how essential

[kariev34]

how essential is it to eat every 2.5 to 3 hrs? i've read that frequency isn't as important as important as it was first thought and its about how many cals you consume. Is this true? For those that eat meals frequently, how has your physique changed by it?

[Amanda76]

I used to eat one or two big, unclean meals/day. This went on for a couple of years (actually, probably longer...I used to skip breakfast, eat junk from a vending machine and a coke for lunch and have a big dinner all through high school). I worked at Outback and we got all our food for half price so I'd eat some appetizer, all of a meal and some dessert every day. Then I worked at a Casino where we got a free meal...we'd totally fill our plates through a buffet line...and yes, dessert (or a couple of them) every day. Between that and several lattes a day, I was definitely eating enough daily calories. I would feel tired between meals (not hungry, though...just as you can train yourself to be hungry more often, you can train yourself to be hungry less often) and it was typical for me to catch myself shaking when doing things that required fine motor-skills (writing a check, for example). I thought I had the beginnings of essential tremor at the time...now I think my shaking was the product of low blood sugar between meals. The crazy thing is that you don't realize how sluggish you are until you DO start eating right for a while.

Now I eat meals frequently. My workouts are definitely more effective because I have a steady flow of energy coming in. I'm more alert and productive in every aspect of my life. I've been trying to have a more muscular physique since I was a kid. I've gone through lots of times when I was able to go to the gym for at least a year straight (plenty of time to put on some muscle) but never saw such a turn in the right direction until I actually started putting effort into what I ate.

[KimberleyRN]

I dropped 30 pounds in 6 months mainly by changing from eating the '3 squares' a day and making it more like 3 small meals and 3 substantial snacks.

I think this 'grazing' mentality toward eating helps boost metabolism by keeping the pancreas happy and our blood sugar levels more steady.

[dvsness]

I eat every 3 hours bulking, and every 4 hours cutting. Meal frequency can help you get in your desired cals/macros more easily, besides having an optimal effect on your insulin.

[ozigal]

i find my energy levels are pretty constant throughout the day and i don't get overly hungry by eating every 2-3 hours. It also helps keep your metabolic rate constantly working.

[MauiZos]

I'm pretty sure no one here would tell you they feel as good eating 2 big meals in the latter half of the day vs eating 6 or 7 small meals starting bright and early. You feel better, your energy levels (and moods!) are more steady, you feel satisfied all the time, etc.

Most importantly, you want to train your body to recognize that it always has a steady flow of energy coming in. This way it never ever goes into "storage mode" as a protectionary measure when it thinks it may be a long time before the next meal. Low levels of insulin keep you burning dietary calories and body fat vs high levels of insulin that store everything you eat as fat.

Depending on your goal, timing may make more or less of a difference, but you will always do better with more small meals throughout the day.

[fattybumbum]

I never thought I would say this but I do get fed up of eating so frequently, I can't remember what 'hunger' feels like! Lol. I do have to say though that I feel sooooo much better! I have more energy, my workouts are much more effective, my body shape is changing - I feel on top of the world! I work on reception so am sitting all day, I would snack and pick at all the wrong things before I started my eating/training habits. Now I make sensible choices but do admit to 2 cheat/treat meals per week with some wine - seems to be working as my bf and weight have dropped, the weight I've dropped is fat and my body lean has increased. However, when I do have my cheat/treat meals I cannot eat anywhere as near as much of it as I used to because I'm used to eating smaller portions.