Although the core mechanics of weight loss or gain are simple, some of the details of how and what you eat can be complex. Meal timing -- the idea that when you eat and how much you eat at each sitting -- is one example of complex considerations for advanced weight loss. Three big meals per day may have advantages over other eating plans, but offers some disadvantages as well.
Weight Basics
You lose weight by eating fewer calories than you burn through exercise, and you gain weight by eating more than you burn. When it comes to the basic math and physics of weight, the timing of your calorie intake doesn't matter very much. It's your total calories over time that determine whether or not you gain or lose weight. Three big meals isn't a better or worse plan than any other arrangement by this reckoning.
Three Meals Per Day
The advantage of three meals per day is simplicity. Many eating plans encourage you to eat as many as seven times each day -- with each meal requiring planning, preparation and time on your part. Three meals limits those aspects. However, diet experts such as celebrity personal trainer Bill Phillips and Walter Willett of the Harvard School of Public Health agree that multiple small meals keep your blood sugar levels more stable -- which can help you avoid food cravings that would upset your meal plan.
Big Meals
Eating big meals isn't conducive to weight loss. Even if you eat only at meal times, too many calories per meal can put you over your calorie threshold and start you gaining weight. If you're trying to gain weight, big meals aren't the best plan either. There's a limit to how much you can eat at any given sitting, meaning that you can potentially take in more calories by eating several medium meals.
Bottom Line
Whether you're eating to gain or lose weight, three large meals per day isn't the best strategy. Splitting your daily calories into multiple smaller meals gives you better control over your portions and your food cravings. However, the timing of your meals is less important than their content and your dedication to a systematic program of eating to reach your weight goals.
References
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy"; Walter Willett, et. al; 2004
- "Body for Life;" Bill Phillips; 1999
- "You: Losing Weight"; Mehmet & Oz; 2011
- "The Art of Expressing the Human Body"; Bruce Lee; 1998
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