3 meals a day or 6 small meals...

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litelight
litelight Posts: 53
in Food and Nutrition
...which works best for you and why?
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  • sojojoshua
    sojojoshua Posts: 37
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    6 to 7 small meals is better coz ur metabolism is always high, plus by having smaller meals, u can shrink ur tummy... plus u r never hungry (which is the reason we always grab that pack of crisps).. so 6 smaller meal are a better bet...
  • HealthyWayorNoWay
    HealthyWayorNoWay Posts: 83 Member
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    Some have success with 3meals and some with 6 meals. I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks. A lot of people suggest 6 meals to keep your metabolism running. Here a site with some information on it : http://lowcalorieideas.com/2010/03/myth-or-fact-eating-6-small-meals-a-day-vs-3-meals-a-day/
  • RuchikaPal
    RuchikaPal Posts: 313 Member
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    i'd say 6-7 small meals...... have read it in various books and have heard lots of fitness expert say that 6-7 meals a day keeps your metabolism on go... n the body is continuously in the process of burning cals.... :smile:
  • rachmaree
    rachmaree Posts: 782 Member
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    For me... 6-7 times a day. If I go more than 3 hours or so without eating, I get shaky, then really, really grumpy. I'm pretty active, so usually the calories aren't a big problem.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    The number of meals doesn't matter.

    The eating more meals to boost your metabolism is a total lie. The truth is, it can keep people from being hungry, so they don't snack and overeat, but it has absolutely no metabolic effect or advantage at all.
  • grrrlface
    grrrlface Posts: 1,204 Member
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    3 meals for me. & depending what day it is, 2. I'm a hairdresser so it's physically impossible/unprofessional for me to be filling my face 4 times a day while I'm meant to be working. Fridays I usually don't get a lunch because it's too busy. It works for me, I'm consistently losing still so I'm not going to change what I do.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    The number of meals doesn't matter.

    The eating more meals to boost your metabolism is a total lie. The truth is, it can keep people from being hungry, so they don't snack and overeat, but it has absolutely no metabolic effect or advantage at all.

    This. Why does this myth keep coming up?
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    The number of meals doesn't matter.

    The eating more meals to boost your metabolism is a total lie. The truth is, it can keep people from being hungry, so they don't snack and overeat, but it has absolutely no metabolic effect or advantage at all.

    ^ This x3.
  • youngmomtaz
    youngmomtaz Posts: 1,075 Member
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    The number of meals doesn't matter.

    The eating more meals to boost your metabolism is a total lie. The truth is, it can keep people from being hungry, so they don't snack and overeat, but it has absolutely no metabolic effect or advantage at all.

    I agree!

    I eat 2-3 times a day. Usually I get breakfast but if we sleep in I usually end up eating that meal closer to lunch. Also sometimes on busy work days there is no time for lunch so then it ends up being breakfast and supper instead. I think the 6-7 small meals for a fast metabolism is weird. For my body it is more the types of calories I eat rather then how often I eat them. Also, I am way too busy to prep food that many times a day!
  • Hourglass25
    Hourglass25 Posts: 340 Member
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    The number of meals doesn't matter.

    The eating more meals to boost your metabolism is a total lie. The truth is, it can keep people from being hungry, so they don't snack and overeat, but it has absolutely no metabolic effect or advantage at all.

    Totally agree
  • stimpackus
    stimpackus Posts: 22 Member
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    For me it depends on the day. On days I work I usually eat 3 meals and one snack in the morning. I don't have time to eat in the afternoon while on the job, so generally miss it. Days I don't work I aim for 3 meals and two snacks, but that will depend on how many calories I eat at each meal. I am one of those people that really don't care whether I snack or not. BUT if by any chance I notice hunger pangs or cravings in advance, I tend to stick in a few small items for grazing. It stops me reaching for things I shouldn't be eating in advance.

    I used to work night shift, and nowadays I work casual on a rotating night and day roster. Times to eat are all over the place, so I anticipate at one time or another that I might get a "hunger attack" somewhere in between. That is what made me put weight on in the first place, so I make sure to nick it in the bud fast.
  • it_be_asin
    it_be_asin Posts: 562 Member
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    For me, I need to eat very often else I get hungry, and then I would go over my calorie allowance. But I do not claim that there is any metabolic advantage of doing this - just a personal requirement,
  • shovav91
    shovav91 Posts: 2,335 Member
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    I'm pretty much always hungry- I end up pretty much grazing all day :D
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,383 Member
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    It depends on the day. Most days I eat 3 meals and several snacks around 200-300 calories each. Some days I have larger meals and fewer (if any) snacks. Just depends on the day. I'm not committed to having to do the same thing every day, I do whatever I have to to make my day work within my calorie allowance.
  • mznisaelaine
    mznisaelaine Posts: 2,262 Member
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    3 meals... I just don't have the time during the week to snack through out the day.. Maybe on the weekends 3-5 small meals.
  • Mmmary212
    Mmmary212 Posts: 410 Member
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    Neither. I prefer 2 meals a day. Huge breakfast that holds me until dinner and then something when I get home from work. No snacking.
  • ennaejay
    ennaejay Posts: 575
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    it really depends on how many calories we're talking per meal. I can eat 600 calories-, three times a day - or 300-400 five times a day, give or take. If you're only eating two or three times, you'll probably eat more.

    It really depends a lot on lifestyle I think... i like to eat, so I like the more meals thing :)
  • trelm249
    trelm249 Posts: 777 Member
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    I wind up eating every 3 to 4 hours. This typically works out to 5 or 6 times a day.

    The number of meals is a matter of preference.

    The trick is to find what you are comfortable with while still meeting your nutritional needs. This entails the ratios on your macro-nutrients and hitting enough of your micro-nutrients.

    If you can do that in 1 meal, go for it. If you prefer to do it with 2,3,4,5,6,7, or 8 meals, that is fine too.
  • Windchild
    Windchild Posts: 129 Member
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    I end up with 3 meals a day and a snack every now and then. I work all day with only a 30 minute lunch break, so snacking isn't something I can do on a regular basis. On the weekends, it just depends.. Sometimes I'll eat 4 or more times.. other times I'll eat only once. *shrugs* Depends on how busy my weekend is.
  • Ebbykins
    Ebbykins Posts: 420 Member
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    The number of meals doesn't matter.

    The eating more meals to boost your metabolism is a total lie. The truth is, it can keep people from being hungry, so they don't snack and overeat, but it has absolutely no metabolic effect or advantage at all.

    ^ This x3.

    ^ This x infinity and beyooooond!

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