Meal Frequency and Your Metabolism - Does Eating Multiple Meals Help With Weight Loss?

Does Eating 6 Meals a Day Effect Weight Loss?

Kevin,

I have recently started XXXXXX program with the goal to lose about 25-30 lbs. I am enjoying the workouts and the eating program but it requires me to eat 6 times per day.

I run my own business and honestly I almost never make all of my meals because of my busy schedule.

Is it going to make a big difference in my progress if I don’t eat all my meals everyday? The program says I need to eat 6 times a day to boost my metabolism.

Any suggestions how I could eat less often and not slow down my metabolic rate? Thanks for any suggestions you have.

Signed  xxxxxxx

xxxxx thanks for your question.

There is no evidence eating 6 times a day has any benefit to your metabolism over eating 2-3 times per day when all things are equal.

In other words 2000 calories of nutritious food eaten over 3 meals provides the same metabolic benefit and weight loss/gain as if it is split over 6 meals.

There was a study done where 2 groups consumed equal calories of equal quality, one over 3 meals the other over 14 meals.

There was no difference in results.

How much you eat overall and what you eat has a much bigger effect than how many times you eat or what time of day you eat it.

I personally rarely eat more than 3 times per day and on exceptionally busy days often only 2. I may manipulate macro nutrients based on current goals but how many times I eat is rarely a consideration.

I do this regardless if I am trying to lose or maintain weight. The only time eating many times a day is useful in my opinion is when you are trying to gain weight. It is just easier to get in more calories with multiple feedings of solid and liquid meals.

What can affect your metabolic rate is extremely low calories as your body will compensate for this in a very short time by slowing metabolism.

I am not familiar with your program but my suggestion would just simply be eat 3 larger meals instead of 6 smaller ones.

Your results will be the same and you will feel more satisfied after each meal.

Hope this helps you out.

Coach Weiss
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Meal Frequency and Your Metabolism - Does Eating Multiple Meals Help With Weight Loss?