6 small meals a day...
 

So, my class instructor at the gym recommended me eating 6 small meals a day to boost my metabolism- with a slight emphasis on protein more than carbs. (Whole grains are good, tho). Currently I eat something like: oatmeal w/ fruit for breakfast, an apple or 2 Ritz crackers w/ a tsp of peanut butter for snack, a smaller portion of the previous nights dinner for lunch or ham and veggie sandwich/wrap, a piece of fruit or carrots or veggie chips w/ hummus for snack, and then dinner (almost always a lean meat, starch like rice or potatoes, and veggies). So, 3 larger meals and 2 or 3 small snacks. In your guys' opinion, how would I change this up to be 6 small meals a day and keep it within my 29 pts?

TUIA :)

Isn't that already at least 5 small meals? 3 meals and 2 snacks "feels" to me like 5 eating times.

I just want to address one thing, though. The whole "Eat 6 meals a day to boost metabolism" is pure myth. A myth that is long reaching and, sadly, even touted by professionals who should know better. (One of many sites that explains why people think this is true, but it's a myth.)

It does not boost metabolism in any significant way. (And by significant I mean the infinitesimal amount it is boosted temporarily...does not help with weight loss.) It's merely a different way of dividing up daily calories. For some people they can control hunger better if they eat more frequently. There's NOTHING wrong with 3 meals a day, or 1 meal a day or 8 meals a day, as long as the person is staying within their Points/calories.

You're absolutely welcome, of course, to switch up your plan to however it best fits your life. If that means that you want to adjust your eating times, etc, then continue! I'm not looking to discourage you from finding an eating groove that works for you. It just seemed that you were happy with your eating plan as it currently is, so don't disrupt that simply because of "metabolism".

If you aren't happy with your eating plan, and you are looking to get more meals out of your day, try cutting lunch in half. Eat only half of it, then save the next half for your afternoon snack time.

Originally Posted by Lovely:
Isn't that already at least 5 small meals? 3 meals and 2 snacks "feels" to me like 5 eating times.

I thought so- her suggestion made me second guess what I was doing. Also, I'm eating a breakfast around 11AM, snack @ 1PM, lunch @ 3PM, snack @ 5PM, and dinner @7PM- so there's the every 2-3 hours, too.

Originally Posted by :
I just want to address one thing, though. The whole "Eat 6 meals a day to boost metabolism" is pure myth. A myth that is long reaching and, sadly, even touted by professionals who should know better.

I just Googled "6 small meals" and came across the same info. I think I'm already roughly eating the way she intends me to, but only because it's my natural eating cycle.. so even if the metabolism theory is correct, then my metabolism should be fine. :\ I'm just going to focus on my GHG, cuz that's the only thing I'm slacking on lately.

Thank you for all that info! I always appreciate hearing from you, Lovely. :)

I've been doing this for awhile now. I have three 6-8 pp meals w/ a couple 4 pp snacks, all about 3 hours apart. I find it works because it doesn't give my metabolism a chance to slow down, plus I'm never too far from my next snack/meal. Also I don't eat anything after 7pm so I always go to bed with an empty stomach.

You look like you could use some protein at breakfast. A little with every meal and snack will keep you feeling satisfied a lot longer.

Originally Posted by QuilterInVA:
You look like you could use some protein at breakfast. A little with every meal and snack will keep you feeling satisfied a lot longer.

I do, my oatmeal consists of 1/4 c milk, 2 tsp peanut butter (along with banana, pumpkin, chia seeds, and cinnamon). As long as I eat my breakfast at around 11AM I'm golden for the day... but when I wake up at 5AM it really sucks. If I eat earlier than 11- say 7AM, I get ravenously hungry and snack like heck between 3 and 5PM, and then I blow my points out of the water.

What Lovely said.

In addition, some people are more sensitive to carbs and you may want to consider lessening carbs particularly any refined carbs.

I might suggest eliminating the Ritz crackers. For the sandwich only use whole grain bread or wrap. Eliminate the veggie chips. I love hummus but you can also eat hummus with a whole wheat tortilla or even carrots or bell pepper slices. Eliminate potatoes. There really isn't much redeeming there (and I love potatoes but have only had a few bites in the last 4 months). Rice, limit to brown rice. I've found that for me I do best with having only one or two grain servings a day. So if I have a sandwich then I probably don't have rice at dinner (and vice versa). If you feel you are not that carb sensitive then you could keep your grain servings but just make sure they are whole grains.

Originally Posted by Koshka:
What Lovely said.

In addition, some people are more sensitive to carbs and you may want to consider lessening carbs particularly any refined carbs.

I might suggest eliminating the Ritz crackers. For the sandwich only use whole grain bread or wrap. Eliminate the veggie chips. I love hummus but you can also eat hummus with a whole wheat tortilla or even carrots or bell pepper slices. Eliminate potatoes. There really isn't much redeeming there (and I love potatoes but have only had a few bites in the last 4 months). Rice, limit to brown rice. I've found that for me I do best with having only one or two grain servings a day. So if I have a sandwich then I probably don't have rice at dinner (and vice versa). If you feel you are not that carb sensitive then you could keep your grain servings but just make sure they are whole grains.

