1 meal vs 3 vs 6

[CaseyW]

Hey guys,

I know traditional knowledge is that you want to eat 6 meals a day throughout the day. I've seen around places that are now saying this is not true.. and that 1 or 2 or 3 is just as good? I was talking to a friend of mine who is all into nutrition and they were shocked I would even say such a thing, they were like no, it's science you should be eating ideally 6 times a day. By the way I generally do but just out of habit.

Could someone point me in the right direction of where this new line of thought that says 1,2, or 3 is just as good as 6 is discussed or science behind it?

Thanks!

[67nova]

Main thing is calories needed but larger meals do sometimes get stored as fat(cal overload)i myself have to eat atleast 5x a day as the cals i need are on the higher side and get to full even eating these.Yes i do go with calorie denser foods to help.

It depends on the person no one is the same meaning what works for one doesnt for everyone.

Just find what works for "YOU"not everyone else and only get tips from us.

[Kingjake]

Check out leangains.com great info there

[PrimiFit]

I cycle between 2 meals and 4 meals depending on my schedule. Also, sometimes I feel like I can't shovel down all that food in two sittings. But sometimes it feels nice to not eat during the day and then eat a huge meal or two in the evening.

[AaronJP1]

I kind of eyeball my food, I usually eat multiple times a day because I can't get all my protein in 2 meals.

[mkretz]

im nuts and sometimeseat5000 cals in one meal ( yes i eat the meal over a fewhorus) but i think ive really stretched otu my stomach which isntnecesarily good cu when imnot eating as much it takes me alot to feel full but right now im loving the big meals lol

[Oscar]

I'd say stick with 3 or more me personally I eat 5 and have a shake between each. while there haven't been many studies on meal frequency I figure the digestive system can only handle so much at once so better to split it up rather than eating 2000+ calories in on sitting and most of it rotting in your intestines and being excreted as waste, but that's just speculation

[skunkman]

For me personally 2-3 meals in a 8 hour window has been awesome. Been slowly losing weight and gaining muscle for the last six months. 50lbs scale weight and my strength has skyrocketed. As far as digestion goes I've seen a marked improvement. Consistent 4's on the Bristol scale where as before it fluctuated wildly.

[live to lift]

For me personally 2-3 meals in a 8 hour window has been awesome. Been slowly losing weight and gaining muscle for the last six months. 50lbs scale weight and my strength has skyrocketed. As far as digestion goes I've seen a marked improvement. Consistent 4's on the Bristol scale where as before it fluctuated wildly.

Sounds like me and you have had similar results went from 207 to 157 while maintaining strength and no feeling of lethargy best weight loss ive ever had congrats on your results thats awesome

[AaronJP1]

I just wish I could get sold on IF.

[skunkman]

Sounds like me and you have had similar results went from 207 to 157 while maintaining strength and no feeling of lethargy best weight loss ive ever had congrats on your results thats awesome

Thanks I appreciate that. And congrats to you my friend. 50lbs is no small feat, especially starting at such a lower bf than myself.

I just wish I could get sold on IF.

There's no thermic difference between eating 8 or 2 meals as long as the total amount and composition are the same. Starvation mode doesn't kick in until I believe the 72 hours mark without food. There are a host of pro's and con's for each proponent but considering those two points you have nothing to lose by trying it. I don't think that I have read of someone that has adapted past the transition stage and abandoned it altogether. In most cases it was at least added as a tool in there repertoire if not made the primary one.

[AaronJP1]

Thanks I appreciate that. And congrats to you my friend. 50lbs is no small feat, especially starting at such a lower bf than myself.

There's no thermic difference between eating 8 or 2 meals as long as the total amount and composition are the same. Starvation mode doesn't kick in until I believe the 72 hours mark without food. There are a host of pro's and con's for each proponent but considering those two points you have nothing to lose by trying it. I don't think that I have read of someone that has adapted past the transition stage and abandoned it altogether. In most cases it was at least added as a tool in there repertoire if not made the primary one.

Thx.
Just fear I could be storing fat waiting that long to eat when my body is telling me that's it's hungry.

[skunkman]

Interesting. I always assumed that catabolism was the general fear of not eating often.

[AaronJP1]

Interesting. I always assumed that catabolism was the general fear of not eating often.

Always 2 sides to a story.

[Jiigzz]

Your body won't turn catabolic from not eatng often; that is outdated hypothesis based on very outdated research. If you can get all your calories in two-three meals, then its no different to eating the same portions over 6 meals.

And no, it isnt science that you should eat 6 meals per day. There are studies on meal frequency but they are largely based on food cravings and obesity. I.e. eating 6 meals (as opposed to one) should help you control your hunger and help you to feel satisfied for a larger portion of the day.

[skunkman]

Your body won't turn catabolic from not eatng often; that is outdated hypothesis based on very outdated research. If you can get all your calories in two-three meals, then its no different to eating the same portions over 6 meals.

And no, it isnt science that you should eat 6 meals per day. There are studies on meal frequency but they are largely based on food cravings and obesity. I.e. eating 6 meals (as opposed to one) should help you control your hunger and help you to feel satisfied for a larger portion of the day.

Should being the key word. I always tended to over eat or eat junk at night when doing small meals.

[live to lift]

IF takes about 2 weeks to get use to after that its smooth sailing and awesome results i was going to abandon it during my bulk but i have grown to love this way of eating soo much that i will be using it to bulk as well. It was great for cutting now ill see what bulking on IF will do

[machorox123]

I believe that eating a lot of.meals a day comes from hardcore bodybuilders. its pretty hard to shove thousands of clean cals down your throat so they have to break up their meals. If it takes an average 180lb guy 2700 cals jus to maintain what do you think it requires for a 300lb bodybuilder to maintain?

[Benzo22]

Alan Aragon knows his stuff. Search "Alan Aragon meal frequency"

[AaronJP1]

Alan Aragon knows his stuff. Search "Alan Aragon meal frequency"

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/for...-and-Frequency

It's a good read.