How many meals should you eat in a day for optimal fat loss?

By Dr Megan Chircop

There is a lot of confusing advice about 'optimal' meal frequency and how many meals you should have in a day for maximum energy, better health and to maximise fat loss. Also, what time of day is it best to eat? As an example, How important is breakfast? AND Is it ok to eat late at night?

Lets get to the bottom of this issue by looking at the science and by understanding human biology.

MYTH: Eating more frequently, i.e. 5-6 meals a day, raises your metabolism.

WHAT SCIENCE SAYS: It is true that digesting a meal raises your metabolism slightly. This is called the thermic effect of food. However, it is the total amount of food consumed that determines the amount of energy expended during digestion. For example, eating 3 meals of 700 calories will cause the same thermic effect as eating 6 meals of 350 calories. So there is no difference. 

Many studies have compared eating many smaller meals vs fewer larger meals and concluded that there is no significant effect on metabolic rate or the amount of fat lost (1). 

Take home message

Instead of worrying about how frequently you are eating, perhaps a new mindset could be...

1) eat when you are hungry, not just because the clock says you should.
2) STOP eating when you are full. Put the fork down and push your plate away.

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