How many meals for weight loss?

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Glittzy321
Glittzy321 Posts: 29 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So read some articles and some were saying eat 3 meals and 1 snack and others were saying eat 6-8 small meals. I’m actually so confused! What’s the best way for fat loss?
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  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Glittzy321 wrote: »
    So read some articles and some were saying eat 3 meals and 1 snack and others were saying eat 6-8 small meals. I’m actually so confused! What’s the best way for fat loss?

    Eat in a calorie deficit.

    1 meal or 17, makes no difference.

    ^ yep
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
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    Meal timing/meal frequency is a preference thing. Do whatever works best for your schedule, makes you feel the best etc.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
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    Personal preference, absolutely. I very strongly prefer 3 meals (1 small, breakfast - and 2 larger, lunch and dinner). I am most satisfied that way. When I have smaller frequent meals aka snacks, I just feel like I am constantly grazing and never quite full. I also like that my 3 mealtimes coincide with most of the people around me so it's very convenient for things like work lunches, traveling with a group, etc.

    For me, cutting out the "option" to snack between meals really helps me control my calorie intake. I have lost well over 100 this way and maintained for 5 years so far.

    However, I know many people who prefer mini meals all day long or 3-5 meals per day and succeed doing that. I also know people who only eat 1 or 2 times per day and are happy with that, too. It's all up to what works for you. I do think it can be important for some people to take into consideration their blood sugar levels, but that's not true for everyone. If I wake up at 6 am but don't eat something by 10 am, I feel nauseous and not hungry which may sound like a positive thing but it's not...it is unpleasant.
  • jan110144
    jan110144 Posts: 1,281 Member
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    Agree that this is totally individual. My calories tend to break down something like 450 cals breakfast, 400 calories lunch. 500 for dinner, and 200 evening snack. I am pretty active with around 2 hours of various workouts daily.
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    edited March 2019
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    Eat in away that keeps you full and happy and best able to eat within your calorie deficit. for some it's one meal a day, or short eating windows. some eat 3 meals a day. I eat 6x a day. what works for one won't work for another.
    mangofish44 wrote: »
    6-8 meals is NOT way to go. Never gives your body a break to disgust and constant spiking of insulin levels.

    Why would eating more cause weight loss? 3 meals with as limited snacking as possible

    i lost 100lb twice and most recently 50 eating 6x a day.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,993 Member
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    Some people have blood sugar issues and to maintain a steady blood sugar frequent meals are important.

    I tried that and it didn't work for me because I need to feel full after I eat and small meals just leave me hangry and all I think about all day is food. If I have two good sized meals of 600-800 calories then a midday snack of about 200 calories that seems to work best for me.

    Play around with it. Some people eat just one big meal. It's about calories for fat and weight loss.
  • bronaghCPM
    bronaghCPM Posts: 26 Member
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    Whatever works for you, meaning whatever stops you from feeling too hungry throughout the day and fits into your calorie allocation.
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,365 Member
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    Chrismadison100 wrote: »
    I have seen recommendation of 5 meals a day, preferably with some protein. Breakfast is important because it gets the "engines burning".

    Nope - the engines are always burning as long as you are alive and breathing. There is no way to speed up/jump start/etc your metabolism outside of exercise and some highly illegal supplements. As for meal count, that's simply a matter of personal preference.
  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,256 Member
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    mangofish44 wrote: »
    6-8 meals is NOT way to go. Never gives your body a break to disgust and constant spiking of insulin levels.

    Why would eating more cause weight loss? 3 meals with as limited snacking as possible

    Eating more oftenis not the same as eating more.
  • texasredreb
    texasredreb Posts: 541 Member
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    I'm new on this forum and I have always been a 1-2 meals a day person, which I know isn't healthy. I'm trying to eat three meals a day and sometimes a snack.

    Because of a lifetime of skipping breakfast and usually lunch, my body isn't used to food in the morning. I'm adding breakfast and lunch to my daily habits, and I'm trying to roughly balance my calories between the three meals. So far, dinner is still my biggest meal.

    Eating 6 meals a day is what I did several years ago on Medifast. I didn't like it. It seemed to create a food obsession with me. I couldn't wait to get to the next little meal. This time, I'm not doing a diet, but a lifestyle change and I'm trying to plan my meals but not obsess about them.

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