A compliation on meal frequency

24

Replies

  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    Up.
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
    Great post. While I usually am one to kinda graze all day so I eat numerous small snacks instead of big meals, I also occasionally will eat less all day in order to enjoy a big dinner out at a restaurant or some other social event. I believe in flexible dieting (per Lyle McDonald and others) so I think it's great for us to be able to eat however works out best for us as individuals instead of having to follow some set eating pattern.

    I have a friend who is frustrated because she can't stop late night snacking. I have tried to talk her into eating less earlier in the day (or not at all if she isn't really hungry at that time) and to just save those calories for eating late at night. It would work so much better for her but she's brain-washed by the meal timing/frequency myths. I'll print this out to share with her as she's not on MFP. Thanks!
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    It's just a method.

    Bump.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    bump
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    I am a type 2 diabetic so meal frequency in my case is important to maintain good blood sugar levels... I skip a meal or a carb snack and my Blood sugar will/can crash and the inevitable blackouts could be on the horizon and let me tell you let that happen when your at the Y on the Elliptical (been there done that) is a very awaking experience. That be said I totally agree there is no set plan to food intake and know some prefer skipping breakfast all together which is perfectly fine but my diabetes has me eating 3 main meals and 3-4 snacks (one of which I take to bed every night, around 500 calories worth) Great post though.....
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    I am a type 2 diabetic so meal frequency in my case is important to maintain good blood sugar levels... I skip a meal or a carb snack and my Blood sugar will/can crash and the inevitable blackouts could be on the horizon and let me tell you let that happen when your at the Y on the Elliptical (been there done that) is a very awaking experience. That be said I totally agree there is no set plan to food intake and know some prefer skipping breakfast all together which is perfectly fine but my diabetes has me eating 3 main meals and 3-4 snacks (one of which I take to bed every night, around 500 calories worth) Great post though.....

    Good reply Ed.

    Look at that ticker ladies and gents. 303lbs down. That right there is impressive, excellent work sir.
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member
    Thanks for posting this, it's a huge help!
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
    I love this because I don't think I have eaten the same schedule ever. On my work days I snack all day long and eat something bigger before I leave because I work out right after. Then I snack more until I cook dinner and that's it for the day. On my off days its whatever I feel, whenever I feel. I can snack all day and just eat dinner or like yesterday I ate a huge lunch (broiled redfish and steamed veggies) and was so full I didn't eat again except an apple before bed.
  • bossmodehan
    bossmodehan Posts: 210 Member
    Since picking up MFP again I am eating at less frequent intervals and it's definitely made my mentality about food a lot better. I tried the 5/6 small meals a day thing for for most of my first round on MFP, and found that I was just think about food ALL the time and it was taking over my life! Now I have a breakfast smoothie everyday, pack a 'grazing' lunchbox for Uni, so depending on how my day is, I can have everything all at once or nibble on it and make it last. I also have my postworkout protein and piece of fruit on workout days.

    I then only really have to think about preparing one meal a day for my dinner and I put more effort in and enjoy the cooking more because of it :smile:
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    Bumping this so hopefully more people will read it, especially following the links and reading them.
  • HonkyTonks
    HonkyTonks Posts: 1,193 Member
    I am a type 2 diabetic so meal frequency in my case is important to maintain good blood sugar levels... I skip a meal or a carb snack and my Blood sugar will/can crash and the inevitable blackouts could be on the horizon and let me tell you let that happen when your at the Y on the Elliptical (been there done that) is a very awaking experience. That be said I totally agree there is no set plan to food intake and know some prefer skipping breakfast all together which is perfectly fine but my diabetes has me eating 3 main meals and 3-4 snacks (one of which I take to bed every night, around 500 calories worth) Great post though.....

    Not that I am suggesting you change what you are doing, but I recently read this which talks about meal frequency and its impact on blood glucose levels - http://www.leangains.com/2011/01/better-blood-glucose-with-lower-meal.html
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
    I am a type 2 diabetic so meal frequency in my case is important to maintain good blood sugar levels... I skip a meal or a carb snack and my Blood sugar will/can crash and the inevitable blackouts could be on the horizon and let me tell you let that happen when your at the Y on the Elliptical (been there done that) is a very awaking experience. That be said I totally agree there is no set plan to food intake and know some prefer skipping breakfast all together which is perfectly fine but my diabetes has me eating 3 main meals and 3-4 snacks (one of which I take to bed every night, around 500 calories worth) Great post though.....

