry sooner, but it isn't stopping me loosing weight.

    Just my thoughts...

    You kind of brought up a good point. If you are burning sugar while it is sugar, then it can't be converted to fat and stored. So if you are below calorie, and you are eating small meals, you will burn the sugar you consume and the body will turn to your current fat stores for the deficit. I think that might be a little closer to the point of the article. You don't eat every 2-3 hours to burn fat, but rather you eat that often to prevent the sugars you consume from converting to fat.

    I think you both make very good points. The whole thing is one system; you're either burning it before it's fat, or after it's become fat. Either way, it's a good thing as long as you maintain your deficit.
This discussion has been closed.