The deeper you dig the more variables there are to the perfect diet. We’re all different with different lifestyles and goals, yet one thing you can bank on is less space between meals will make building muscle a lot easier - but wait there’s more. Benefits to consuming at least 4 meals a day are numerous. Prepare yourself, you may want to chow more often after this.
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Why You Should Eat More Meals
Protein shake, full course platter, a snack.. It’s all under the meal label. Once or twice a day isn’t cutting it, even three is a little low. Based on studying my clients historically those that eat 1-2 times daily tend to under eat, even when fat loss is the goal. Yes you can under eat when the goal is to lose weight. Weight loss requires a calorie deficit, yet if your deficit is too drastic for too long your metabolism will slow, expediently. I want you pigging out at least 4 times daily.
I’m not going to say eating 4, 5, or 6 meals a day will make you burn more calories than 2 or 3 times; that hasn’t been proven. All the same there are tangible perks to frequent feeding:
Satiety: slashing your time between nourishing and not will allow you to maintain an ordered level of fullness. A problem I run into with clients that eat less frequently is lowered compliancy. They tend to do well and one day, unanticipatedly.. They enter the binge city limits. If your distance between meals is shorter you’ll avoid some of that animalistic hunger.
Makes cutting calories easier: if you feel starved less often you’ll be able to implement a calorie deficit with less effort. The psychological effect of eating more frequently is you not only feeling full, you feel like you’re eating more calories even if that isn’t the case.
Steady flow of energy: continually putting the fork to your mouth gives you a consistent current of energy. You’ll avoid some of those energy spells you’d experience otherwise between meals, especially if you’re consuming low glycemic carbs, protein, and quality fat sources. This tactic of keeping your blood sugar from getting too high or low keeps the crashes away and you on course.
Easier to hit protein numbers: protein is your most important macronutrient. No protein, no muscle, and eventually no metabolism to brag about. By splitting your intake throughout the day you can chip away at daily needs rather than relying on a major feast.
Make all protein count: your body wastes less protein with smaller servings. You can efficiently catabolize around 30 grams of protein per serving, of course the more protein you need daily - even when frequent feeding - you’ll have to go above 30, yet avoiding having to leap far over 30 grams to get all protein in with 1-3 meals isn’t efficient. Your body will waste a lot of those amino acids.
Enhanced muscle protein synthesis: you ingest protein right? Protein synthesis (process of creating muscle protein) revs up, but it only stays elevated for approximately 3 hours. Refeeding as such buffers the synthesis. Otherwise, despite how much protein in a sitting you consume, protein synthesis will begin to dip after roughly 3 hours. Although total protein intake is priority one, without schematics you’re leaving potential muscle on the table.
Simplifies bulking: one of the problems with intermittent fasting is it makes putting on weight quite a task. When you have high calorie requirements you’ll need a few more sittings to stuff it down and still live a life. Try tossing 4,000-6,000 calories in 2 meals on a daily basis 😅, not fun. Break those calories up.
More muscle retention: not enough studies to fully pull out receipts, but anecdotal evidence shows with the same calorie intake and protein intake. Participants experienced more muscle retention with 6 meals per day vs 2 meals per day [3]. With higher protein synthesis and a steady flow of amino acids it intuitively makes sense.
How Many Meals Should I Eat Per Day
Your meal amount will depend on total calorie needs, lifestyle, and goals. You don’t want meals so small that you’re still hungry or so large that you fall asleep at the table.
You’ll fall between 4 and 8 meals. Again this includes snacks and shakes, the more calories you consume the more meals you’ll likely dig into. I’m at 8 Monday-Saturday and 7 on Sundays.
I throw down every 2-3 hours. You want to consume something every 2-4 hours when awake to sustain amino acid flow and put a restraint on blood sugar crashes. When your blood sugar gets low energy does the same and those sugar cravings tend to kick in.
Figure your caloric needs by using a St. Mifflin-Jeor or Katch McArdle calculator then go from there. Of course your needs will differ whether bulking, cutting, or maintaining.
Note: protein’s importance deserves reiteration. Plan each day around protein and the rest will fall more or less in place.
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My Thoughts
Your lifestyle and best chance at compliance come before all else. If you’ve carved a niche with less frequent eating and results are favorable, although you’re leaving potential on the table you’re not committing sin by staying with what’s working. Total calories matter, total protein intake matters.
Losing weight? Have to burn more calories than you consume.
Gaining weight? Have to consume more calories than you burn.
Maintaining weight? Have to even out calorie consumption and calorie burning.
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So, It’s About That Time
Setting the table with regularity raises your muscle building potential, but not only that. It raises your fat burning potential via long-term increases in metabolism. Fight hunger and energy deficits by keeping the calories coming in around the clock. With that energy you can confidently put those muscles to use and Be Great.