5 Meals a Day Does Not Help Weight Loss
Say it ain't so! The accepted conventional wisdom of eating several smaller meals throughout the day to shed pounds is being challenged at almost every turn. A recent article has gone so far as calling extra meals a "faddish dieting trend" (gasps in horror).
The study cited in the article took 179 obese men and women who were on the same weight loss diets with the same caloric intake with different eating patterns. One group ate 3 times a day while the other ate 3 meals + 3 snacks. No difference was found between the groups in terms of weight, girth measurement, body fatness or blood sugar levels.
The results are consistent with a compilation of similar studies that showed little to no difference between snackers and non-snackers.
"We found it's not when you eat that matters, but what and how much you eat". Says Michelle Palmer, a dietician at the University of Newcastle.
The Theory Behind Snacking
The rationale for eating more often is to boost metabolism and/or help contribute to lower caloric intake. In theory, eating stimulates the thermic effect of food, which should elevate metabolism. Further, aren't we helping curb binges brought on by long stretches without food?
The research does not appear to support such theories and if it is does, it isn't enough to translate into weight loss.
Snacking Can Help or Hinder
Like any other aspect of eating, snacking is highly individual. Making sure you eat a healthy balanced diet is the first line of defense against excess fat. It comes down to hunger cues. If you aren't hungry between meals then don't eat, if you are, grab a healthy snack.
Successful snacking needs to be strategic, healthy and planned for. For people always on the go, sit-down meals are not always in the cards. For these people, snacking is crucial to healthy eating. Also, I often encounter those who eat voraciously at dinner because they essentially don't eat from about noon until after 6. For these people, a mid-afternoon snack is warranted.
Also, look at what you're doing now. If it isn't working, try something different. If you are eating 2-3 times per day - try eating 3-4. If you are prone to excess snacking, try cutting back.
Eat when you are hungry, eat healthily and don't eat too much. The rest will take care of itself.
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It’s true what they say - all you need to do is watch what you eat, and expend more energy than you consume.
ReplyWhat would you recommend for someone to eat if they arent into veggies? I have a friend who was never really raised on veggies and even when she has tried almost all of them, she only likes a few (carrots, peas, corn, potatoes, and beans). She likes almost all fruit. She likes cheese, yogurt, and water, but she doesnt drink alot of it. She is working on loosing weight. Any advice?
ReplyAsk your friend if they are aware that there are a lot of interesting and tasty ways to prepare vegetables. You might want to refer them to the Food Network. Seems that people who enjoy cooking and trying new recipes incorporate more veggies into their diets.
Also try this website which gives the nutritional content of foods. There may be fruits that can replace vegetables which have the same nutrients.
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
ReplyOh, and I forgot to say she doesnt like almonds, peanuts, pecans, or any type of nut. She also isnt into rice or pasta, she mostly just likes chicken. All in all, she is a very picky eater...lol
ReplySeems like the major flaw of the study is that it probably wasn't long term, which in my opinion is very important. The effects of eating 5-6 times a day versus eating 3 times a day are most likely indirect and therefore would require a longer period of time to observe its effects. Of course, I do not know how long this study lasted due to the short summary.
ReplyWow, I can't believe they'd even do a study about this. The theory has never been(at least any theory I've heard) that dividing up the same quality and quantity of food into smaller portions/intervals will magically make fat burn away.
Any dietary advice I have ever gotten in regards to lots of small meals has been that it is a critical aspect of exercise and weight training.
This study makes no mention at all about physical activity, which is the critical component to making this dietary change effective.
The theory isn't that 20g of protein every 2-3 hours will make you burn fat while 30g of protein every 4-5 hours will make you put on weight. The theory is that by eating smaller meals more often your body will have a constant and steady supply of fuel and rebuilding materials when it needs it(ie: AFTER YOU WORK OUT!) and your body won't be in a situation where you are completely full but your metabolism isn't doing anything, or the opposite where your metabolism kicks into full gear and you're completely famished.
5 meals a day + regular exercise = most efficient means of building lean muscle mass and losing weight.
5 meals a day + sitting on your butt = nothing. you're still going to be fat.
ReplyIt really depends on the snack.. if you compare eating 3 meals, and eating 3 meals with a bag of potato chips in between, I would expect the second group to perform worse. But if you break up the 3 meals into 6 small meals, your metabolism will definitely go up.
(I made a recent post on www.onecrumb.com about this)
ReplyNine years ago I suffered from a severe case of IBS, my left arm had been painfully numb for years from inflamation in my shoulder, I could only sleep 2 hours at a time, I had high cholesterol, high blood pressure and was borderline diabetes. My doctor put me on a diet of one healthy, balanced meal per day to give my digestive system time to heal. I found it very easy to adjust to this eating pattern. It's easier to control cravings when you don't tempt yourself with small bites of food all day long. I drink water all day, do a full one hour workout in the morning and eat dinner with my family every evening. I never count calories or eat diet foods, I just watch my portion sizes. I even have dessert every night.
