Meal timing and spacing

[2Skrong]

I've seen a lot about either meal timing being really good and effective at "stoking the metabolic furnace", or it's useless. Here's my scenario/question: I'm awake anywhere from 18-20 hours a day. I need to fit 2156 calories into this time span. Does it matter if I have a few larger meals, or would it better to space them out a little better? Also, what to eat exactly? Let me expand: I work 11 hour days, so from 8:45 to 7:45 i'm at a desk. I get 2 breaks and a lunch, which I think I decently spread out enough for me to get my nutrients, but what else should I be eating besides brown rice and chicken breast during the day? My diet schedule will probably look something like this (I workout 5 days a week, or I plan to; on the days I have work, I won't be in the gym until 9:15pm or so):

6:30 - breakfast (egg whites/whole egg/oats/multigrain bread or w/e)
11:45 - break 1 (shake?)
2:00 - lunch (probably brown rice and chicken breast, i dont mind eating the same thing every day)
5:30 - break 2 (more chicken and rice? should i spcie it up or does it matter?)
should I add another meal in between breakfast and my first break? and If i'm at the gym at 9:15, whereabouts should I take my preworkout? I'm sorry this post is long and all over the place, but i appreciate any advice. thanks so much in advance.

[ZMan45]

Space your meals to your preference and convenience. What's more concerning to me is that you don't mention fruits or vegetables whatsoever. Eating the same thing every day will lead to certain micronutrient deficiencies. Vary your diet day by day to cover your bases. Eating chicken and rice every meal is just laziness.

[2Skrong]

Is there a really big article or series of articles, or a book or SOMETHING i can read and really study to learn about all this?? Meal variation, timing, micronitrients, ketosis and glycogen etc...i read some articles about bodybuilding and see these biological terms thrown around but im not sure what they mean, and before i really dive into all this i want to get a solid understand of exactly what goes on the body before, during and after exercise, and exactly what role nutrition (and what specific role nutrients play in relation to muscles and body health as a whole) plays when it comes to bodybuilding. sorry for all these obvious questions, if they are obvious.

[ZMan45]

Is there a really big article or series of articles, or a book or SOMETHING i can read and really study to learn about all this?? Meal variation, timing, micronitrients, ketosis and glycogen etc...i read some articles about bodybuilding and see these biological terms thrown around but im not sure what they mean, and before i really dive into all this i want to get a solid understand of exactly what goes on the body before, during and after exercise, and exactly what role nutrition (and what specific role nutrients play in relation to muscles and body health as a whole) plays when it comes to bodybuilding. sorry for all these obvious questions, if they are obvious.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/articles

This website should keep you busy for a while. Lyle is one of the smartest guys in the industry. Not tolerant of BS in the slightest.

[2Skrong]

This website should keep you busy for a while. Lyle is one of the smartest guys in the industry. Not tolerant of BS in the slightest.[/QUOTE]

thank you so much for all the help, i'll remember you when I'm massive.

[respawn]

Lyle is known as two things usually. The most intelligent in the industry. Or the biggest #$*% head.

Him, Alan and Others have gone into why meal timing does matter and meal frequency. But not 8 meals or whatever the extremes are. Two articles here.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/res...ch-review.html
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/mus...ass-gains.html

[cumminslifter]

meals spaced 4-5 hours apart containing enough protein to stimulate MPS

[AlwaysTryin]

meals spaced 4-5 hours apart containing enough protein to stimulate MPS

What if one meal digests in an hour vs the next digesting in ~12 hours... That 4-5 doesn't exist

[Mrpb]

What if one meal digests in an hour vs the next digesting in ~12 hours... That 4-5 doesn't exist

Going by what Layne Norton says: a complete meal will keep MPS elevated for about 3 hours. Eating every 4-5 hours may be optimal if one strives to optimally boost muscle protein synthesis.
http://spotmebro.com/layne-norton-ph...and-how-often/

Stuart Phillips says similar things.

[respawn]

Going by what Layne Norton says: a complete meal will keep MPS elevated for about 3 hours. Eating every 4-5 hours may be optimal if one strives to optimally boost muscle protein synthesis.
http://spotmebro.com/layne-norton-ph...and-how-often/

Stuart Phillips says similar things.

Pretty sure Lyle Says something around the same.

[cumminslifter]

What if one meal digests in an hour vs the next digesting in ~12 hours... That 4-5 doesn't exist

Going by what Layne Norton says: a complete meal will keep MPS elevated for about 3 hours. Eating every 4-5 hours may be optimal if one strives to optimally boost muscle protein synthesis.
http://spotmebro.com/layne-norton-ph...and-how-often/

Stuart Phillips says similar things.

that^
http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/prote..._frequency.pdf
http://www.slideshare.net/biolayne/o...nd-muscle-mass
http://www.biolayne.com/wp-content/u...-Tech-2008.pdf

[Mrpb]

Pretty sure Lyle Says something around the same.

Pretty similar I agree, but I don't think Lyle says to wait 4-5 hours between meals. Do you know?

Edit: yep found it:

This yields a duration between meals of anywhere from three to five hours. This should keep the body in an overall anabolic state without causing problems related to too frequent or too infrequent consumption of meals.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/mus...ass-gains.html

2009 article though. Would like to know how Lyle thinks about Layne's theory about waiting at least 4 hours.

[respawn]

Pretty similar I agree, but I don't think Lyle says to wait 4-5 hours between meals. Do you know?

Meal Frequency and Energy Balance
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/res...ch-review.html
Meal Frequency and Mass Gains
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/mus...ass-gains.html

Is it still propagated in here that the Post workout anabolic window does not exist relating to Alan's study? If so Alan has addressed how people misunderstood that.

[foodandfitness]

The meal space/time continuum is directly affected by the mass of the lifter (Lm) squared times the mass of the meal (Mm) divided by the speed at which the poptarts are ejected from the toaster.

[AlwaysTryin]

Going by what Layne Norton says: a complete meal will keep MPS elevated for about 3 hours. Eating every 4-5 hours may be optimal if one strives to optimally boost muscle protein synthesis.
http://spotmebro.com/layne-norton-ph...and-how-often/

Stuart Phillips says similar things.

So wouldn't 3 be optimal

[cumminslifter]

So wouldn't 3 be optimal

no, you want it to fall to baseline. plasma AA will still be elevated during that time

[tom10]

Space your meals to your preference and convenience.

Nailed it. This **** is majoring in the minors and doesn't matter. All of this crap about when to eat is the 1%, while total calories and macro profile is the 99%.

[AlwaysTryin]

no, you want it to fall to baseline. plasma AA will still be elevated during that time

I'm just being annoying. Point being obviously it will all depend on your previous meal and what it was as to how long. Too many variables to stress over!

[tom10]

The meal space/time continuum is directly affected by the mass of the lifter (Lm) squared times the mass of the meal (Mm) divided by the speed at which the poptarts are ejected from the toaster.

lol Yes!

[cumminslifter]

I'm just being annoying. Point being obviously it will all depend on your previous meal and what it was as to how long. Too many variables to stress over!

very much so. Who knows how much of a difference it will make