A compliation on meal frequency

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

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.

just wanted to bump this up again for more people to read

Thanks for the explanation.... :flowerforyou:

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!

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....

Excellent post. Thanks !

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.

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.

Keeping this current so more people will read it