Why is 6 Meals a Day Better?

Nutrition
188

[quote]Moriarty wrote:
Sure, it’s a great starting point. But the reality is (in my OPINION) that the vast majority of people that read this thread (like the 5’10" 180lbs guy that disapproves of my “hardcoreness”) will not be able to notice a difference between the really well thought out diet you describe and a really well thought out diet that consists of 4 meals a day, or even 3, if they execute it well. There may be some mental benefit some get from feeling “truly optimal” and “locked in”, but I doubt it goes much beyond that for most (not all) people.
[/quote]

Should i call you a bro, dogmatic, fan boy, sheep, or any other condescending implication for holding an opinion that differs from my own? As always posters condescending attitudes, subtle negative implications, labeling, and failure to clearly define their terms have really brought down what could have been a enlightening discussion.

I would really love to see a round table discussion amongst qualified professionals on such basics (hint hint Biotest). Call me a fan boy, but i believe such opinions would hold more weight then the average opinionated, “free thinking” forumite.

189

Chill out about it all. Agree with above poster regarding 3, 8, whatever suits you - however, I do feel obliged to point out that it seems logical at the very least that increased frequency could lead to better nutrient partitioning and less load on the digestive system etc.

Also, JMoU, you’re incredibly rude and your posts are horrible to read.

190

Lyle McDonald has just written a very informative article on this:

www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/
meal-frequency-and-energy-balance-research-review.html

191

[quote]Beatnik wrote:
Moriarty wrote:
Sure, it’s a great starting point. But the reality is (in my OPINION) that the vast majority of people that read this thread (like the 5’10" 180lbs guy that disapproves of my “hardcoreness”) will not be able to notice a difference between the really well thought out diet you describe and a really well thought out diet that consists of 4 meals a day, or even 3, if they execute it well.

There may be some mental benefit some get from feeling “truly optimal” and “locked in”, but I doubt it goes much beyond that for most (not all) people.

Should i call you a bro, dogmatic, fan boy, sheep, or any other condescending implication for holding an opinion that differs from my own? As always posters condescending attitudes, subtle negative implications, labeling, and failure to clearly define their terms have really brought down what could have been a enlightening discussion.

I would really love to see a round table discussion amongst qualified professionals on such basics (hint hint Biotest). Call me a fan boy, but i believe such opinions would hold more weight then the average opinionated, “free thinking” forumite.
[/quote]

Not sure what you mean with the “bro” stuff. I have a feeling I missed something in the middle of this thread. I skipped over a lot of it, it’s pretty long.

But the most condescending stuff I saw on here was a 180lbs guys saying it’s impossible to train right if we don’t follow his diet. Or people saying if we don’t eat 6x/day we don’t know “the science”.

I know the science. My interpretation of the science, combined with my own anecdotal evidence, leads me to believe that the average person will probably not get any noticeable benefit from eating 6x/day vs 4x/day if their diet is well-thought out.

If cutting back to 4x/day vs 6x/day is the difference between you following your diet strictly vs not, then you should definitely go with 4x/day in my opinion, because following the diet VASTLY outweighs the benefits of 6x over 4x in my opinion. That’s the complete context that I think is missing from some of the more condescending remarks on here.

I’ve heard many “qualified professionals” at Biotest say the same thing.

192

You did miss the tone of a lot of the thread. Anyone who claimed that they felt a higher frequency then 3 meals was preferable was labelled a dogmatic “bro”, or nutrition Nazi. After all, “there is no difference” therefore anyone who believes otherwise is a fan boy. Not directly stated, but implied.

I feel a range within 3-6 meals will get the job done. Though I do have a preference for the higher end of that spectrum. I do believe its better. Though I have found some of the links in this thread educational.

Sure, compliance to the diet is ultimately better then frequency of meals. Just as getting to the gym and working out consistently is better then not going because you can’t work out periodisation. Ultimately, its upto the user to find what works for them. Something which seems to upset some of the posters in this thread.

193

Wow, lotta strong bropinions expressed here :slight_smile:

194

[quote]ninearms wrote:
Lyle McDonald has just written a very informative article on this:

www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/
meal-frequency-and-energy-balance-research-review.html

[/quote]

I was about to link this

site linked is pretty much the absolute nuts for scientific nutrition related information, fyi

195

and I can understand why the author is not mentioned often on this web site by the authors here. He makes some of the main ideas that keep getting pushed look pretty stupid, and has no problem attacking well established figures who write here relentlessly if they have questionable or wrong information

196

[quote]Headhunter wrote:
No one should eat 6 times per day, except for a small nibble like a handful of almonds or a small piece of cheese. Eating all day shuts down your sympathetic nervous system, the active part of your nervous system.

