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For weight loss it’s better to just go with whatever you can maintain for the longest.
There won’t be much difference between your options other than:
Energy levels being important for exercise, labour, and work.
If your calorie requirements are correct, you could do 20 100 calorie meals and you would lose weight. That is, if your calorie requirements and tracking are correct (people make A LOT of mistakes).
Assuming those things are correct, the amount of meals in your day comes down to preference.
I only parrot what I read in The Diabetes Code and that recommends intermittent fasting, so 2 large meals. It should help keep your insulin levels low most of the time and help you feel hungry less frequently, according to the book.
The size or frequency of your meals isn’t as important as total calories, and quality of the food you’re eating (from a nutritional standpoint). If two larger meals works for you, do it! You may also want to cut back on portions if that’s been an issue in the past (slowly, at first, and your stomach will shrink over time to how much you usually feed it).
As far as how your body processes food, there’s some evidence that starting with a decent breakfast helps with weight loss overall, and eating right before bed tends to help with weight gain, but if you can space out meals enough, then it probably doesn’t matter.
I’ve become a grazer since I tend to eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m no longer hungry, which means I eat more often but much smaller portions. This doesn’t work if you dine with others socially, though.
Check out the INTERMITTENT FASTING forum. Its great for losing weight and general health. If you can start out by eating 2 or 3 meals within an 8 to 10 hour window you will lose weight for sure and your metabolism will learn to burn fat for fuel. If you also cut out sugar, cut down on alcohol and carbs it will be accelerated
Consider not skipping breakfast, and skipping or having a light dinner instead. The body more efficiently uses nutrition earlier in the day. If I don’t snack in the evening, I can easily go 14 hours before I eat my first meal the next day. Also, I set a daily protein goal to minimize muscle loss, and I need 3-4 small meals to spread that around. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7213043/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5421125/
I like having 2 larger meals rather than more smaller meals. It works well for me personally. I like it because it just feels more satisfying. I eat a good portion, feel good, then don’t think about food again for a while. With the multiple smaller meals, I never really feel satisfied from a meal because they all feel like snacks and I am always thinking about or planning what I am going to eat next. It’s too much focus on food. With the 2 meal approach, I only have to plan what I am going to eat twice a day so it is simpler and I think about food less. I generally skip breakfast - just have some coffee with a little milk in it - or if it’s a day that I work out in the morning, have a protein drink after my workout to help feed my muscles. Then I eat lunch and dinner.
Of course, as others have said, your total caloric intake and how your food is balanced is more important than when or how many times you eat.
I’d personally say 3 - 4 to break up the day better but sometimes I have a few smaller meals and a nice big dinner but whatever is most sustainable and helps you get the results you desire. Some people swear by intermittent fasting and will eat nothing until a certain time and then get all their calories in 1 or 2 big meals.
Probably mostly a personal preference but I found this to be pretty effective for me so that I’m feeling satisfied and full most of the day. I eat a pretty big breakfast, ~510 calorie protein shake including skim milk/pb fit and ~450 calorie tub of Greek yogurt and start chugging water the second I wake up in the morning which keeps me full most of the day so I don’t have to bring anything to work for lunch or snacks for the most part. When I get home I usually eat something around ~500 calories then try to hit the gym for a while and have another meal after gymfor ~500 calories. I probably end up eating closer to 2500 calories most days but I am also pretty active. Also, drink tons of water and coffee really helps me also. Keeps you very full throughout the day and is overall just healthy for you. Hope things go well for you.👍
More meals, you won’t have ‘accident’ where you eat something trash because you are hungry.
As someone else mentioned, energy level is needed in the long run. You could go even OMAD but how long can you sustain it?
I vote for 2 large meals combined with intermittent. You’ll naturally end up eating fewer calories which will accelerate weight loss. But the meals should have high satiety: substantial protein & fat, vegetables (fiber) and complex carbs, so you won’t be reaching for snacks at other times.
I’m also a fan of low carb (not keto).