I discovered on my current road to health, my most successful by far, that eating three meals a day with some limited snacking has worked wonderfully.
For at least the last 20 years I had read over and over eat 6 smaller meals a day. It keeps your metabolism up and is the best way to loose weight. And for some I am sure this works. If it helps in lowering calories overall.
But I found it wasn't the best thing for me. And current research is questioning the many smaller meals viewpoint. I see food as fuel now. And of course enjoyment. I just enjoy different things and portions than before.
But I also see that along with the many benefits and necessity of good food it is still a chore for your body. You are introducing something that needs to be absorbed, the wastes taken away, and it is generally a fairly big task for the body to digest food. A big task but necessary of course.
But I have found my body works best when I am giving it breaks between eating. Ideally I eat only good whole foods (I fall short of this) and give my body breaks in between. I also, personally, find it empowering to go between meals not eating. It has aided my ability to control appetite.
I am not saying the many meals a day isn't good for people. Especially if it is working. But the newer studies are pointing that it at minimum is not necessary for getting healthy and might not even be as good as fewer, bigger meals.