 |
| Being thirsty can often feel like hunger pangs. Drink a glass of water, and figure that shiz out. |
Years ago when I first started learning about nutrition and health I was on fire, I ordered tons of books, read stuff online, and got all the advise I could squeeze out of my friend T who was in the middle of this awesome health transformation and personal training.
I was eating 5-6 small meals a day, and believed that in doing that it would help boost my metabolism and I would in return lose weight and have all this energy. If you read 'My Story' you will learn all about my 'yo-yoing' and what I was doing at different times of my weightloss. But I also was concerned about having my stomach full of food all day long.
When I first learned about Whole30 I was really confused as to why they were wanting people to eat 3 big meals, and not 6 small meals. So, I read. and read, and read, and read. I researched it a lot and this is what I came up with.
It is not "healthier" to eat 6 small meals a day.
Although I have read many articles and studies I, unfortunately, do not have every single link and article I have ever read. bummer.
I will make this really short and sweet.
When you eat 6 times a day it is so much easier to over eat, and if you count calories it is a really good way to lose track of your caloric intake.
It is really hard to get full and feel satisfied on 1/3 cup of cottage cheese (if you eat dairy), so why not eat a few bites more, or a handful of nuts, or just a little extra something after each meal. You know, just this time.
By eating 3 'big' meals a day, your body will have to take more from your stored fats since there isn't always food just sitting in your belly, that's so easily accessible. Please note, I am not saying to start yourself. Please don't. Just eat 3 meals until you are full. Not stuffed, full.
When you’re constantly eating, you’re consistently releasing insulin, which puts your body into its “absorptive phase.” Basically what this means is that the insulin in your body is storing sugar — and not letting other enzymes in your body release sugar to break down fat. The goal is for your body to be in “postabsorptive phase,” where it uses your energy stores for sustenance, and burns more fat.-Jillian M.
Supposedly eating 6 meals a day raises your BMR (Baseline Metabolic Rate), but there are no good studies proving so. I am not bashing on 6 meals. If that is your slice of pie so be it.
As far as increasing the calories we burn, "The only thing that has been consistently shown to increase BMR is exercise," says Vicki Sullivan, PhD, RD, LD, national lecturer and president of Balance, LLC.If eating 6 meals a day is what works for your body and mind that is great, it used to work really well for me too (Until I tried a well balanced 3-meal/day). But these days I put so much time into my meals, and I am really busy. So, 3 meals works so much better for me time wise, health wise and really in every other way.
The trick is eating when you are truly hungry but not so ravenous that you are at risk of overeating or eating out of control. To me, true hunger is when your stomach feels definitely empty; but once you feel this, don't go more than an hour without eating or you will move from truly hungry to ragingly ravenous. According to the ADA, eating every time you feel "slightly" hungry can result in overeating.
So, before you say "six meals a day is obviously healthier", do some actual research. Don't take my word for it, and don't only read 1-2 articles. If it is important to you to know, do research. Personal research is so important and fortunately there are libraries full of books, an internet full of pages, and so many other places to explore! Get exploring!
