Why YOU should be eating more frequently

[Icex999]

Pretty much everyone on this forum knows, that if you're planning on building a physique like that of a greek god, you'd be best off eating 5-6 smaller meals per day than the ever so popular 3 meals....The problem is that very few people actually know why such eating habits are better.

Here are 3 reasons why this eating method is superior

1 - Your metabolism reacts to anything you eat. So whatever you eat, digesting it will burn calories. However, the amount of calories burned is dependent on the macronutrient profile of the food consumed. Protein, causes you to burn more calories than any other macronutrient. A meal consisting of 15 grams of protein or more, can burn up to 69 calories. So if you eat 6 small meals, each with greater than 15 g. of protein, you will end up burning 69x6 = 414 calories. That's 414 more calories than you would've normally burned.


2 - Smaller meals at higher frequencies allows for less storage of excesses, due to the principles of absorption. You will also experience better absorption of the vitals of your body.

There's only so many nutrients that your muscles and organs can handle. You simply can't fill your MUSCLES beyond what they can hold. It's like trying to pour a 20 oz. bottle of water into a 10 oz. glass, there's gonna be that 10 oz. of water that doesn't make it into the glass. So what does your body do with that?
Once your muscles and the other vitals of your body, have been full of the nutrients they need, the excess is either stored or excreted. If you're on a high-frequency eating plan, your body will become accustomed to the fact that it will be getting more of what it needs soon, so very minimal is stored, with the rest sent on to your excretory organs.
How is this better than eating 3 meals per day? Well, say your awake 14 hours per/day...your 3 meals are rougly divided amongst those 14 hours...14/3 = almost 5....this means that around every 4-5 hours you will be eating a meal....in that 4 hours between your meals your body WILL be deprived of certain nutrients...you'll feel hungry...these hunger pangs are your body's way of shouting at you to give it food because it needs it....
After your body is used to such large breaks between meals, it will start storing more and more of what doesn't get absorbed into muscle cells. This, means that it will start depositing the excess into your fat cells. This leads to growth in your fat cells, which means you might turn into a tub of lard!


3 - The third reason for this eating method is NO MORE HUNGER! Eating so often will keep those hunger pangs at bay, and you won't suffer from the side effects of hunger such as drowsiness, "lack of competitive edge (snicker's commercial)", and the other things we go through when we're hungry.


So can you build a 'perfect' physique on a three meal a day plan? Yes, but not as efficiently as on a 5-6 meal per day plan.

I hope this informative post clears up any questions you may have about why high frequency meals are better. If you have any questions at all, feel free to post them.

[rza]

good job. you made valid points. It is extremely important to consume 4-5 meals a day when indulged in strenuous training.But if you do not train consistantly, using this method could turn you in to "a tub of lard"

[raybravo]

agreed that eating a lot of meals is good . but if ure not absorbing what u eat , of what good is it ? the body absorbs meals best only at certain times , any ideas ?

[Icex999]

Originally posted by raybravo
agreed that eating a lot of meals is good . but if ure not absorbing what u eat , of what good is it ? the body absorbs meals best only at certain times , any ideas ?


if u read the article, u would see that it states that you absorb what ur body needs, and no excesses meaning u don't get fat.

[raybravo]

no that's not what i meant , the body seems to absorb nutrients best when the breath flows thro the nostrils in a particular way , here i am referring to the fact that either one of nostrils are partically blocked all the time , and the breath flows predominantly thro one , then switches to the other nostril and goes back and forth , the ingestion of nutrients to the body has to match these subtle cycles .

[Icex999]

Originally posted by raybravo
no that's not what i meant , the body seems to absorb nutrients best when the breath flows thro the nostrils in a particular way , here i am referring to the fact that either one of nostrils are partically blocked all the time , and the breath flows predominantly thro one , then switches to the other nostril and goes back and forth , the ingestion of nutrients to the body has to match these subtle cycles .

cite references and studies please.

[Icex999]

Originally posted by raybravo
no that's not what i meant , the body seems to absorb nutrients best when the breath flows thro the nostrils in a particular way , here i am referring to the fact that either one of nostrils are partically blocked all the time , and the breath flows predominantly thro one , then switches to the other nostril and goes back and forth , the ingestion of nutrients to the body has to match these subtle cycles .


i am interested in what you are saying, yet I myself have no knowledge of this. if you would, please cite your references and or studies relating to this.

