A new study I have just read provided proof it is equally beneficial to have 3-4 meals a day instead of 5-8 smaller meals. I will provide you with the in's and outs to why this is.
I have recently read through a case study, the tests were performed to find out if people burn more fat with more frequent smaller meals or later more spaced out meals. The results were shocking. The test subjects were equal in size and weight when starting the study. The test subjects remained the same throughout the entire experiment. The results prove that the "advantage of eating smaller and more frequently" does not actually make a difference.
Ok so this will be my opinion on how this makes any impact on you as a person searching to become more healthy and more fit...
This means that if you are used to eating more smaller meals a day and you like that, you should keep doing that. If you are one of those people who say that you don't have enough time during the day to have that many meals you don't need to, you can have breakfast lunch and dinner and 1 snack if you can. This means that getting in shape is easier then we had known. Diet is 70% of your results. The problem is since diet is 70% you have to be 100% dedicated for it to mean anything. This means that you will be able to actually spend less time prepping smaller more frequent meals and eating normal if that suits your life better.
WHY WOULD I EAT MORE SMALLER MEALS VS LARGER WHATS THE ADVANTAGE?
The only reason I would tell someone to eat smaller meals over a more conventional 3 meals / day diet is because if a person is attempting to gain muscle mass they are going to need, what an average person would consider excessive amounts of protein. This would be easier and more beneficial in smaller and more frequent increments. Reason is because you need approx 1.5g of protein for each pound you weigh but the problem is your body can only absorb 25-35g of protein ever hour and a half. Therefor you would have to eat 6 or 7 meals throughout the day in order to hit your mark. This is why and how smaller meals is more beneficial than larger meals.
For the people who are better at math:
If you weigh 200lbs you technically need between 190g-240g of protein / day depending on your goals.
This means that if you take the middle number between 190-240g lets use the number of 220g/day for examples sake. 220 divided by 30 grams per meal is 7.3 meals. This means that in order to properly get the amount of protein into your body that is considered "optimal" you are going to need to eat 7.3 meals per day. **This is only a hypothetical example and obviously these numbers will vary based on each person but this is a good benchmark to base it off of.**
The same goes for someone of different weight the standard amount of protein the body can digest in one sitting is 30g. Your body will be ready for more protein approx 1 hour and 30 minutes after you last ingested protein (vary depending on type of protein). At which point you should try to eat more protein approx 2 hours after you last ingested protein to allow your stomach to prepare for the next meal.
Ok so recapping on what just happened!
No matter what your daily routine is, you can manage to get either 3-4 meals in (larger in size) or 4-8 meals (smaller size) depending on what fits your lifestyle and needs. There is no benefit to either method besides the protein factor. (This is mostly important for serious weightlifters or people who are trying to transform their body) The advantages that we have all been teaching about smaller more frequent meals have been debunked (sort-of) . There are still some very complicated reasons why one would suggest this method of smaller meals but that is something I will explain later.
The body should be deprived of bad sugars, try to limit binge eating, and also look out for diluting stomach acids by drinking a lot of water directly after your meal. You should try to wait a few minutes before consuming water directly after meals. In order to prevent over eating you should try and drink the water 10-20 minutes before you eat this will help to suppress appetite.
We need you to be able to adopt a routine. What ever routine works better with your life use that method. The key isn't which one will work better with your body smaller meals and more frequent of less and larger the problem is will you stay consistent. Once you get yourself into a good routine make sure you keep it going. Nothing is going to hurt you worse then breaking your routine.
Enjoy the holidays everyone!
I just realized my post on Christmas never posted... Happy Holidays! Enjoy
Sincerely,
Frank
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