Eat every 2-3 hours or take in a certain number of cals per day?

CompeteNPC

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What do you feel is more important on a bulk to build optimum muscle? Focusing on a certain number of calories per day or making sure you eat every 2-3 hours which includes 24/7? You do not stop eating at a certain time and will wake up in the middle of the night to eat a meal. Eating every 2-3 hours means every 2-3 hours without going 6 or 7 hours without food while sleeping.
 
SFreed

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I think there's too many factors to consider to make a statement like that. Just my opinion.
 
Mowglisml

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I would think u r doing more damage than good by cutting your sleeping cycle like that. Isn’t it more beneficial to rest and recover than to take in consistent calories? Just a thought
 
Dz23

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I do every 3 hours and it fits into my day better. Sometimes I wake up in the night and am hungry so I eat. It usually is easy to go back to sleep afterwards depending on how tired I am, I may just start my day then and go to bed earlier the next night
 
CarneyFolk

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It is a myth that your muscles will not grow if you don’t eat 6meals a day. In my opinion, it evolved because people couldn’t eat their 3k-4500 calories clean in 3 meals. Your digestion system takes 6-7hrs to clear out, so unless you wake up in the middle of the night hungry, just sleep through and chase the daily calorie number you need to achieve your goals. Many people also think they are hitting calorie goals, but are under eating. If your having trouble gaining, then the best pieces of equipment you can buy are a scale and measuring cups.
 
AntM1564

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If you cannot eat every 2-3 hours, there is nothing wrong with following an IF protocol. All of our schedules are different. If eating in a smaller window is better than you, then go for it. If you have more time to eat, then more power to you. Even if you eat every 2-3 hours, there is no point in disrupting your sleep to eat. Your body won't go catabolic in a 6-9 hour window. If you think it will, then have a protein shake next to your bed and if you wake up to use the bathroom, drink it. But I would not wake purposely wake myself up to eat or have a protein shake, Remember, your body is recovering and growing while you sleep. You could also have a pre bed meal that is higher in calories.

1. Follow whatever eating protocol works for you (every few hours, IF, etc)
2. Focus on hitting your daily calories in a 24 hour period, it doesn't matter how often you eat
3. Don't disrupt your sleep just to eat. You body needs rest for so many reasons.
 
jtmass

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Its natural that you feel hungry in the middle of the night specially when you eat every 2-3hrs. The body gets tuned to it. I have done this 2-3hrs having a meal and used to wake up in the night hungry. But, never took a meal or shake and disrupt my sleep. It's important for your body to get the rest it needs. You're not going to go catabolic because of this fasting/resting period. Plus, a good sleep only aids to keeping your hunger hormones (leptin and ghrelin) regulated
 
AloB

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Will porridge with peanut butter in mornings and nighttime buff me out ?
 

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It makes no difference. You could eat all of your calories first thing upon waking and not eat until the next morning and it would be absolutely no different than eating every 2-3 hours. The 2-3 hour thing is a myth and it does not ramp up your metabolism contrary to popular belief and it certainly doesn’t make you build more muscle. Kind of like how the anabolic window after training is a myth. No one needs to have a protein shake after they lift as long as they meet their protein requirements for the day
 
AloB

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It makes no difference. You could eat all of your calories first thing upon waking and not eat until the next morning and it would be absolutely no different than eating every 2-3 hours. The 2-3 hour thing is a myth and it does not ramp up your metabolism contrary to popular belief and it certainly doesn’t make you build more muscle. Kind of like how the anabolic window after training is a myth. No one needs to have a protein shake after they lift as long as they meet their protein requirements for the day
Thanks for clearing that up mate yeah Those supplement Company's are so full of ****, I've just been eating a lot of dense carbs going to sleep plus Bcaa in morning to kickstart the day...purely Psychological that 2-3 hour Window only way to be precise is Exact measurements to gauge Calorie intake for example Scales and such.
 
John Smeton

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What do you feel is more important on a bulk to build optimum muscle? Focusing on a certain number of calories per day or making sure you eat every 2-3 hours which includes 24/7? You do not stop eating at a certain time and will wake up in the middle of the night to eat a meal. Eating every 2-3 hours means every 2-3 hours without going 6 or 7 hours without food while sleeping.
Both are important if you want optimal results, and obviously are training intense enough, hitting each body part. This is a beginner question I knew the answer to 16 years ago and have eaten every 2.5-3 hours, for the most part 16 years now. For someone thats not as serious , its not neccessary. As a bodybuilder , yes its important. As far as sleeping I have bcaa's by my bed , if I wake up. Theres no way im waking myself up. ive done it before and grew, not now, my sleep is important
 