You may get away with eating 6 times per day when you’re young, but this pattern invites diabetes, insulin resistance (your pancreas doesn’t like to be stimulated 6 times per day), and eventually cancer and heart disease. All to add some ‘bulk’?

Lift and do cardio whenever you can (all day is best but most people have to work) and eat a piece of cheese if you get hungry. Finally, at night, you can turn on your parasympathetic nervous system with an absolute binge (except for sugar). Once per day is plenty for your pancreas. Pig out.

[/quote]
Yeah I eat once a day and do cardio and lift weights ALL day and nibble on cheese. WHY?? Cause I’m a fucking retard and this is what us retards do. Why?? How the fuck would I know?! I’m fucking retarded.

197

[quote]redgladiator wrote:
Headhunter wrote:
No one should eat 6 times per day, except for a small nibble like a handful of almonds or a small piece of cheese. Eating all day shuts down your sympathetic nervous system, the active part of your nervous system.

You may get away with eating 6 times per day when you’re young, but this pattern invites diabetes, insulin resistance (your pancreas doesn’t like to be stimulated 6 times per day), and eventually cancer and heart disease. All to add some ‘bulk’?

Lift and do cardio whenever you can (all day is best but most people have to work) and eat a piece of cheese if you get hungry. Finally, at night, you can turn on your parasympathetic nervous system with an absolute binge (except for sugar). Once per day is plenty for your pancreas. Pig out.

Yeah I eat once a day and do cardio and lift weights ALL day and nibble on cheese. WHY?? Cause I’m a fucking retard and this is what us retards do. Why?? How the fuck would I know?! I’m fucking retarded.[/quote]

never go full retard

198

[quote]Beatnik wrote:
I would really love to see a round table discussion amongst qualified professionals on such basics (hint hint Biotest). Call me a fan boy, but i believe such opinions would hold more weight then the average opinionated, “free thinking” forumite.

[/quote]

TC or Shugart:

Another nutrition roundtable with Berardi, Lowery, Lyle McDonald, Alan Aragon, Poliquin, with the goal of focusing on bodybuilding dogmas.

199

[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
redgladiator wrote:
Headhunter wrote:
No one should eat 6 times per day, except for a small nibble like a handful of almonds or a small piece of cheese. Eating all day shuts down your sympathetic nervous system, the active part of your nervous system.

You may get away with eating 6 times per day when you’re young, but this pattern invites diabetes, insulin resistance (your pancreas doesn’t like to be stimulated 6 times per day), and eventually cancer and heart disease. All to add some ‘bulk’?

Lift and do cardio whenever you can (all day is best but most people have to work) and eat a piece of cheese if you get hungry. Finally, at night, you can turn on your parasympathetic nervous system with an absolute binge (except for sugar). Once per day is plenty for your pancreas. Pig out.

Yeah I eat once a day and do cardio and lift weights ALL day and nibble on cheese. WHY?? Cause I’m a fucking retard and this is what us retards do. Why?? How the fuck would I know?! I’m fucking retarded.

never go full retard[/quote]

There were times when I was playing “headhunter” when I actually felt retarded. Like really retarded.

200

[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
Beatnik wrote:
I would really love to see a round table discussion amongst qualified professionals on such basics (hint hint Biotest). Call me a fan boy, but i believe such opinions would hold more weight then the average opinionated, “free thinking” forumite.

TC or Shugart:

Another nutrition roundtable with Berardi, Lowery, Lyle McDonald, Alan Aragon, Poliquin, with the goal of focusing on bodybuilding dogmas.[/quote]

I think we can all agree that a cocktail of WMS + BCAA + CLA + HMB every 77.75 minutes is the key to getting all you could want out of life. The rest is just meaningless detail.

201

[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
Beatnik wrote:
I would really love to see a round table discussion amongst qualified professionals on such basics (hint hint Biotest). Call me a fan boy, but i believe such opinions would hold more weight then the average opinionated, “free thinking” forumite.

TC or Shugart:

Another nutrition roundtable with Berardi, Lowery, Lyle McDonald, Alan Aragon, Poliquin, with the goal of focusing on bodybuilding dogmas.[/quote]

!!!

as long as they get to take about partitioning… ahahah

I really a little bad for Berardi because so much of his stuff is so good except that tiny thing that has just really damaged his credibility. The fact that he still preaches it even though he has to know it is complete bunk says a lot for the profiteering prevalent even on the best web sites like T-Nation.

