Although eating frequent meals may seem as though it would be a hindrance to weight loss, some fitness experts suggest that eating more often can help you eat less overall. Smaller, frequent meals are purported to be more beneficial than consuming large meals with long, hunger-inducing gaps between them. Despite the purported benefits, you should talk to a doctor before altering your diet.
Theoretical Benefits
According to bodybuilder Gregg Gillies, eating small, frequent meals is beneficial for several reasons. Gillies suggests that larger meals send a signal to your body that you won't be eating again for a long time, which triggers fat storage to preserve energy. Gillies also suggests that your body enters starvation mode during long gaps between meals, and may begin breaking down your muscle for energy, which can slow your metabolism. By eating frequently, you can avoid these problems, according to Gillies. Eating frequently is purported to stoke the metabolic fire more significantly because of the thermic effect of food, which refers to the calories burned during digestion.
Starvation Mode
The Weight Watchers Research Department suggests that starvation mode is difficult to reach, and would not be the result of long gaps between meals. The department explains that starvation mode, or a slowing of the metabolism, only occurs when you drastically limit calorie intake, such as by eating 800 calories per day over a period of time. Thus, eating small frequent meals is not necessary to avoid starvation mode.
Thermic Effect of Food
Although the idea of an increased thermic effect of food, and thus increased calorie burn, from more frequent meals may seem logical, it is untrue. As Certified Sports Nutritionist Erik Ledin explains, the thermic effect of food also depends on the size of a meal, so if total overall calorie intake is the same, you would have the same thermic effect from eating six meals one day and one meal the next.
Actual Benefits
Although Ledin explains that many of the purported advantages of small, frequent meals for weight loss are untrue, he does note that there are benefits to this style of eating. Ledin notes that it can be easier to manage your hunger because you don't have long gaps between meals. In addition, eating frequently may help keep your blood sugar level stable. This is important because rapid fluctuations in your blood sugar level can make you sluggish.
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