Food & Drink
Finance6 Meals a Day
I recently changed my diet to start eating 6 meals a day. When I was following a more traditional diet consisting of 3 meals a day I was having problems controlling my hunger between meals and I would end up snacking on something I would regret later on. I’ve discovered that by eating more frequent meals I eat less at each meal and I am able to control my cravings because I am eating more often.
Eating multiple smaller meals has many health benefits in addition to controlling your appetite. Increased meal frequency stimulates fat burning, improves the bodys use of protein, and preserves lean muscle. A diet consisting of more meals also helps with mental performance by helping you think and process information more effectively, increasing your attention span, and improving your mood.
A typical day for me includes the following:
- Breakfast – A bowl of cereal.
- Midmorning – A piece of fruit.
- Lunch – A sandwich on whole wheat bread and some yogurt.
- Afternoon – A piece of fruit and a granola bar. (I like the Honey Almond Flax granola bars from Kashi).
- Dinner – A meal consisting of Chicken, Fish, Turkey, or something Vegetarian.
- Midevening – Popcorn and a piece of fruit or granola bar.
I don’t maintain this regimen every single day of the week but I do try to follow it strictly for 4-5 days a week. This diet is pretty easy to follow during the week when I am at work. At work I have a routine and I’m usually preoccupied plus I don’t have easy access to my kitchen. The problem I have is on the weekends. I consider myself a foodie and I love to cook. I’m always looking for new recipes and ingredients to improve upon this diet plan. Cooking and eating are two of the best things in life so never stop looking for a better meal.
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September 6th, 2006 at 6:25 am
[...] Eating 6 meals a day. Since I seem to be hungry when I get home I am careful to eat something a hour or so before I get home. [...]
September 26th, 2006 at 7:07 pm
[...] Weight Reduction – If you are overweight, cut back on calories to reach your ideal body weight. [...]
April 17th, 2008 at 7:24 am
Sounds familiar. My typical day is almost the same.
Breakfast: Cereal(maybe some fruit or almonds too)
Midmorning: Banana or Kashi TLC
Lunch: Chicken or Fish with Veggies and roll
Afternoon: TLC or Clif Builder(on workout days)
Dinner: Chicken, Fish, Turkey and vegables(maybe some rice or plantains if my wife insists)
MidEvening: Protein shake or low fat cottage cheese w/ low sugar strawberry jelly
I also have a hard time on weekends. The best thing is to get out of the house.
November 22nd, 2008 at 9:26 am
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?
What’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.
May 9th, 2009 at 4:28 am
RT, that is the worst post ever. You obviously are not eating small enough portions those 6x a day if you are never hungry when you eat. When you set your diet up for 5-6 meals a day you should be getting hungry each time you eat. Also, exercise is the key to weight loss and maintaining health. If you have a low energy surplus from the small meals you consumed and you workout you will quickly begin to burn reserve energy supplies…AKA FAT. Another key to this type of diet is that you are eating HEALTHY 6 times per day. Getting fiber and protein and other nutrients to regulate your metabolism and supply energy to your body.
Eating once a day is terrible for you. It grinds your metabolism to a halt. Your body goes into a survival mode of processing the food extremely slowly because it doesn’t know when it will be fed again. Hunger pains do not mean you are losing weight, they mean your body is telling you that you are doing something unhealthy.
Also, consuming that many calories and nutrients at once creates an enormous surplus of energy and these nutrients will be stored as fat unless you use that energy soon after.