Has T-Nation ever done anything with Lyle? I think basically 1/3 the nutritional dogma they propagate on here through some of the gurus (not that they all do it on purpose, or that most aren’t really incredibly knowledgeable in many areas) is bordering on complete lies-and they know it. And a lot of the rest is ripped off from the ideas of either Lyle or others with an absolute refusal to give credit. Maybe because so many of those guys freely attack the inaccurate ideas and posts by some of the authors on this site.

T-Nation is a good resource but I strongly recommend that anyone who doesn’t want to just buy into everything they read on a site selling its own products to surf the web and get some 2nd opinions, I think your body and wallet will thank you long term.

edit- this post was a bit venomous, I apologize. I like T-Nation a lot and have learned most of what I know about training and nutrition from this site, mostly for the better

202

[quote]redgladiator wrote:
jehovasfitness wrote:
redgladiator wrote:
Headhunter wrote:
No one should eat 6 times per day, except for a small nibble like a handful of almonds or a small piece of cheese. Eating all day shuts down your sympathetic nervous system, the active part of your nervous system.

You may get away with eating 6 times per day when you’re young, but this pattern invites diabetes, insulin resistance (your pancreas doesn’t like to be stimulated 6 times per day), and eventually cancer and heart disease. All to add some ‘bulk’?

Lift and do cardio whenever you can (all day is best but most people have to work) and eat a piece of cheese if you get hungry. Finally, at night, you can turn on your parasympathetic nervous system with an absolute binge (except for sugar). Once per day is plenty for your pancreas. Pig out.

Yeah I eat once a day and do cardio and lift weights ALL day and nibble on cheese. WHY?? Cause I’m a fucking retard and this is what us retards do. Why?? How the fuck would I know?! I’m fucking retarded.

never go full retard

There were times when I was playing “headhunter” when I actually felt retarded. Like really retarded.
[/quote]

Always refreshing to be reminded who a lot of these threads are for…always refreshing.

203

[quote]Alan Aragon wrote:
I think we can all agree that a cocktail of WMS + BCAA + CLA + HMB every 77.75 minutes is the key to getting all you could want out of life. The rest is just meaningless detail.
[/quote]

LOL!

This is why I love Alan.

204

[quote]actionjeff wrote:
PonceDeLeon wrote:
Beatnik wrote:
I would really love to see a round table discussion amongst qualified professionals on such basics (hint hint Biotest). Call me a fan boy, but i believe such opinions would hold more weight then the average opinionated, “free thinking” forumite.

TC or Shugart:

Another nutrition roundtable with Berardi, Lowery, Lyle McDonald, Alan Aragon, Poliquin, with the goal of focusing on bodybuilding dogmas.

!!!

as long as they get to take about partitioning… ahahah

I really a little bad for Berardi because so much of his stuff is so good except that tiny thing that has just really damaged his credibility. The fact that he still preaches it even though he has to know it is complete bunk says a lot for the profiteering prevalent even on the best web sites like T-Nation.

Has T-Nation ever done anything with Lyle? I think basically 1/3 the nutritional dogma they propagate on here through some of the gurus (not that they all do it on purpose, or that most aren’t really incredibly knowledgeable in many areas) is bordering on complete lies-and they know it. And a lot of the rest is ripped off from the ideas of either Lyle or others with an absolute refusal to give credit. Maybe because so many of those guys freely attack the inaccurate ideas and posts by some of the authors on this site.

T-Nation is a good resource but I strongly recommend that anyone who doesn’t want to just buy into everything they read on a site selling its own products to surf the web and get some 2nd opinions, I think your body and wallet will thank you long term.[/quote]

Excellent post.

205

I am assuming the “partitioning” thing is what I’ve been calling nutrient combining?

I dunno if his nutrient combining thing discredited him. I see it as a shift in practice. (I am about to be a fan boy).

If you look at it, they split their meals in P+C and P+F then alternated them through out the day. Which was wrong. But then the same nutrient split got applied in a more intelligent way. nutrient timing. The same meal combinations but placed throughout the day around times when the body is most sensitive to carbs. ie: workouts, and possible early morning. Then the rest of the day with P+F. Sure the strictness of not combining C+F got relaxed a bit. Which is very close to what a lot of people are currently doing. I think you can see the shift in one of the small articles he wrote post massive eating. “massive eating reloaded” i think.

LL does a similar split in his carb intake times but with a focus on mornings rather then all around the workout. The two approaches could be integrated as well.

I’ve always wondered why people think the nutrient combining method is so different then nutrient timing. The practice’s are so similar the only difference being an understanding of exercise.

206

Do whatever works for you.

207

[quote]DaahsirRoon wrote:
Do whatever works for you.
[/quote]

I can’t, if I do I might do something that makes me a “bro” in which case I’d rather not do what works because then I will be able to say I am not a “bro”. Know what I mean bro?

Later bro.

V