True weight loss is fat loss -- not water weight or lean muscle tissue. You must create a calorie deficit to lose weight, consuming fewer calories than your body uses. It takes a 3,500-calorie deficit to lose 1 lb. of fat -- that means you must subtract 500 calories from your current daily diet to lose 1 lb. each week. Eating small, frequent meals can help you reduce your overall calorie intake by stabilizing glucose levels and reducing hunger and food cravings.
Calories and Weight Loss
Losing weight is mostly about calories in and calories out. Burn more calories than you eat and you should lose weight. But the quality of those calories matter as well. Choose nutrient-dense foods that will provide your body the vitamins and minerals it needs to keep you healthy. To lose 2 lbs. each week, a safe weight-loss goal, according to MedlinePlus, you must create a 1,000-calorie daily deficit. Do this through a combination of diet and exercise -- not just consuming fewer calories, but burning more calories by increasing your physical activity level as well.
Glucose
Glucose is your body's primary source of energy -- it's made from the food you eat; most easily from carbohydrates. When you're running low on energy, your body signals your brain to eat -- and you feel hungry. The longer you wait, the hungrier you get. The hungrier you get, the more likely you are to reach for high-calorie sugary sweets your body can quickly convert to glucose. You're also more likely to overeat, consuming too many calories in one sitting. If you can keep glucose levels stable and supply a constant stream of energy to your body, you won't suffer from those sugar cravings that can sabotage your weight loss efforts. Eating six meals a day can help achieve this.
Frequency
For weight loss, it doesn't matter how often you eat if you don't reduce your total calories. Eating small, frequent meals can help you consume fewer calories because it stabilizes your glucose level and prevents hypoglycemia -- low blood sugar that triggers hunger, headaches and food cravings. If you eat six small meals, you'll have a slow, steady supply of glucose; energy for your body. The Weight-control Information Network notes that skipping meals often leads to weight gain because "people who skip meals tend to feel hungrier later on, and eat more than they normally would." Eating less food, more often, curbs your appetite.
Other Tips
Each of your small meals should be well balanced and contain a combination of high-fiber complex carbohydrates, lean protein and healthy fat. Fat, fiber and protein all work to slow digestion, which will help you feel full faster and keep you satisfied longer. Limit added sugars, which provide calories without nutritional benefits and are digested quickly. Choose whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, lean proteins and low-fat dairy. Remember that protein and carbohydrates contain 4 calories in 1 g, but fat contains 9 calories in 1 g -- more than twice the calories.
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