3 meals a day or 6 small meals?

Personal preference.

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.

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.

Whatever works best for you. Some people will even go with less or more.

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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.

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!

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.

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.

Whichever is easier to stick to, as long as you don't go over your calories for the day.

You could eat all of your calories in one meal. You could spread them out and eat 20 times a day. Do what fits you and your lifestyle best. You lose weight from a calorie deficit not timing or number of meals.
I eat 3 meals and 1-2 snacks. That is what suits me best.

Same here the 6 small meals leaves me feeling hungry the whole day.

up to you entirely. For me, 3 proper meals a day is adequate. If I snack, I am more likely to go over my calories, and generally I find I won't die if I have to wait a bit longer for a meal. Having a 'proper' meal that is filling and satisfying seems to do the trick for me. smaller meals just wouldn't cut it, but that's personal preference.

mulberry_xoxo wrote: »

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

Hi
I have been working at maintaining for a while before the final push to Goal, So far 220+ pounds lost. I did it one 6 to 7 bits of food a day and still eat that way too. Doing this regime I have been around the same weight since January, Going up and down within a 5 pound range. Today for example the same weight as January.

What I do is have a Banana before I go walking, Then a Protein shake and Breakfast entree of some kind. Then every 2.5 hours in this order the rest of my day goes as follows
Mid Morning Snack, Lunch, Afternoon snack, Dinner and finally a evening Dessert. The Lunch and Dinners have plenty of Vegetables and Some 80 calorie Greek Yogurts and a Fruit with the meal entree. Total calories in my case are 1800 to 2000 calories per day.

Good Luck
Roger

mulberry_xoxo wrote: »

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

There is no supposed to, just in a way that satisfies you. Personally, I prefer 4-6 meals a day, with breakfast being the most calorie dense. Some people just eat all their calories in one meal a day too.

If you are losing weight at the rate you want, then you are doing it right. Eating at a calorie deficit is the only way to lose weight, everything else is fruit on hot wheat cereal (okay, it's breakfast time and this is literally what I'm eating right now. ).

Good luck!