eating frequently

K

kariev

Cathlete
Hey ladies, i have a question for you all. Do you guys eat frequent meals (4-6 per day?) I ask because I'm now reading that it doesn't matter much wether you eat 3 or 6 so i've been doing 3. However, i'm not leaning out like I did when i ate frequently (6) even though everything is the same (cals, protein, carbs, fats) and my workouts are on target. So i was wondering if frequent meals really do make the difference. But on the other hand, I feel like when i eat more frequently i become food obsessed and think about my next meal every waking second which is not good.
 
kariev said:
But on the other hand, I feel like when i eat more frequently i become food obsessed and think about my next meal every waking second which is not good.
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This is exactly why I do not do the frequent meal thing. It just doesn't work for me on a practical level. I actually enjoy thinking about something other than food every now and again :p
 
I also do the frequent meal thing because smaller meals help me to keep from feeling hungry AND keep my blood sugar stable. But the last time we had this discussion here there were many women who insisted it does not work for them - and I believe them. Everybody's different. But I am definitely leaning out and losing weight faster on smaller, more frequent meals. Eating double servings of vegetables before I get to my protein has done wonders, also... I'm eating so many vegetables now that If you hugged me tight, vegetable puree would squirt from my ears.
 
Stacey: That is quite a visual, lol!

I have found that 5 or 6 meals a day make me hungry. I think about my next meal ALL the time- not good. So I do 3 meals and 2 snacks- ha, that sounds like 5 meals! No, seriously, the meals are bigger and my one snack is very small. It is actually the way I ate when I lost all of my weight and I never binged or ate crappy foods. So I'm not sure why I felt the need to screw with it.
 
I was listening to Jillian Michaels's radio show the other day and she said it doesn't matter either, it's all about calories and she eats 3 meals and a snack... I think she said something like she feels more full on regular meals and feels hungry or not satisfied on the mini meals throughout the day.

The first time I lost alot of weight (years ago - before when there wasn't even that much info on the internet) I ate 3 meals and a protein shake after exercise and sometimes a small evening snack/treat.

hmm... maybe it's one of those things we worry about too much and there's too much info out there...now I read "oh my gosh, if you don't eat every 2 hours your metabolism will shut down and you won't lose weight!" lol I also think it's easier for people to over eat if they aren't really counting out what's in their 5-6 mini-meals
 
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I am another several small meals throughout the day person. I have lost quite a but of weight this way, but I am also pretty active and have added lots of new workouts.

Probably whatever you like and feel good doing is what you will stick with and what will give you results, but we already knew that, right??!:D

I also think that what works for us changes as we age and change our programs/activity levels, too.

I also agree that there is too much info out there that confuses us and makes us second guess ourselves every day!
Jenn
 
I like to eat every 3 hours or so, basically 3 meals of ~400 calories and 2-3snacks of ~200 calories +-. Definitely go with what feels best to you and doesn't drive you crazy. I lost all my weight doing this and it feels "right" to me. Three big meals and no snacks makes me feel stuffed and bloated.

Sandra
 
Ever since reading info by Dr. Fuhrman about studies showing that those who eat less frequently have a longer life span than those who eat more frequently (eating the same amount of calories) and thinking of the importance of the body's ability to cleanse itself (which it can't do as efficiently when it's almost always digesting) as well as the idea that if the body is always digesting, energy that could be used for other bodily functions (like repair and the immune system)l, I question the wisdom of frequent eating.

One thing it is supposed to do is increase the metabolism: but is that really such a good thing? I mean, if your 'engine' burns hotter, won't it wear out faster?
 
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Kathryn, I think you are absolutely right - I've read that eating frequently creates more free radicals and oxidative stress in the body than eating less frequently. I was chuckling because there's another active thread about intermittent fasting, which is all the rage now! LOL. 6 meals a day, 3 meals a day, no meals a day twice a week???? Like that recent study found, as far as weight control it probably mostly boils down to calories in the end, and whether you're spacing them out or eating them all in a shorter window probably does not matter that much. I tried the 6-small-meals a day plan for about 4 days (it was all I could take, too much thinking and planning for me) and I did lose weight but I never felt satisfied and was so happy when I was able to have a large meal that kept me satisfied for a few hours. I have tried intermittent fasting and it seems easier and just intuitively feels healthier to me. I guess different things work for different people.
 
Oy, information overload!

I don't know what's right anymore, but I do know I'm less bloated when I eat 5 meals a day vs 3. I don't get as many headaches either.
 
thanks ladies. i'm just going to stick with this: eat when i'm hungry, stop when i'm satisfied, and track my cals. I think i'm reading to far in all this stuff.
 
kathryn said:
Ever since reading info by Dr. Fuhrman about studies showing that those who eat less frequently have a longer life span than those who eat more frequently (eating the same amount of calories) and thinking of the importance of the body's ability to cleanse itself (which it can't do as efficiently when it's almost always digesting) as well as the idea that if the body is always digesting, energy that could be used for other bodily functions (like repair and the immune system)l, I question the wisdom of frequent eating.

One thing it is supposed to do is increase the metabolism: but is that really such a good thing? I mean, if your 'engine' burns hotter, won't it wear out faster?
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If you are eating the same amount of food with bigger meals as you would with smaller meals, is there less digestion or maybe digestion time? I mean, does it take the same amount of time/work to digest a 300 calorie portion meal vs. a 600 calorie meal, and therefore overall less digestion?
 
My naturopath believes that we should let the liver "dump" - so we should really wait 5 hours between meals. He is a firm believer that we eat far too much in this culture and we harm ourselves if we don't let the liver clean itself out.

I get pretty darn hungry every 4 hours - so I usually eat in about that time sequence. I do last longer if I eat more protein.

Whatever - who knows. Everyone seems to be different - and I've given up obsessing about it! I just try to eat when I'm hungry and eat clean. My biggest challenge is eating mindfully and slowly so that I don't overeat.
 
kathryn said:
One thing it is supposed to do is increase the metabolism: but is that really such a good thing? I mean, if your 'engine' burns hotter, won't it wear out faster?
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This is what I don't understand. How does food increase your metabolism? If this were true, wouldn't people who constantly overeat have a super charged metabolism?
I thought your metabolism is directly related to how much lean tissue you have? All food does is fuel the lean tissue, right? Your metabolism drops when you lose lean tissue. As we age, we lose muscle so your metabolism drops.
 
fit44 said:
This is what I don't understand. How does food increase your metabolism? If this were true, wouldn't people who constantly overeat have a super charged metabolism?
I thought your metabolism is directly related to how much lean tissue you have? All food does is fuel the lean tissue, right? Your metabolism drops when you lose lean tissue. As we age, we lose muscle so your metabolism drops.
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Eating and the process of digesting does increase calorie burn (just think of how you often feel warmer after you eat), but usually not enough to counteract the calories taken in. There are some books that talk about 'negative calorie' foods: that is, foods that burn more calories for their digestion than they provide (celery and pickles are two I recall off hand).
 
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