Transitioning from 5 meals to 3 meals

[kathryn]

I am keeping an open mind that once I start STS and/or another P90X round I may have to /need to eat a bit more frequently...

I think timing of nutrition, especially when doing an intense program, is perhaps more important than frequency, and post-workout is when the body is screaming to replace the used glycogen, so that it can go from catabolic ('break down') mode to anabolic ('build up') mode more quickly.

I'd start with a post-workout 'recovery' snack (something easy to digest, with about 4-to-1 carbs-to-protein: I've used a chocolate soy milk).

 

[teddy16410]

I mentioned this in another thread on the same topic, but I'll repeat it here:

Another reason for possibly prefering 3 meals a day to 5-6: According to Dr. Fuhrman (who does his reading and research), several studies suggest that people who eat fewer times a day, even on the same amount of calories, live longer than those who eat more frequently. (He's also a proponent of letting the body go through times when it is not busy with the digestion process, to facilitate the natural detox and healing processes--the energy used for digesting those extra meals then goes to healing).

Kathryn- that makes perfect sense to me...I was telling a friend about how "light & clean" my body feels after the 3rd hour of not eating. It actually makes my mind want to eat lighter at the next meal. That constant feeling of having food (clean or otherwise) ALWAYS in my system wasnt necessarily a good feeling at all.
Thanks for passing along your thoughts & studies on this.

 

[teddy16410]

I think timing of nutrition, especially when doing an intense program, is perhaps more important than frequency, and post-workout is when the body is screaming to replace the used glycogen, so that it can go from catabolic ('break down') mode to anabolic ('build up') mode more quickly.

I'd start with a post-workout 'recovery' snack (something easy to digest, with about 4-to-1 carbs-to-protein: I've used a chocolate soy milk).

Excellent point! There is sometimes a blur on the frequency/timing issue. Well noted!