Little and often or three a day???

Question

They say you should eat 5-6 small meals a day to keep your metabolism stable to improve weight loss, but some people say to eat 3 meals a day and not to snack inbetween??? What do people here think? :)

Answer 1

What matters most is your total calorie intake for the day. Doesn't really matter when you eat or how often, but if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight.

The thing is, if you eat the more frequent smaller meals, then you are more likely to see weight loss faster, than eating that same amount of calories in 3 meals or less, because the frequent eating keeps your metabolism rev'd up more during the day so you burn more total calories (even at rest) than if the metabolism is allowed to slow down when there are longer breaks between food intake.

Total calories is what is most important...but why not burn 'em off a little faster if you can, by simply eating smaller portions more frequently?

Answer 2

Sorry - I don't believe in 6 small meals a day.
I eat 3 meals a day as most people in the world and I am healthy with always- ready-for-bikini look.

Breakfast : 1 banana and orange juice
Lunch : Eat anything I want but not too much or big meal; and keep it as balance diet
Dinner : Supper low fat meal such as grill fish

During meals - Non fat milk or fruit juice
Speciat - you can have a big meal(eat anything you want) once a week

I have done this for 7 years and I never had a problem about my weight.

Answer 3

Definitely the first. If you only stick to 3 meals and don't snack, you're more likely to pig out at meal times and go for bigger portions which makes it harder for your body to burn it off & slows metabolism. Eating little and often does keep your metabolism stable. I'm living proof that this works - this is the way I've always eaten and I've never struggled with my weight

Answer 4

Little and often is the way to go. With three low calorie meals a day, your body will go into starve-and-conserve mode; forcing your metabolism to slow to preserve current body weight. You'd be surprised how little some overweight people eat and yet still show no significant fat loss for this very reason.

Answer 5

I think you should eat in small portions often. But, you should eat those things that are good for you. It takes a lot of planning and of course discipline to eat this way. The natural thing to eat in America is processed and high fat foods. And then we wonder why we have more cancer, heart disease and other fatal illnesses than other countries. The food industry needs a complete and total overhaul and I can not believe that the FDA allows so much junk to be put on the market. Anyway...sorry for the ramble, but little and often is best.

Answer 6

find calorie/fitness calculator on the net, enter your stats and it will tell you how many calories a day you need to maintain your weight. take 300-400calories off that number and that's how much you need to lose weight.
eat 5-6 small meals a day instead of 3 big ones.
5-8 servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
8 glasses of water a day.
4-6 times a week cardio work out for 30-50min plus light weight training.
no junk food, no sodas, no white flour (white bread, pasta, cookies, cakes etc)

Answer 7

Little and often, and the right things that will give you strength and keep you physically fit.

That includes learning how to cook from scratch (yes, take the time for that!), and including lots of fresh produce.

Avoid red meats whenever possible.

I did as much for myself, and now look at me!

(That avatar's a healthy man!)