3 meals a day or 6 small meals?
mulberry_xoxo
Posts: 21 Member
I just want to know if you're supposed to eat 3 meals or 6 small? I've heard both and I'm getting confused. If you eat 6 small meals, what does that usually consist of? Should 1 be bigger than the other? Sorry if this is a dumb question! I just want to do this right! Thanks in advance
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Replies
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It does not matter, nor does meal timing. Do what works for you, basically.4
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Personal preference.2
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You're not "supposed" to do anything other than eat in a calorie deficit to lose weight. I'd ignore any of that nonsense you hear.
Eat however satisfies you and keeps you in your calorie goals.3 -
It doesn't matter, as long as you are eating less calories than your TDEE. I eat one or two meals a day and do fine. People who snack a lot may find that more than three meals works for them. It depends on which method keeps you the most satisfied on the least amount of calories.0
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HEALTHY meals and snacks throughout the day... Never let yourself feel starved.1
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There's no solid evidence that points to eating more meals or less meals having any impact on weight loss. If you feel better eating more small meals throughout the day, do that. If you're happier with three large meals and no snacks, do that. Or any combination of these. There are even people who eat just one giant meal with all of their calories and they lose weight just fine.
There's nothing that says the meals need to be the same size, either. You could eat a small breakfast, a 100 calorie snack at 10am, a solid lunch, another small snack in the mid-afternoon and then a large dinner.0 -
Whatever you prefer.0
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Whatever works best for you. Some people will even go with less or more.0
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Okay thank you everyone!0
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Some folks find smaller snacks help keep them less hungry. Others like one big, satisfying meal. Figure what works for you and do it.1
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Find what works for you or mix it up. Some people do intermittent fasting and only eat within a two hour window. Some people graze all day.0
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it doesn't matter how many "meals" you eat as long as you hit your numbers. Some days I eat two "meals" . Somedays I eat 5. I hit my numbers regardless.1
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I work in an office and I find myself craving snacks throughout the day, so I bring healthy snacks, such as fruit, yogurt, and 90 -100 cal snack packs, to munch on in between meals. I find that smaller but more frequent eating helps me throughout the day. I agree with everyone else, that you have to find what works best for you. Do not deprive and starve yourself!0
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Agree with @keemie389. I work in an office and find myself wanting to graze throughout the day so I do breakfast, a morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack while at work. Once I leave the office I'm good and just have dinner. On weekends I eat bigger meals because I find I am on the run or busy and don't snack much if at all.0
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Just do whichever you prefer, there is no right or wrong. For me 3 meals works with a snack after dinner, but some people prefer to eat smaller amounts throughout the day. As long as you get all your calories in and don't go over then you'll be good.0
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More frequent meals are normally suggested for people who are bulking and need to eat a lot of food to gain weight and build muscle.
It's hard to believe, given how easy it seems to gain unwanted weight, but it's surprising how difficult it can be to eat 3k to 5k (or more) cals/day, day in and day out.
I tried doing that on a 6 meal plan and just found it a lot of work. 3 meals a day is all I can handle regardless of how few or many cals that I need to eat.0 -
I just eat when I'm hungry. Sometimes 3, sometimes 4, sometimes 5, whatever. I just weigh and track whatever I have so I know how many more calories are available to me.0
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I like a light breakfast with a good mid-morning snack, sometimes a mid-afternoon snack, and to save some calories for something sweet after dinner. That's just my preference. Like everyone's saying, there's no "right" way to do it. But I'd say if you eat three meals with nothing between and find yourself thinking about eating and feeling hungry in between, maybe you should consider breaking it up into snacks. The important thing is: be sure to log everything -- be honest with MFP and yourself.0
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Whichever is easier to stick to, as long as you don't go over your calories for the day.0
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