[raybravo]

hey bro , nice to know ure interested , it'll take a long time for me to prove what i'm saying ,send me a mail , prolly we can exchange what we know , i'll be glad to tell u all i know about this . peace .

[FemaleTeenBBldr]

what would be a good diet plan for eating six meals a day? six small meals..

[Icex999]

are you looking to lose or gain weight? and if so, how much weight? and how much do you weigh? I'll take a look at these numbers and I'll construct a diet for you.

[Illmatic]

This is a solid article and a crucial part of any nutritional strategy. I ate 3-4 meals for years. I thought that if I ate more I'd get fat. For the last year, I've eaten 6-7 meals a day, every day and reaped incredible rewards. I'm leaner, stronger, more muscular, and I'm never ever hungry. Although people make fun of me for 'always always' eating. :D

[wrestle445]

nice read ur great

[TonySchwartz]

This article gives a different perspective on the bodybuilding dogma of eating every 2-3 hours http://www.elitefts.com/documents/intermittent_fasting.htm

[dvbuilder]

Don't forget that eating 5-6 meals a day allows you to take in more food when bulking than the standard 3 meals.
More efficient in so many ways.

[PhoenixUK]

2 - Smaller meals at higher frequencies .................

Once your muscles and the other vitals of your body, have been full of the nutrients they need, the excess is either stored or excreted.

3 - The third reason for this eating method is NO MORE HUNGER!


Emphasis on smaller meals - this doesn't mean doubling your current three meals into 6 meals!

Your body can only store so much glycogen or protein - the rest will be converted into fat stores, so have to keep an eye on your body fat percentage.

Yes v true - lack of hunger pangs = less likely to nibble on bad stuff like chocolate etc. Also, leads to better blood sugar and insulin profiles = reduced chances of developing diabetes, better for promoting growth etc

[notorius1]

old but still good.

[Donkeyno9]

Nice work OP; another huge benefit of eating more often is stabilizing Your body's insulin response. Insulin is the hormone responsible for allowing nutrients to permeate cell membranes. The importance of insulin is nothing short of epic.

[b00mersl8]

I had just posted an article asking the question of how many times we should eat a day.I nust now found your article.Thank you the info was helpful.

[Blarnee_92]

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[sicdeusvult]

lol ^

[david2001]

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[xnotoriousx]

in b4 fbi

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[Smykowski]

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[MattP343]

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OH SNAP!!


EDIT: A day later and this **** is still up?

[Scarface2883]

I'd hit it! :)

[Opies]

This is such a ****ty article

1) the phrases 'more than 15g of protein' and 'up to 69 calories' are inconsistent with each other since one is a greater than clause, and the other is a less than clause. This is simple manipulation, and the more likely relationship is that the more protein you eat, the more calories are expended digesting it, not 69 calories (maximum) is burned by digesting 15g protein (minimum).

2) Blatantly false. The body is in a constant cycle between anabolism and catabolism. You are constantly storing, and releasing fat, all day every day; fat gain and loss works on chronic trends, not acute events like eating a meal. Eating smaller meals does not reduce fat storage in any way. Also, fat storage is based on intake vs need. If calories in is less than calories out, you could eat once a day and still lose fat. Secondly, the body does not excrete nutrients. We didn't evolve with a constant abundance of food. We went hungry a lot. This is why our bodies are very effective at absorbing and using everything that is put into them.

3) This is also false. The mechanisms behind hunger are very complex, and are way beyond meal timing. Also, most people can tell you from personal experience, that eating more meals does not make you any less hungry throughout the day, and can in fact INCREASE hunger, as in my case.

"Eating 6 meals a day is like 6 times a day having a very hot woman come into a room with you, dancing around a little and showing some skin, then abruptly leaving you there with your hardon." -unknown

[LCANELA]

Pretty much everyone on this forum knows, that if you're planning on building a physique like that of a greek god, you'd be best off eating 5-6 smaller meals per day than the ever so popular 3 meals....The problem is that very few people actually know why such eating habits are better.

