One of the Most Common Weight Loss Myths, Researched and Revealed.

A lot of us have heard that eating six small meals a day will boost your metabolism and promote weight loss. I'll admit, even I believed and lived by it for the longest time. It was a frequent health goal of mine; every time I got on another fitness kick, I'd plan to eat 6 small meals every day. With February's New Month Resolution being based around health and weight loss goals, it made sense to do some research on the focal points and pound out a couple posts. I thought it would be easy enough, because I'm well versed in the science of health and wellness. Of course, the first method I targeted was eating six small meals a day, hoping to write a helpful, persuasive article with my findings. My findings, however, have lead me down a different path.

The general belief is that eating six small meals a day will boost your metabolism and promote faster weight loss! Recent studies actually show that the claim has been widely misunderstood and twisted by various authors and weight loss trainers.
Jorge Cruise's book, The 3-Hour Diet, is based around the six meal approach. His written secret to weight loss is eating within 1 hour of rising, eating every three hours after, and stop eating three hours before you go to bed. If you've come to believe that six small meals a day is the way to go, then this would seem like the perfect plan, but researchers say otherwise.

A nutrition director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Bonnie Liebman stated that “If there are any good studies proving Cruise's point, they certainly aren't well established.” Another researcher with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Gary Schwartz believes that “there is no strong data supporting either [three meals a day or six meals a day] as being more effective” for losing weight or maintaining weight loss.

From what I've heard about the six meal plan and how big of a weight loss factor it was known to be, I found it hard to believe that it was only a myth! I dug deeper, hoping to uncover a truth I might like. How could eating six small meals a day NOT benefit me? It boosts the metabolism, which boosts weight loss, no? No.
A study performed by the University of Ottawa found that eating six meals a day does not boost the metabolism at a noticeable rate, nor does it increase weight loss. Karen Collins with the American Institute for Cancer Research noted that the baseline metabolic rate (how fast the body burns calories) was unaffected by differences in meal timing and frequency in a recent study. Overall, researchers agree that when it comes to your metabolism and weight loss, your results will depend on the amount of calories you're taking in, the types of food you're consuming, and how many calories you're burning daily. Whether you're eating three or six meals a day, studies prove that quality over quantity is the key to success.

 

So what's with the myth?! What did this misconception stem from and why is it such a popular belief? While I found that there was no solid data supporting the claim that eating multiple times a day will boost your metabolism, I did find multiple valid reasons as to why the six meal plan is beneficial to your body and an important map to have on your journey to health and weight loss! Now, I am not saying that I disagree with the studies that have been conducted. I do understand that the scientific facts given to us by researchers all over the country are valid and backed by evidence, but I have to believe that they may not be considering the variable of common sense into their equation.

The obvious benefits of the six meal plan that are simply common sense:

• If you set a schedule for yourself to eat six small meals a day, more likely than not, breakfast fits into your plan. If it doesn't, then you've got some revising to do. Breakfast is essential to your metabolic rate and weight loss. A healthy meal will start your day with nutrients that energize your body and mind in the early morning hours. After breakfast, your body begins to work to digest the food you ate, burning calories and kicking your metabolism into gear.
• As long as you're making wise, healthy choices, then the more you eat, the more energy you have, the more proactive you are! How are you supposed to be active if you haven't eaten anything in hours and you're just sleepy and hungry? Don't fall into the couch, couch potato. Get up, get eating, get moving. Energize yourself with fibers and nutrients! The more active you are, the more weight you're likely to lose!
• After about 3 hours of eating, the average person's blood sugar beings to fall. After 4 hours, the body has digested the previous meal. At 5 hours or more, the blood sugar has plummeted. Keep your blood sugar up by noshing on healthy snacks through out the day to avoid the crash!
• No binging! We've all eaten ourselves into a food coma before, haven't we? You're starving yourself all day because you get to go to your favorite restaurant for dinner and order everything on the menu! Not only do you feel lethargic and bloated afterwords, but you probably took in a week's worth of calories with all of that bread and pasta. Keeping food in your stomach during the day will prevent you from binging on big meals when you've reached the point of ravenous hunger.
• Do you have a desk job? You can burn calories at your desk by eating small snacks through out your day. There are multiple foods that contain less calories than your body burns just by eating and digesting them! Some examples are celery, grapefruit, lettuce and leafy greens, watermelon, lean meats, broths, yogurt, apples, oranges, tomatoes, chili peppers, arugula, cucumbers, asparagus, broccoli, and more! Mix up your choices with salads, grilled chicken dishes, fruit parfaits, and other healthy combinations to burn calories while you're chained to your desk instead of sweating at the gym!

 

While researchers claim that the six meal method is not proven to promote weight loss or boost your metabolism, I think some common sense is necessary in deciding which option would work best for you and your body. As for me, I'll continue with my six meals a day. Not only because I have a desk job that keeps me from the treadmill, but also because I need the extra energy to get through my days as a single mother, chasing around my little monster toddler and finding time to stay fit.

Do you prefer to eat six small meals or three meals a day? What works best for you?