How many meals should I eat a day? I know that's a question many of you want to ask, but won't.
The answer? 33 meals a day.
OK, that's not true.
But at the rate we're going at, if the news stations decided to broadcast that as the new rule, what percentage of our country (of the health conscious people) would do it? What percentage of you would at-least increase the meal frequency in your day? Maybe not 33 meals, but up to 10? Too much? I think not.
The problem here is that we're letting others dictate how much we should eat and when we should eat it.
When really, all you need to do is put your ear next to your stomach and listen in.
Do not actually do it.
That was more figurative than literal.
We have people eating 6 meals per a day because someone else told them to, and they hate it.
We also have people eating 1 meal a day, and loving it.
So what's going on? A study I recently read claims that not only do higher protein meals lead to satiety, but that eating more meals per day might increase hunger.
What does that mean for those people trying to burn some fat, but eating 8 times a day? Well first off, if you're eating that many times per a day, that means that you are consuming way less calories per a meal than you could be if you were eating more in less meals.
That also means, based off the study, because of hunger hormone Ghrelin, you will get hungrier more often.
Ghrelin is a hormone entrained to be released at certain times, so if you eat dinner at 6pm everyday for 3 weeks, then decide to change it to 7, you're still going to get hungry at 6.
At-least for a while.
That might be good for someone looking to gain mass, but if you're trying to lose fat, that's the opposite of what we want.
You want to blunt appetite as much as possible on a fat loss centered plan.
Eating more meals per a day doesn't seem to do that.
So what am I saying exactly? I am saying that if you're looking to gain mass, since you have way more calories to spare, eating more meals per a day could help.
But I am also saying, that if you're looking to lose fat, since you have way less calories to spare, eating less meals per a day could help.
For instance, for someone looking to gain mass, eating 3000 calories in 3 meals might be tough, as that would equate to 1000 calories per a meal.
But if they ate 6 times a day, that would only equate to 500 calories per meal.
For someone looking to lose fat, eating 1800 calories over 6 meals would mean 300 calories per a meal.
I don't know how many people that's going to satisfy, but 600 calories 3 times a day sounds much better.
The benefits of eating less meals versus more meals is as follows:

• More food per meal since you're eating less
• Actual satisfaction out of a meal because of increased calories/protein/fat/carb
• Less worrying about when you should eat next, every 2 hours every 3 hours, etc...
  
• More energy during longer hours of not eating
• Less cravings because of satisfaction/reduced Ghrelin

That list could go on and on.
But what I want you to realize is that different amounts of meal frequency will work for different people.
I bet I could make a similar list for eating more times per day, even though I support larger meals less frequently.
The point is that you should be listening to your body.
If you feel healthier and reach your goals quicker and more efficiently with larger less frequent meals, do that.
If you feel healthier and reach your goals quicker and more efficiently with smaller more frequent meals, do that! The right way to eat is the way that is right for YOU.