Here are 3 reasons why this eating method is superior

1 - Your metabolism reacts to anything you eat. So whatever you eat, digesting it will burn calories. However, the amount of calories burned is dependent on the macronutrient profile of the food consumed. Protein, causes you to burn more calories than any other macronutrient. A meal consisting of 15 grams of protein or more, can burn up to 69 calories. So if you eat 6 small meals, each with greater than 15 g. of protein, you will end up burning 69x6 = 414 calories. That's 414 more calories than you would've normally burned.


2 - Smaller meals at higher frequencies allows for less storage of excesses, due to the principles of absorption. You will also experience better absorption of the vitals of your body.

There's only so many nutrients that your muscles and organs can handle. You simply can't fill your MUSCLES beyond what they can hold. It's like trying to pour a 20 oz. bottle of water into a 10 oz. glass, there's gonna be that 10 oz. of water that doesn't make it into the glass. So what does your body do with that?
Once your muscles and the other vitals of your body, have been full of the nutrients they need, the excess is either stored or excreted. If you're on a high-frequency eating plan, your body will become accustomed to the fact that it will be getting more of what it needs soon, so very minimal is stored, with the rest sent on to your excretory organs.
How is this better than eating 3 meals per day? Well, say your awake 14 hours per/day...your 3 meals are rougly divided amongst those 14 hours...14/3 = almost 5....this means that around every 4-5 hours you will be eating a meal....in that 4 hours between your meals your body WILL be deprived of certain nutrients...you'll feel hungry...these hunger pangs are your body's way of shouting at you to give it food because it needs it....
After your body is used to such large breaks between meals, it will start storing more and more of what doesn't get absorbed into muscle cells. This, means that it will start depositing the excess into your fat cells. This leads to growth in your fat cells, which means you might turn into a tub of lard!


3 - The third reason for this eating method is NO MORE HUNGER! Eating so often will keep those hunger pangs at bay, and you won't suffer from the side effects of hunger such as drowsiness, "lack of competitive edge (snicker's commercial)", and the other things we go through when we're hungry.


So can you build a 'perfect' physique on a three meal a day plan? Yes, but not as efficiently as on a 5-6 meal per day plan.

I hope this informative post clears up any questions you may have about why high frequency meals are better. If you have any questions at all, feel free to post them.

kinda dont agree with number 3. i'm eating about 5 meals a day and they really dont seem to do anythin gto me, i stay hungry and therefore get drowsy and lack energy to do anything

[wave_length]

The myth of meal frequency has been scienfically debunked time and time again. The only valid argument would be convenience, but that differs individually.

[CEO Josh]

The myth of meal frequency has been scienfically debunked time and time again. The only valid argument would be convenience, but that differs individually.

Tell that to an ecto going for a bulk. Seem how much u gain eating 2 big meals a day.

[Glorge]

Tell that to an ecto going for a bulk. Seem how much u gain eating 2 big meals a day.

That would be more to do with the fact that they cant get enough calories from eating only 2 meals a day, not due to the frequency of meals.

[wave_length]

Tell that to an ecto going for a bulk. Seem how much u gain eating 2 big meals a day.

Yes, as I said, convenience. However, it's not too hard to get 2000kcals or more with one meal. I wouldn't do that either, but it's possible.

[Kaseykc]

you really burn that many calories on protein??

[LiamMAXRESULTS]

I want to know, allthough this may sound stupid to all you,
- Would it be wiser to wake up do cardio and workout abs first thing in the mornin
or
- Eat Breakfeast let it digest a little then wdo your cardio and ab workout??

I thought if i ate breakfeast first then maybe after that i could burn off them calories and turn it into muscle and then after the ab workout , maybe have a protein drink to prepare myself for my muscle group workout later throughout the day?

I am just confused o nthe sequence of when to eat and when not to eat and balance it with working out. Everythind else i am comfurtble with. Someone advise me please? thanks
MaxRESULTS!

[GoogleFreak]

Good post OP. I lost 10 lbs in my first month just by eating 5 to 6 small meals, this is without doing any exercise. Myth or not it does work for me, and I have tried everything.