does meal timing and frequency have any impact on weight los

LickyNees
LickyNees Posts: 101 Member
edited October 2 in Health and Weight Loss
does meal timing and frequency have any impact on weight loss?

Replies

  • alanaosu
    alanaosu Posts: 85 Member
    There's a school of thought that suggests many small meals eaten frequently throughout the day will keep your metabolism high. My personal belief is that for many people, eating often helps to stop you getting hungry and then binging. I don't actually like eating every few hours and prefer to eat less early on (I stick with fruit or a boiled egg for breakfast) and save my calories for later in the day when I'm usually hungry and likely to go over if I can't eat something a little more calorie dense.

    At the end of the day weight loss is calories in vs calories out. The how is a matter of personal preference. :-)
  • russelljclarke
    russelljclarke Posts: 836 Member
    Apparently so. Little and often seems to be the current trend, and don't eat for a couple hours before bed.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    From my understanding there is not any real difference, that being said eating smaller meals more often will help maintain more constant energy levels throughout the day, and is better for blood sugar levels. The reason it is better for every levels is that digesting food takes energy. If you have large meals it takes a lot of energy to break it down for a period of time whereas smaller meals are easier to digest and take less energy away from other thing you could use it for.

    Another benefit to many meals is you are never really hungry, or over full.
  • Noname225555
    Noname225555 Posts: 15 Member
    Calories in Vs. Calories out - is what is all comes down to with losing weight. Ultimately it doesn't matter what kind of, or when those calories are taken in, as long as at the end of the day you are in a caloric deficit.

    That being said, if eating more frequent small meals, or a couple larger ones makes things easier for you, then definitely do what keeps you on track.
  • wolfcounty
    wolfcounty Posts: 55
    i have def seen a difference in the speed of my weight loss since doing smaller more frequent meals. the ongoing quote is calories in v.s. calories out = weight loss. this is mostly true. since eating frequently prevents your body from going into a calorie storage starvation mode and increases your metabolism the result is more calories being burned. i definitely recommend it.

    and as a word to the wise, running a calorie deficit will definitely result in lost weight. but it is important to keep in mind what kinda of calories you are taking in. if you are eating your daily allotment in twinkies it is not good. different calories get absorbed differently and more efficiently. if you are not getting proper nutrition and protein you can look at the scale and see the numbers going down still,but keep in mind you can be losing your muscle.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    nope, even food choices assuming you're meeting your macros don't have a huge impact

    http://www­.ncbi.nlm.­nih.gov/pu­bmed/19943­985
    This study shows there was no difference in weight loss between subjects with high/low meal frequencie­s.

    http://www­.ncbi.nlm.­nih.gov/pu­bmed/91554­94
    Evidence supports that meal frequency has nothing to do with energy in the subjects.

    http://www­.ncbi.nlm.­nih.gov/pu­bmed/11319­656
    Yet again, no difference in energy in the subjects compared to 2 meals/d to 6 meals/d.

    http://www­.ncbi.nlm.­nih.gov/pu­bmed/19059­98
    Eur J Clin Nutr. 1991 Mar;45(3):­161-9.Link­s
    Influence of the feeding frequency on nutrient utilizatio­n in man: consequenc­es for energy metabolism­.

    http://www­.ncbi.nlm.­nih.gov/pu­bmed/11319­656
    Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001 Apr;25(4):­519-28.Lin­ks
    Compared with nibbling, neither gorging nor a morning fast affect short-term energy balance in obese patients in a chamber calorimete­r.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    i have def seen a difference in the speed of my weight loss since doing smaller more frequent meals. the ongoing quote is calories in v.s. calories out = weight loss. this is mostly true. since eating frequently prevents your body from going into a calorie storage starvation mode and increases your metabolism the result is more calories being burned. i definitely recommend it.

    and as a word to the wise, running a calorie deficit will definitely result in lost weight. but it is important to keep in mind what kinda of calories you are taking in. if you are eating your daily allotment in twinkies it is not good. different calories get absorbed differently and more efficiently. if you are not getting proper nutrition and protein you can look at the scale and see the numbers going down still,but keep in mind you can be losing your muscle.

    studies have shown significant slowdown in metabolism doesn't occur for 48-72 hrs of complete fasting, not eating every 2-3 hrs isn't going to have an impact on weight loss
  • amfaery
    amfaery Posts: 267 Member
    for me I don't really see a difference total calories in is what affects me :)
  • LickyNees
    LickyNees Posts: 101 Member
    Thanks for your replies.

    For the people who say meal timing and frequency impact on metabolism and weight loss - are there any studies to prove this? All of the studies I have read disprove this theory so I wonder why this information is still going around.

    I just wanted solid proof that I dont have to keep thinking about food and calories every 3 hours. For me it almost breeds an obsessive nature. It also feels like Im constantly feeding myself without ever feeling full, which makes me tend to easily go over on calorie limit. Plus theres the inconvenience factor.

    This is just me - I realise everyone is different and some people work better this way and that's fine. However, I do believe it is important to pass on the correct information as opposed to hear say which has not been proven, especially for newbies.

    Just a thought ...
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    really i think it comes down to personal preference, bigger meals are more satiating to me personally and i'm not hungry in the mornings

    i think increased meal frequency makes even less sense for women with low caloric goals (1200ish range) as mult meals a day at that range are ridiculously small portions
  • cj411
    cj411 Posts: 6
    I'd have to disagree - I eat significantly LESS than 1200 calories a day and I eat 3 meals plus a minimum of 3 snacks. I seem to be eating ALL the time. :P

    You can eat quite a bit, but your choices have to be very smart. See a nutritionist for some advice.

    That being said though, most people should not be eating less than 1200 calories a day and its certainly easier to create a meal plan with a larger calorie consumption. I eat a LOT of salad.... I don't mind it, but it would bore a lot of people.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    So, in a nushell, the scientific evidence says that from a strictly fat loss point of view, no, meal timing and frequency have no impact. People may find differently from a pesonal point of view as it reduces the snacking cravings.

    Try several ways, and see what works best for you!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    From my understanding there is not any real difference, that being said eating smaller meals more often will help maintain more constant energy levels throughout the day, and is better for blood sugar levels. The reason it is better for every levels is that digesting food takes energy. If you have large meals it takes a lot of energy to break it down for a period of time whereas smaller meals are easier to digest and take less energy away from other thing you could use it for.

    Another benefit to many meals is you are never really hungry, or over full.

    Not quite true. Digestion is a VERY energy intensive process. Energy intensive enough that when you are not digesting food, your digestive system shuts down completely so you can utilize the energy in the rest of your day. By eating constantly, you are forcing your body to keep your digestive system running constantly, robbing you of energy that you would otherwise have.
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