Does higher meal frequency yield more muscle?

[Kotsobali]

Does lower meal frequency (3 meals) yield poorer results than 5 or 6 meals for building muscle?
I don't think I have the time for more than 3 meals max!

[SuffolkPunch]

No

It might suit some people that have a smaller appetite. But if you control the total calories and compare high frequency with low frequency then there is no reason why one should be better than the other.

Protein dosing might be better at 4-5 times per day but for other nutrients, it's not going to make a difference IMO.

[Mrpb]

Probably 4 protein feedings per day is necessary to maximise muscle building.

[coachcalande]

Does lower meal frequency (3 meals) yield poorer results than 5 or 6 meals for building muscle?
I don't think I have the time for more than 3 meals max!

I just finished my experiment on this.

I tried four meals, five and six.

Six is best FOR ME.

[desslok]

Does lower meal frequency (3 meals) yield poorer results than 5 or 6 meals for building muscle?
I don't think I have the time for more than 3 meals max!

If we told you 4 , but you only have time for 3, would you just feel bad?

[paulinkansas]

Take a Vince Gironda hormone precursor shake once a day. It counts as 2 meals.

[AdamWW]

3 meals a day is going to be no different than 4-5 unless for some reason you have a subjective performance benefit from either one.

Personally, I have 3, with an occasional snack.

[TolerantLactose]

If we told you 4 , but you only have time for 3, would you just feel bad?

I think he would. He has a thread in Supplements asking about whey "dosing".

[Mrpb]

Based on the current evidence, we conclude that to maximize anabolism one should consume protein at a target intake of 0.4 g/kg/meal across a minimum of four meals in order to reach a minimum of 1.6 g/kg/day. Using the upper daily intake of 2.2 g/kg/day reported in the literature spread out over the same four meals would necessitate a maximum of 0.55 g/kg/meal.

https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/arti...970-018-0215-1

[HannoCometh]

Does lower meal frequency (3 meals) yield poorer results than 5 or 6 meals for building muscle?
I don't think I have the time for more than 3 meals max!

I dunno. It's complicated these days.

Nowadays, in some people's experience, lower meal frequency and complete fasting apparently now translates into higher secretion of growth hormones, but it has not been sufficiently determined whether that is because food nowadays contains hormonal blockers/endocrine disruptors or whether lower meal frequency is indeed better.

No clue, I'm afraid.

I have no clue what the correct information is nowadays.



EDIT: That being said, I can't see how you can become THIS dude without eating (frequently) lol:

[AdamWW]

I dunno. It's complicated these days.

Nowadays, in some people's experience, lower meal frequency and complete fasting apparently now translates into higher secretion of growth hormones, but it has not been sufficiently determined whether that is because food nowadays contains hormonal blockers/endocrine disruptors or whether lower meal frequency is indeed better.

No clue, I'm afraid.

I have no clue what the correct information is nowadays.



EDIT: That being said, I can't see how you can become THIS dude without eating (frequently) lol:

More growth hormone doesn’t mean more muscle gain

[EliKoehn]

I've heard it argued that Thor is perhaps the strongest man to have ever lived. Not sure how that can be verified, since there are incredible claims made in the literature of the heroic age, about men "long ago" (from their vantage) who lifted boulders easily, not weak like men are "presently." In the Iliad, Menelaus references this as they themselves performed feats of strength which would be considered impressive for long-trained athletes today, like it was normal.

I still find that incredible. 501KG conventional deadlift is astonishing. Probably not more than a few men in all of history have attained that kind of strength. (Easter egg: he cameos this movie!)

[HannoCometh]

More growth hormone doesn’t mean more muscle gain

Of course, it's not as clear cut as that all the time, but sometimes, it usually does...

[AdamWW]

Of course, it's not as clear cut as that all the time, but sometimes, it usually does...

"sometimes, usually"

doesn't make sense.

I do not think there is actual evidence to support what you're claiming.

[SuperHippo]

1 is better than 0, 2 better than 1, 3 better than 2.. there is diminishing returns. You will get most from 3 meals if daily protein is met, but 4-5 is likely needed to get the 100% max mps.

[desslok]

"sometimes, usually"

doesn't make sense.

I do not there is actual evidence to support what you're claiming.

[SuffolkPunch]

Growth hormone rises during fasting to mobilise energy, not to grow muscle. Hormones have multiple functions and work in conjunction with one another. Whichever way you cut it, fasting is simply not an anabolic environment.

If one theory is telling you to eat frequently and a conflicting theory is telling you to fast for long periods, maybe that's telling you something about the validity of such theories. This is why we have controlled trials - to show if these ideas hold any water or not. As far as I'm aware, meal frequency is pretty neutral regarding body composition. There is some evidence to show that spreading out protein feedings can help, there is also evidence to show that eating less frequently can help with appetite control.

Find the combination that works for you, this might be (shockingly) breakfast, lunch and dinner.

[azuki84]

i take everything with a grain of salt, but the fact we can't really store amino acids for later use compared to like carbs/fat makes me believe protein does need some frequency.