meal frequency debate

[footballfan]

hi, just wondering for people wishing to lose a few pounds what meal frequency strategy would you recommend and more importantly why? small and often, intermittent fasting etc..

[Alex.V]

I want to squat 700 pounds.

Would you suggest I use 25 pound plates? 45 pound plates? Bumper plates?

[Cards]

Personally, I would hang multiple 100lb kettlebells on each side, but that's just me.

[NITF]

Eat 1 to 20 meals per day and read about the dietary styles you put out there.

[footballfan]

Hi 'NITF', i was hoping for something a little less vague!!
Is there a shift away from eating small and often in order to lose weight?

[Alex.V]

Frequency truly matters very little, if at all, when it comes to losing weight.

A lot of plans talk about manipulating hormone levels, including moderating insulin peaks and troughs, ghrelin, etc. etc., but truthfully the majority of this stuff is pure conjecture.

The point of my earlier comment is that the total matters far more than what you use to get there- in this case, the calories.

Some people find better energy levels and satiation with multiple small meals- for others, that leads to overeating because they never truly have a meal they feel satisfied and enjoy. The fact that "small and often" and "Intermittent fasting" (both complete opposite ends of the spectrum) both have their advocates really demonstrates that, whatever your preference is, go ahead and do it.

I eat a few small meals during the day, have a huge dinner, and find it gives me the best of both worlds (I don't feel heavy and overloaded during the day or during my workouts, but energy levels are stable... and I get to enjoy a pretty massive meal in the evenings). I've used this while dieting, while trying to gain weight, and while trying frantically to avoid losing weight.

My advice- worry less about the timing, worry more about how you perform with whatever method you choose to use.

[footballfan]

hi Alex, your first post went over my head as i read it alongside 'cards' post. thank you for getting back to me. that's a good point you made about about overeating. there's a lot of attention out there at the moment on keeping insulin levels consistent and hormonal balance etc. is the key to it all total cals consumed in a given day?

[Behemoth]

hi Alex, your first post went over my head as i read it alongside 'cards' post. thank you for getting back to me. that's a good point you made about about overeating. there's a lot of attention out there at the moment on keeping insulin levels consistent and hormonal balance etc. is the key to it all total cals consumed in a given day?

Exactly.

[Alex.V]

hi Alex, your first post went over my head as i read it alongside 'cards' post. thank you for getting back to me. that's a good point you made about about overeating. there's a lot of attention out there at the moment on keeping insulin levels consistent and hormonal balance etc. is the key to it all total cals consumed in a given day?

Like he said, exactly.

A lot of the details out there DO revolve around satiation and energy levels- Truthfully, insulin levels don't spike and trough as much as most folks think- a large meal (read: typical american meal) will actually keep insulin levels high but stable for hours and hours- you'll get the MOST peaks and troughs if you're the sort eating lots of very small meals with easily digested carbs, or small quantities of complex carbs. (Which will actually be digested fairly quickly if the meal itself is low in fat or protein).

For example, if I eat a small bowl of oatmeal and yogurt in the morning, then a few eggs two hours later, then perhaps some whole-grain toast with peanut butter two hours later.... I will experience a blood sugar spike in the morning, it will drop for the next 3-4 hours, then spike again when I take in the bread. If I'd had a few waffles with syrup, bacon, sausages.. (this is sounding amazing), blood sugar will rise from this meal and slowly decline over the next 4-5 hours. This is actually BETTER for energy levels, though not ideal if you were to go for a run during that time (or you were trying to lose weight).

So really, it depends what YOU feel is the best. What's your daily schedule like? Are you active during the day? Are you working at a desk job where your energy needs are relatively low for 8-10 hours? (and therefore you won't notice low blood sugar levels much at all) Do you work out in the evening or in the morning?

Calories are what matter for weight loss or gain, at the end of the day. The timing of these calories, especially while dieting, should be more based on what you're doing at various points during the day.

[footballfan]

Thanks lads

[Holto]

Welcome to the board.

[vdizenzo]

I follow backloading for my nutrition. I find this works well for me because there is kind of an intermittent fasting component. I like the luxury of eating less meals. That whole eating every 2 hours made me a slave to a diet. I just could not sustain that as a lifestyle. Backloading also allows me to eat most of my calories after in the eveining after my training. I am my hungriest in the evenings anyway so this works great. On a side note, I did not develop the program, but for me I find I cannot be too liberal with my food choices post workout as some. Perhaps that's because I'm above 15% bf. Those who are leaner might be able to eat a little "dirtier."

[JasonLift]

Everyone is different and tons of different diets work for all sorts of people like others have said. I have a bit of OCD so I enjoy eating every 3 hours and eating the same thing multiple times a week. I can't count how many times I have had chicken breast, red potatoes, and broccoli as meals this week.