Post by thedougaller on Feb 5, 2014 20:20:56 GMT -7
This is a question I see asked a lot. "How many times a day should I eat?" .. And then I see answers like "Eat every 2 hours to stoke your metabolism!" and I cringe.
I'm going to say this right now. Meal frequency has no effect on metabolic rate.
For example, lets say athlete A is eating 2000 calories throughout 6 meals to lose weight, and Athlete B is eating 2000 identical calories throughout 3 meals to lose weight.
For the sake of the example, we'll assume they are identical twins and have equal training loads. Now which athlete will lose more weight?
The answer you hopefully came to is they will lose the EXACT same amount.
What matters in terms to body composition is your total CALORIES and MACRONUTRIENTS (proteins/carbs/fats) & your training load.
aka Calories In & Calories Out
That's it.
Meal frequency is about convenience. If you find it easier to eat 6 times a day, go for it. If you don't, then don't. It will not make a difference either way.
Some useful studies:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1994398
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9155494
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11319656
Edit-
Almost forgot to mention, that meal timing does have ONE window of opportunity where it DOES matter. And that is the pre/post workout window.
The meal you eat before you workout and the meal you eat after you workout ARE important and SHOULD NOT be skipped. Proper around-workout nutrition will allow you to maximize performance, progress & recovery.
I'm going to say this right now. Meal frequency has no effect on metabolic rate.
For example, lets say athlete A is eating 2000 calories throughout 6 meals to lose weight, and Athlete B is eating 2000 identical calories throughout 3 meals to lose weight.
For the sake of the example, we'll assume they are identical twins and have equal training loads. Now which athlete will lose more weight?
The answer you hopefully came to is they will lose the EXACT same amount.
What matters in terms to body composition is your total CALORIES and MACRONUTRIENTS (proteins/carbs/fats) & your training load.
aka Calories In & Calories Out
That's it.
Meal frequency is about convenience. If you find it easier to eat 6 times a day, go for it. If you don't, then don't. It will not make a difference either way.
Some useful studies:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1994398
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9155494
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11319656
Edit-
Almost forgot to mention, that meal timing does have ONE window of opportunity where it DOES matter. And that is the pre/post workout window.
The meal you eat before you workout and the meal you eat after you workout ARE important and SHOULD NOT be skipped. Proper around-workout nutrition will allow you to maximize performance, progress & recovery.
