Research on Fat-Loss shows people who consume five meals a day are able to stay leaner than those who skip, or only consume three.
First, when you go without eating for more than a few hours, your body shifts into a “starvation mode.” That slows down your metabolic rate to conserve energy. That decreasing the activity of thyroid hormone, particularly the active form called T3. As a rule, the longer the period in between meals, the greater the decrease in T3 production. In addition, reduced meal frequency has a negative effect on insulin levels. This causes insulin spikes, which switches on various mechanisms that increase fat storage. The importance of frequent feedings is preservation of muscle. During periods of caloric restriction, the body catabolizes muscle tissue as energy. By increasing meal frequency, allows you to maintain more lean body mass and thereby keep metabolism elevated. This is called positive nitrogen balance. We need this for tissue repair the body is in positive N balance, i.e. intake is greater than loss and there is an increase in the total body pool of protein. In fasting, skipping meals, liquid diets, the loss is greater than the intake and the individual is in negative balance; there is a net loss of protein from the body. The body then becomes soft and catabolic (muscle loss).
When we do not GRAZE eat every two hours the blood sugar lowers and leads to a crash, where there is a tendency toward hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Hunger pangs ensue and you invariably end up eating more than you otherwise would, often in the form of refined sweets. This sets up the vicious cycle of overeating and uncontrolled insulin secretions—a surefire path to unwanted weight gain. Compounding matters, the absence of food causes the stomach to secrete a hormone called ghrelin. Ghrelin is referred to as the “hunger hormone.” It exerts its effects by slowing down fat utilization and increasing appetite. Without consistent food consumption, ghrelin levels remain elevated for extended periods of time, increasing the urge to eat.
Frequent meals counteract these negative effects. Blood sugar is better regulated and, because there is an almost constant flow of food into the stomach, the hunger-inducing effects of ghrelin are suppressed, reducing the urge to binge out.
The importance of frequent feedings is even more pronounced when you’re trying to lose weight. The reason: preservation of muscle. During periods of caloric restriction, the body catabolizes muscle protein and converts it into glucose for use as an energy source. By increasing meal frequency, you halt the rate of muscle tissue breakdown. This allows you to maintain more lean body mass and thereby keep metabolism revving, burning, and elevated. To make the task of eating frequently a little less arduous, it is beneficial to prepare several meals in advance, store them in plastic containers, and reheat them in a microwave on an as-needed basis. This allows you to consolidate preparation, thereby making it simple.
One final note: Don’t be concerned if, at the onset, you find it difficult to eat so frequently. It has been said that any activity done consistently for one month becomes habit and diet is no exception. For some it might take a little longer and for others not quite so long, but if you adhere to the same nutritional protocol on a consistent basis, it will become ingrained into your subconscious. Eventually, eating every few hours will be second nature.
One more message… Do the same with water, drink one cup every hour you are awake!!
Dave Parise C.P.T. MES FPTA
