I know a guy who stays very lean while maintaining some good muscle mass eating every 2-3 hours with three cheat meals spread throughout the week whenever he “needs” them.
However.
He also periodically fasts for an entire day now and then. Claims it helps him out psycologically with eating clean. He’s kind of an extreme, hardcore guy but I wonder if theres any method to his madness. I know from my own experiances that whenever I have to fast for a blood draw, I usually feel very good once I break through the initial hunger.
I guess it really does boil down to whatever works for you.