Do you really need to eat 6-8 small meals to keep your metabolism revved up so you burn fat all day and keep a steady stream of nutrients flowing to build lean muscle?
If you’ve been around the fitness scene for any amount of time, or have read some diet books or articles, you would think the solution to this one is a simple yes ” but the reality is
The 6-8 meals a day Advice Is A Myth!
The advice is based on studies made around the thermic effect of food (TEF). You see, every time you eat, your body uses approximately 10% of those calories (total) to supply strength just to digest the food…
When this was found out, people misinterpreted the research by saying the more you eat (frequency) the more calories you’ll burn all day but this was a mistake because the math doesn’t work out.
* Six little meals of 300 calories (6-300) = 1800 calories total.
* Each meal you burn 10% of calories = 30 calories burned with each 300 cal meal
* Total cals burned by reason of TEF = 180
So compare that to a normal diet of 3 big meals:
* 3 Heavy Meals of 600 calories (3-600) = 1800 calories total.
* Every meal you burn 10% of calories = 60 calories burned with each 600 cal meal
* Total cals burned due to TEF = 180
So you see, if the calories are equal, it doesn’t matter how you cut them up ” you’re still burning the same amount of calories and changing your metabolism the exact same way no matter how you eat frequently.
Will Eating More Often Lead To More Lean Muscle Gain?
The short answer is no. Eating protein constantly actually causes your body not to synthesize it as much. Eating more total calories WILL lead to building more muscle but the meal frequency has little to do with it.
More critical for lean muscle gain is the timing of your meals, specially the post workout meal needs to be first-rate to let people know that you’re getting high-quality nutrients into your body when it needs them the most.
Will Eating A Smaller Amount of Meals Cause Muscle Loss?
Lots of guys who lift weights believe (and I used to) that not eating 6-8 meals per day will put your body into a catabolic state. Which means because you’re not eating a lot of food and keeping the levels of amino acids in your blood high your body will use your muscle tissue as fat.
This is not true either nevertheless not to the degree that you’ve heard. Because even though you just eat one heavy meal per day, it can take up to 12 hours to digest” increasingly releasing amino acids into your bloodstream the whole time.
When Should You Eat 6-8 Meals
To obtain a LOT of weight ” you need to improve your calorie intake to gain weight and put on muscle, therefore if you’re a huge guy and you have to eat 5,000 calories a day to put on mass it might be easier on your stomach and digestive system to consume 5,000 calories broken up into a group of smaller amount of meals.
If you’re using a ton of energy ” If you’re a high level athlete who burns a ton of energy like Michael Phelps who eats up to 12,000 calories per DAY and eats like an elephant. Also guys in the military in boot camp often eat as much as possible when they get the chance but still end up losing weight
If you have a thing about it – Several people may feel extra full 6-8 eating reduced meals per day grazing for their food consumption. I’m not one of those people but more power to you if you are.
I believe being aware of this will surely help you feel improved in your search for better fitness, I know I believed this cock-and-bull story for a LONG time because nearly each and every one suggests it.
What Do I Do For Myself?
I do intermittent fasting. And I LOVE it. I vary between a warrior diet style eating schedule (when I’m maintaining my weight) and the lean gains eating style when I’m focusing on putting on muscle mass.
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