what and how much do you eat.and does it matter how late you eat?
It is VERY refreshing to hear from those who are not adamant about eating 6 meals a day. I, for one, believe that the same LBM gain and loss of BF can be obtained by eating 3 or 4 meals per day (for instance, breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, dinner). Replace the snack with a post-workout shake on training days. Occasionally, when the body craves it, more frequent meals I’m sure are fine, but the bloated feeling by forcing oneself to eat 6 or 7 days because “all bodybuilders do it” is ridiculous. For those who function well eating smaller, frequent meals, fine. But for those who prefer less meals, I say fine, too. And BTW, I definitely feel more energetic and alert when slightly hungry.
Here is a study that supports the theory of six meals a day. Scand J Med Sci Sports 1996 Oct;6(5):265-72, Effects of meal frequency on body composition during weight control in boxers.
Iwao S, Mori K, Sato Y.
First Division of Health Promotion Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Japan.
The effects of meal frequency on changes in body composition by food restriction were investigated. Twelve boxers were divided between a two meals day-1 group (the 2M group) and a six meals day-1 group (the 6M group). Both groups ingested 5.02 MJ (1200 kcal) day-1 for 2 weeks. Although there was no difference in change of body weight by food restriction between the two groups, the decrease in lean body mass (LBM) was significantly greater in the 2M group than in the 6M group. The decrease in urinary 3-methylhistidine/creatinine was significantly greater in the 6M group than in the 2M group. These results suggest that the lower frequency of meal intake leads to a greater myoprotein catabolism even if the same diet is consumed.
Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Randomized Controlled Trial
PMID: 8960647 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Here is another study on meal frequency. This study demonstrates that increased eating frequency reduces subsequent calorie intake. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1999 Nov;23(11):1151-9, Acute appetite reduction associated with an increased frequency of eating in obese males.
Speechly DP, Rogers GG, Buffenstein R.
Department of Physiology, University of Witwatersrand Medical School, Johannesburg, South Africa. david_p.speechly@virgin.net
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of altered feeding frequencies on the relationship between perceived hunger and subsequent food intake and appetite control in obese men. DESIGN: Obese men reported in a fasted state in the morning to the laboratory where an isoenergetic pre-load (4100+/-234 kJ, which was 33% average daily energy requirement (ADER) of each subject) comprising 70% carbohydrate, 15% protein, and 15% fat was given. This was administered either as a SINGLE meal, or divided evenly over 5 meals given hourly as a MULTI feeding pattern. Five hours after the first pre-load, an ad libitum test meal was given to determine whether there was a difference in the amount of energy that was consumed between the two eating patterns. SUBJECTS: Seven non-diabetic, non-smoking, unrestrained obese men (age 37.4+/-18.5; BMI 40.02+/-10. 93 kg/m-2) were recruited for this study. Subjects were not told the precise reasons for this study but rather were informed that changes in blood glucose, insulin and free fatty acids with meal frequency were to be monitored. MEASUREMENTS: Blood glucose, serum insulin and free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations, and visual analogue scales (VAS) were measured prior to commencing the feeding regime and thereafter hourly for 5 h. Thereafter an ad libitum meal was given. The weight (and energy content) of the food consumed, and the time taken to eat lunch were recorded. Following this ad libitum lunch, the same variables were determined again (15, 45, and 75 min post-test meal). RESULTS: When given a SINGLE pre-load, 27% more (t=2.651; P<0.05) energy was consumed in the ad libitum test meal (5261+/-1289 kJ) compared to that eaten after the MULTI pre-load (3763+/-1986 kJ). This increase in food intake occurred despite no significant change in subjective hunger ratings. Over the 315 min pre-load period, peak insulin concentrations were significantly higher (F6,72=7.95, P<0.01) on the SINGLE treatment (171.2+/-129.8 microU ml-1) than on the MULTI treatment (133.7+/-70.2 microU ml-1). Serum insulin remained elevated for longer on the MULTI meal treatment, resulting in no difference in the area under the insulin curves between the two feeding treatments. There was a positive correlation (r=0.87) between the amount of energy consumed at lunch and insulin concentration before lunch in the SINGLE group. However, this relationship was not apparent when subjects were given the MULTI meal preload. CONCLUSION: Obese males fed an isoenergetic pre-load sub-divided into a multi-meal plan consumed 27% less at a subsequent ad libitum test meal than did the same men when given the pre-load as a single meal. Prolonged but attenuated increases in serum insulin concentration on the multi-meal programme may facilitate this acute reduction in appetite.
PMID: 10578205 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] It appears that multiple meals a day is better for controlling appetite.
jc, can you please explain to me how eating 3-4 meals per day will yield the same lbm gains as one eating 6-7 per day? obviously, if you are eating more frequently you can consume more of the nutrients that are vital to repairing and building muscle. the great part about it is, the added meals pose no threat to additional bodyfat, because of the corresponding rise in metabolic rate. also, i usually eat about 7 meals per day, i have never once felt bloated. in fact i am always hungry. no matter how much i eat i want to eat more because my body has been trained to process food in a much more rapid, and efficient manner. and if your thinking i have the metabolism of a hard gainer your wrong. if i am not careful with my diet i can easily put on fat. so no, i am not gifted with an over active metabolism. eating more frequently, increases the efficiency of your metabolism, allows you to consume more quality nutrients, and balances your sugar level. those three factors are essential in building quality, lean mass.
if ur tired than give up… simple as that
LAZY AZZ
Hey, p-dog, thanks for the reply. At least someone reads my posts. Like I said, though, I think it’s a matter of what works for someone rather than doing something just because everyone says it’s right. For instance, someone eating 3000 cals/day can have 800 for breakfast, 800 for lunch, 600 post-workout and 800 for dinner, if that’s what works for them. I don’t think that everyone would absolutely have to divide it into 6 500-cal meals/day everyday. I’m saying that variety isn’t bad either. Have 6 or 7 meals sometimes, but if frequent meals interfere with training (like running sprints, heavy squatting, etc.) then cut back to 4 sometimes as well. I certainly don’t believe in gorging yourself with 2000 calorie McDonald’s meals, but 700 or 800 cal healthy meals 4x/day shouldn’t harm one’s body composition if they choose to eat that way.