    Not that I am suggesting you change what you are doing, but I recently read this which talks about meal frequency and its impact on blood glucose levels - http://www.leangains.com/2011/01/better-blood-glucose-with-lower-meal.html

    Just read it. Unless I missed it, it doesn't sound like any of the participants in the study were diabetics but, rather, were described as "The subjects were lean, healthy and young; 18-35 year old males and females with an average of 12% and 30% body fat respectively. Thus they were metabolically healthy and representative of the health-conscious crowd."

    While Berkhan concludes that "If they saw a negative effect of high-frequent feedings, one can speculate about what someone in worse metabolic condition, i.e. poor glucose tolerance or insulin resistance, might experience." Not sure we can speculate anything of the sort.

    I went through a long period of time (close to 2 years) where I was a testing junkie and had the sore fingertips to prove it. (Thank goodness, we can now test elsewhere!) I would test prior to eating to get a baseline, then 1 hour, 2 hour, and 3 hour post-meal. Sometimes meals were close enough together where my 3-hour post-meal was also my pre-meal test for the next meal. I didn't do this every day with every single meal but I did it whenever I ate something outside of my norm as I saw no need, for example, to continue to test myself after my usual breakfast of 3 scrambled eggs after I had already done it several times and knew how that particular meal effected my blood glucose levels.

    Anyway, the more calories in the meal, the higher my blood sugar would go and the longer it would take to recover to normal levels. A smaller meal, particularly one that has less carbs, would see a much smaller blood sugar rise and a return to normal levels in less time.

    I think anyone with blood sugar issues should test themselves enough to find out how they respond and not take my word for this as we all respond differently. Some people with diabetes may respond well to IF protocols but I know I don't.
  • emrys1976
    emrys1976 Posts: 213 Member
    I am a type 2 diabetic so meal frequency in my case is important to maintain good blood sugar levels... I skip a meal or a carb snack and my Blood sugar will/can crash and the inevitable blackouts could be on the horizon and let me tell you let that happen when your at the Y on the Elliptical (been there done that) is a very awaking experience. That be said I totally agree there is no set plan to food intake and know some prefer skipping breakfast all together which is perfectly fine but my diabetes has me eating 3 main meals and 3-4 snacks (one of which I take to bed every night, around 500 calories worth) Great post though.....

    ^This.
    People with Type II DM and people with insulin resistance have very valid reasons to eat frequently that have nothing to do with metabolism, but everything to do with blood sugar and insulin levels. My appetite is much more stable on days that I eat every 3-4 hours than on days where there is a long break between meals and snacks.
  • kiminikimkim
    kiminikimkim Posts: 746 Member
    Are snacks considered as meals? I have breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 snacks in between. Is that equivalent to "5 meals"?

    I once tried to cram my daily calories in 2 meals. I felt nauseous and uncomfortably stuffed. Then I felt sleepy. I can't do 2 big meals in one day like the rest.
  • bossmodehan
    bossmodehan Posts: 210 Member
    just wanted to bump this up again for more people to read
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    bump again.
  • jenniakers
    jenniakers Posts: 79
    Thanks for the explanation.... :flowerforyou:
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
    I agree, scientifically, it doesn't matter how often you eat. However, after getting to know quite a bit about losing weight over the past 40 years (unfortunately :wink: ), this is the first time I have split my calories into 5 smaller meals. For me, it's a lot easier to stick with the plan, because I don't get hungry. When I was eating 3 meals a day, by the time mealtime arrived I was ravenous!. Often times, I ate more than I should have or remained hungry until the next meal.. and so on. I don't feel like I am being restricted now. In the past 3 months, I can count on one hand how many times I have been truly hungry, so I don't feel like I'm dieting. Eating more calories, this time, also helps. Just MHO.
  • AlayshaJ
    AlayshaJ Posts: 703 Member
    Zomg. I dont know how people can only eat two meals a day... or even three! I have to eat atleast five(200-500cal) meals a day or I feel like I am starving! I used to try and eat three times a day but it would make me binge like a crazy person. Smaller meals more frequently is whats best for me. I love food and eating it all the time.

