The 6 Meals A Day Myth
Do you actually need to eat 6-8 small meals to keep your metabolism revved up so you shed fat all day and keep a stable stream of nutrients flowing to build strong, massive muscles?
If you’ve been around the fitness scene for any amount of time, or have read any diet books or articles, you would think the answer to this one is an easy yes ” but the truth 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 because of TEF = 180
So compare that to a normal diet of 3 big meals:
* 3 Large Meals of 600 calories (3-600) = 1800 calories total.
* Each meal you burn 10% of calories = 60 calories burned with each 600 cal meal
* Total cals burned as a result of TEF = 180
So you see, if the calories are the same, it doesn’t matter how you break them up ” you’re still burning the same amount of calories and affecting your metabolism the exact same way no matter how often you eat.
Will Eating More On A Regular Basis Result In More Lean Muscle Gain?
The quick answer is not at all. Eating protein continuously in reality triggers your body not to produce it as much. Eating more total calories WILL result in building extra muscle but the meal frequency has not much to do with it.
More crucial for lean muscle gain is the timing of your meals, particularly the post workout meal needs to be excellent to make a big thing that you’re getting superior nutrients into your body when it needs them the most.
Will Eating Less Meals Produce 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 at least not to the extent that you’ve heard. Because even if you just eat one big meal per day, it can take up to 12 hours to digest” steadily releasing amino acids into your bloodstream the whole time.
When Would You Eat 6-8 Meals
So as to achieve a LOT of weight ” you need to boost your calorie intake to gain weight and put on muscle, thus if you’re an extra-large 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 set of lesser 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 love it - A number of people may possibly feel more satisfied 6-8 eating lesser meals each day grazing for their food intake. I’m not one of those people but more power to you if you are.
I think knowing this will certainly help you feel better in your quest for better fitness, I know I believed this myth for a LONG time because almost everyone recommends it.
What Do I Do For My Part?
I execute infrequent fasting. And I ENJOY it. I vary between a warrior diet style eating schedule (when I’m keeping my weight) and the lean gains eating style when I’m concentrating on gaining muscle mass.
Tags: best creatine, bodybuilding, build muscle fast, creatine info, dumbbell squats, exercise, Fitness, health, health and fitness, legal steroids, lifestyle, muscle building, muscle building supplement, muscle enhancement
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