Within 10 weeks I was sleeping through the night, my arm numbness was gone, all the symptoms of IBS were gone and my blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure were all well within a normal range. I had also lost 22 pounds.
I continue to eat one (evening) meal per day, and I have enjoyed good health, and maintained a 110 pound weight loss for nine years. I also have more time, now that my day is not filled with planning, preparing and eating all those mini-meals. I have more energy than ever and I have my health.
Replydude, you are talking out your ass. Please don't listen to this man, he is just trying to gain attention by trying to disprove an effective diet.
Let's see, if we assume that this is even an accredited study( WITH NO METHODOLOGY?!?!?!?!?), lets see how it fails.
1. Your study didn't explain the FATS (saturated or not?) or if there were huge amounts of calories from fat. There also should only be a small amount of fat within these small meals any how.
2. Your study didn't even explain the CALORIC VALUES. Small meal means 200-325 calories, depending upon weight. Consistency is key. It's not 3 small meals and 3 snacks, it's 5 or six small meals. That study couldve plotted small as 400 for all we know.
3. Your study didn't explain CARBS (good or bad). You think that if they split up a big bowl of fettucine alfredo into 6 300 calorie servings, that it would be appropriate this diet, no!!!
4. Your study didn;t explain BALANCE and MEAL TIMING. in a nutshell, you should balance lean protein, good carbs, and small fats in each meal, spaced with CONSISTENT timing. 2 meals within 2 hours and then another one 5 hours later will not work.
5. Finally, your study didn't explain when the last meal was. If the person ate the meal and then fell aslepp 5 minutes after, then it's safe to say he wouldn't digest it much.
This diet does work people, you just need to know the nutritional facts. Along with the harsh reality of PHYSICAL EXERCISE. I regret to inform that there is no miracle fat or weight loss plan, without exercise.
ReplyI have been eating 5 small portions a day for almost 3 months now and it has worked well for me, but everyone's body reacts differently to these certain "diets". It's either that or they're just too fat that they need a more intense diet.
Replylol, it DOES WORK; it just doesn't cause weight loss by following the idea of it; it meant to manage hunger and conrtol your intake - so it does work.
ReplyBut not if its abused. You'll probably get fatter if u do.
..sry meant to say just plain bad article. How can you write something w/o having all the important parts of the subject shown. Ass everyone above has done well at.
ReplyIt's like you just herd a rumor it doesnt work and went at it.
I don't agree with the 5-6 meals a day. I have tried doing this and always packed on the pounds. If you constantly stuff your face all day long; yes even "small" snacks throughout the day, you never train your body to use it's reserves (i e fat). If I eat once a day,(dinner), I can feel hunger pains during the day and I know my body is burning fat. I can actually feel my body getting harder when I am hungry because it is burning its fat reserves. If I eat 5-6 times a day....I NEVER feel hungry and in fact I get fatter because my body is always being fed and is not using its reserves. Ever hear of "eat only when you are hungry?". How can you be hungry when when you are eating 6X/day?
ReplyWhat's nice about eating once a day is that you really don't have to worry about eating too much in one sitting....most likely you will stay in your daily caloric intake range if only eating one meal. Sorry....I stay at a lean 136 pounds by eating once a day.
It goes against the common thinking, but Warrior style(one meal a day) works really well for those that can do it. Some people do better with multiple meals. It's an individual thing. Finding what works best for the individual is really the key.
Replythe article above also states that the 179 people had the same caloric intake. that proves the article to be untrustworthy. you cant have them all taking in the same calories, everyones body is different and needs a different amount of calories. if you have someone that is 300 lbs, theyre going to take in more calories than someone who is 230 trying to lose some weight with this 5 meal a day "technique". as for me, i tried this once for about a week and felt great but i just couldnt stick with it as i am a college student and the life just wont allow for it, haha.
ReplyThis is bullshit. 5 Meals a day helped me loose weight. You just have to have a proper meal plan in place. you can eat like a pig 5 times a day and expect to loose weight.
Best way to go about is, whatever you have in your three meals.. break it into 5..
Have more proteins and fibers.. proteins start up your metabolism and fibers keep you away from getting hungry. Eat every 3 1/2 hours... and for the 4th meal, drink a protein shake.
this person who wrote this may have not done it correctly...
Good luck!
ReplyYes, it is calories in, calories out. While the argument is true that not all calories are the same (eg. chips vs. apples) The debate here is timing. For example if 2 people consumed the same ammount of calories each day (from the same food) Weight loss would not differ if one ate the calories spread out into 3 meals or 6 meals
Reply