AloB

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Yeah I agree it's all about Consistency and what you eat and how hard you train, Like myself I keep bcaa beside my bed so there's constant Nutrition along with that Sleep is very important as that's when the Body repairs itself hence bcaas before bed is essential I think correct me if I'm wrong though ����
 

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Yeah I agree it's all about Consistency and what you eat and how hard you train, Like myself I keep bcaa beside my bed so there's constant Nutrition along with that Sleep is very important as that's when the Body repairs itself hence bcaas before bed is essential I think correct me if I'm wrong though í*½í±￾í*½í¹Œ
Another big factor is if you’re natural or not. Guys on gear need to eat more frequently because their blood sugar is often lower because they are super insulin sensitive and because of increased muscle protein synthesis they actually reap the benefits of extra protein and nutrition. Naturals however don’t have that benefit. Believe me I’ve tried every diet to a perfect T. As a natural the outcome is exactly the same as long as you train hard and eat well. Naturals also need to adhere to a stricter diet for long term success. When it comes to food also pay attention to food intolerances. When you consume the right foods for YOUR body you see results
 
AloB

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Another big factor is if you’re natural or not. Guys on gear need to eat more frequently because their blood sugar is often lower because they are super insulin sensitive and because of increased muscle protein synthesis they actually reap the benefits of extra protein and nutrition. Naturals however don’t have that benefit. Believe me I’ve tried every diet to a perfect T. As a natural the outcome is exactly the same as long as you train hard and eat well. Naturals also need to adhere to a stricter diet for long term success. When it comes to food also pay attention to food intolerances. When you consume the right foods for YOUR body you see results
Yeah man it's tough bein natural because there's the factor to consider you have to restrict your intake to Good foods not junk to see results All in all if you train hard and stick to Balanced diet your body has no choice but to adapt..for myself I'm not a fan of Gear or Supplements because they are so cramped with Fillers and Chemicals

It's just these days People believe the misconception that you Need these sports enhancements products, hard work pays off I believe.
 
Rosie Chee

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Will porridge with peanut butter in mornings and nighttime buff me out ?
Simple answer: No. Complex answer: There is way more to consider than that one thing. If you want gains, you need to focus on building EVERYthing re nutrition AND training around it SPECIFICALLY for YOU.
 
AloB

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Simple answer: No. Complex answer: There is way more to consider than that one thing. If you want gains, you need to focus on building EVERYthing re nutrition AND training around it SPECIFICALLY for YOU.
Yeah that was a Rookie Question on my part haha yeah thanks your right it's about the whole approach isn't it just Trying to bulk at the moment and eating Mad Carby meals before bed haha trial and error my friend
 
Rosie Chee

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Yeah that was a Rookie Question on my part haha yeah thanks your right it's about the whole approach isn't it just Trying to bulk at the moment and eating Mad Carby meals before bed haha trial and error my friend
If you are trying to bulk, make sure you are eating ENOUGH and your training is structured at GAINS. Nothing wrong with trial and error, but starting off with a basis DOES help, even if you make adjustments (and I recommend doing so) along the way. Take a quick read on some tips here for making gains: http://www.rosiesmusclerevolution.com/gaining_muscle.htm
 
john.patterson

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Yeah I agree it's all about Consistency and what you eat and how hard you train, Like myself I keep bcaa beside my bed so there's constant Nutrition along with that Sleep is very important as that's when the Body repairs itself hence bcaas before bed is essential I think correct me if I'm wrong though ����
Don't fall into the marketing hype of supplements. There's no need to drink BCAA's before bed to help with recovery. As long as you're eating an adequate amount of protein throughout the day you will be getting enough EAA's and BCAA's to promote proper recovery while you sleep. Don't overstress with supplements and focus more on hitting your macros
 
AloB

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If you are trying to bulk, make sure you are eating ENOUGH and your training is structured at GAINS. Nothing wrong with trial and error, but starting off with a basis DOES help, even if you make adjustments (and I recommend doing so) along the way. Take a quick read on some tips here for making gain

Will give this a look Rosie thanks yeah I'm eating lots of dense carbs only this is I'm finding myself feeding into the Supplement Hype...in a nutshell Eat right Train hard Basicaly
 
AloB

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Don't fall into the marketing hype of supplements. There's no need to drink BCAA's before bed to help with recovery. As long as you're eating an adequate amount of protein throughout the day you will be getting enough EAA's and BCAA's to promote proper recovery while you sleep. Don't overstress with supplements and focus more on hitting your macros
Yeah bro I'm finding I'm buying into the Hype I'm just going to bring it back to basics dense carbs and Heavy Weight training..it's just the supplement company's make the products look so good haha I know now thanks man
 

pro45

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Macro's by the end of the day, in the long run. Especially if you're not on any "substances."
 

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