    Thanks for the links!
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    thank you for sharing this...now I can finally prove to my husband that only eating 3 meals with a snack or two is OK. he is always telling I would lose weight faster if I ate 6 small meals a day and I find that pretty hard to accomplish!

    If you are comparing equal calorie intakes in both scenarios then your husband is wrong. I would suggest a sex bet before proving.

    LOL. Always look out for people...
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    excellent post!

    I vary from one huge meal (IF day), to 3 normal ones, to grazing ALL day....but if calories and macros are equal, there's not much difference.

    Personally I feel best at the 2 extremes. "Normal" breakfast, lunch, dinner type eating does not sit well with me....
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap (the sound of applause)! Thanks Sidesteal!
  • ElPumaMex
    ElPumaMex Posts: 367 Member
    Excellent post. Thanks !
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    Are snacks considered as meals? I have breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 snacks in between. Is that equivalent to "5 meals"?

    I once tried to cram my daily calories in 2 meals. I felt nauseous and uncomfortably stuffed. Then I felt sleepy. I can't do 2 big meals in one day like the rest.

    The point is not that you "should" be eating X meals a day every Y hours or you'll balloon in weight, it's that you should find a strategy for eating that makes it easier for you to maintain your diet and feel good. I personally do better on fewer large meals, while my fiancee does better on more smaller meals. It doesn't matter how many times you eat per day strictly from the perspective of weight loss, but it can make a world of difference on how you feel.
  • sdrawkcabynot
    sdrawkcabynot Posts: 462 Member
    I eat when I am hungry - screw the every couple of hours. I did start eating breakfast this year though - I will say it definitely gives me a boost for the day energy wise.
  • astroub
    astroub Posts: 289 Member
    This makes me happy to be your friend!! Thanks for sharing!! I have my meals set up as 6.... But, I eat when I am hungry... And don't even specifically put the foods in any certain meal category! I am souly concerned about my caloric intake and macros!
  • kennethmgreen
    kennethmgreen Posts: 1,759 Member
    Thanks for taking the time to post this, including the references. I am convinced meal frequency has nothing to do with weight loss - that the "danger" of eating right before bed is caused by going over calories, not eating late. And eating small frequent meals often works for some people because THEY ARE EATING SMALL MEALS (not over-eating). I have yet to read an article warning about late-night eating, or touting the benefits of frequent meals being good for weight loss describe a study in which total calories consumed was controlled. I think frequent small meals works for a lot of people because it allows them to not get ravenously hungry, which is a trigger for many to overeat (myself included). It's unfortunate that so many proponents of the frequent small meals approach don't always point this out. Because while frequent small meals may be great for some, it's useless for anyone that doesn't want to eat frequently.

    I grew up with a mom that warned me of the dangers of eating late at night. Before really looking into it, I would have sworn there were numerous studies proving that late-night eating contributed to weight gain. But I was being lazy with my facts, ignoring important details and context. If I eat 200-400 calories as a late night snack and I've already had my calories for the day, then I am going to gain weight doing that. But I'm gaining weight because of the 200-400 calorie surplus each night - NOT because of the time of day when I eat. If I "save" my calories, have that late night snack, stay within my calorie goals, I'm fine.

    Too often people leave out context and details - either they don't care, are too lazy, or simply have heard something so many times it must be true, and anything contrary has to be BS. When talking about weight loss, it's a pretty big detail to mention whether you control for caloric intake or not. Pay attention to the details - they matter. If a study shows late-night snacking contributes to obesity, it might be presenting the data haphazardly. Look to see if the late-night snackers consumed the same calories as the control group. If not, the calorie increase cause the weight gain. It's possible that there may be correlation to late-night snacking and obesity. But we all know the correlation/causation difference. Besides, I (and many others here) like to have late-night snacks, and we're losing weight. It's not the time you eat. It's how much.

    Personally, I don't like the way I feel if I go too long without some calories. So I eat pretty often. But I know that's my personal preference. Some people can eat in a 4-6 hour window. More power to them. We're still consuming a set number of calories. And that's the number that matters - for weight loss at least.
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    I love you SS :)
  • DixiedoesMFP
    DixiedoesMFP Posts: 935 Member
    Keeping this current so more people will read it :)
  • meljaniya
    meljaniya Posts: 22
    bump
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