I've thought about going lower-carb, but I get so cranky without them (I did Atkins 9 and 3 years ago- it was not pretty). I do prefer to choose whole wheat/ grain whenever possible. I rarely eat pasta & rice (unless it's one of those Rice-A-Roni mixes, every now and then, and then I only have 1 serving). I do eat potatoes.. but I have to be careful because I love them too much to stick with just 1 serving- mmmm mashed potatoes (which turn into potato cakes the next morning). Holy points! I've only done the Ritz cracker thing in the last week, and it's right before my weight-lifting workout (I do a bit of carbs before, and some protein after). I see what you're saying about having only one or two servings a day, so I'm going to review my log to see where I could have made those changes, and see where I can plan ahead on future meals. Thanks, Koshka! :)

Originally Posted by girlsenberry:
I've thought about going lower-carb, but I get so cranky without them (I did Atkins 9 and 3 years ago- it was not pretty).

Reduced carb does not have to be no carb. I only tried Atkins a handful of times, and never for very long, because I wasn't just cranky on induction, I was ill. The mood swings were awful, but the nausea, cold sweats, severe headaches, and dizziness were much worse. I assumed this was the "induction flu" that low-carbers talked abut, and which doctor Atkins promised would go away within the two weeks. Not only did it not go away, it only got worse. I was never able to hold out for more than 5 weeks without throwing in the towel.

When my doctor recommended low-carb a few years ago for my insulin resistance/ borderline diabetes, quite frankly I thought he was nuts. He did warn not to go "too low," but admitted he couldn't tell me how low was too low, but at least it planted the seed in my brain to try different levels of carb restriction.

I've been experimenting with different types and amounts of carbs. Too low-carb and I get the headaches, nausea, and moodswings (but I'm never hungry). And too high-carb and I experience what I call "rabid hunger." The more carbs I eat, the hungrier I get, especially for the high-concentration refined carbs.

As a side effect of keeping a very detailed food/health journal I also discovered that I lost more weight, more consistently on 1800 calories of lower-carb than on 1800 calories of higher carb (that shocked me, because I had always believed "a calorie is a calorie," but I learned that what I eat can affect the "calories burned" part of the equation. On low-carb, I have less energy and less interest in activity and exercise).

So, I had to strike a balance - eating enough carbs to keep me from feeling sick, but not so many that I experienced the "rabid hunger."

To some degree, I'm still experimenting, but I've got the "basics" down. I don't eat grains very often, and when I do I have the best luck with the higher protein and higher fiber grain: quinoa, wild rice, millet, amaranth and brown rice (hubby makes a great pilaf with a mixture of some or all of those grains), and oatmeal.

I also have to be extremely careful with high-sugar foods, even the natural, whole-food ones. Some fruits (especially dried ones like raisins and craisins) are nearly as problematic as candy.

Originally Posted by Lovely:
I just want to address one thing, though. The whole "Eat 6 meals a day to boost metabolism" is pure myth. A myth that is long reaching and, sadly, even touted by professionals who should know better.

The nutritionalist I see for my diabetes told me that this was true when I was 14, and I have believed it ever since. However just reading this (and the subsequent fifteen minutes googling pubmed) has made me realise that it was all a load of phooey.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by girlsenberry:
So, my class instructor at the gym recommended me eating 6 small meals a day to boost my metabolism- with a slight emphasis on protein more than carbs. (Whole grains are good, tho). Currently I eat something like: oatmeal w/ fruit for breakfast, an apple or 2 Ritz crackers w/ a tsp of peanut butter for snack, a smaller portion of the previous nights dinner for lunch or ham and veggie sandwich/wrap, a piece of fruit or carrots or veggie chips w/ hummus for snack, and then dinner (almost always a lean meat, starch like rice or potatoes, and veggies). So, 3 larger meals and 2 or 3 small snacks. In your guys' opinion, how would I change this up to be 6 small meals a day and keep it within my 29 pts?

TUIA :)

Eating 5 - 6 meals a day really works! I did it and I lost 11 pounds within a month!

Originally Posted by Koshka:
What Lovely said.

In addition, some people are more sensitive to carbs and you may want to consider lessening carbs particularly any refined carbs.

I might suggest eliminating the Ritz crackers. For the sandwich only use whole grain bread or wrap. Eliminate the veggie chips. I love hummus but you can also eat hummus with a whole wheat tortilla or even carrots or bell pepper slices. Eliminate potatoes. There really isn't much redeeming there (and I love potatoes but have only had a few bites in the last 4 months). Rice, limit to brown rice. I've found that for me I do best with having only one or two grain servings a day. So if I have a sandwich then I probably don't have rice at dinner (and vice versa). If you feel you are not that carb sensitive then you could keep your grain servings but just make sure they are whole grains.

What you said Koshka was agreeable.

girlsenberry - I don't really believe in the whole no carb thing... especially when we are working out, we need carbs! But.... you can get your carbs from veggies and fruits instead of grain :) Sweet potatoes are excellent source of good carbs, especially after working out.

Not saying you should, just throwing it out there since it was brought up!

Originally Posted by :
I've thought about going lower-carb, but I get so cranky without them (I did Atkins 9 and 3 years ago- it was not pretty).

I don't go without carbs either. I started reducing carbs about 4 months ago. At first I went for 40 net carbs a day. Now I am up to between about 30 and 80. For net carbs I subtract from carbs fiber and sugar alcohols (some people are sensitive to sugar alcohols and may not want to do that...for me I'm not so I do).

The hardest part for me is that I do sometimes like to eat frozen dinners and most of them are refined grains or potatoes. However, Lean Cuisine has a spa cuisine line that uses whole grains so I do those. They aren't low carb but I don't have them more than a few times a week.

In fitness circles it's recommended to eat a lot of small meals per day in order to increase muscle mass.


I think the most important think to remember here is that its not how many times you eat but what you eat.