Girls, there’s something I have to admit… I looove to eat haha! All day, every day. Ever since I got serious with my fit journey by starting to work out regularly and making better choices, I’m feeling like I’m in a current state of hunger. So today I wanted to talk about meal frequencies and tell you how frequently I think you actually are supposed to eat each day.
First things first: to achieve a certain body goal you need to know the number of calories you should be consuming daily that matches that goal. How much you may consume depends on your energy requirement and usage. Your body weight and length, metabolism, daily activities, and health condition all count within this. Once you’ve calculated your calorie intake (click here for my guidelines in a separate blog post), you can look at meal frequencies.
When it comes to mealtimes, it actually differs per person what works. There are several theories going around about what is best for you. You’ll probably mostly hear about the need for 6-7 smaller meals, but others swear that eating just 2-3 times is best. A new trend is intermittent fasting in which you can eat only during a certain time period of the day. But the truth about meal frequencies is hard to find. Studies are contradictory and people are trying to pursue eating habits that don’t work for them.
When you’ve got a fast metabolism, you probably do better with multiple mealtimes during the day. Being a food lover (or food monster like me), it can be very pleasing to plan several eating moments during the day. This may keep you from overeating while still feeling satisfied. It can also help when you’re building muscle to speed up recovery. However, don’t forget that the food you consume (especially highly sugar and sour products ) also affects your teeth. For them it’s better not to eat more than 7 times a day, so having more eating moments is not recommended.
So eating frequently works for me, but for some people it can be better to stick to just three meals a day. They have better control over their calorie intake this way and can maintain a stable blood sugar level and healthy weight more easily. Some also may find this more convenient than having to plan many eating moments in their day and carrying Tupperware filled with food everywhere they go. But this doesn’t mean that they’re doing better or worse than people who eat more often (!!).
What it does mean is that there is actually no absolute truth when it comes to meal frequency. Choosing how many times to eat depends on your attitude towards food and what your body is used to. When it comes to achieving your goals and ideal weight, consistence is key and you should find a good balance with your food and training schedule.
I think that most important is to enjoy every meal of the day, choose the right kind of food and be mindful with the food you take in. Do what feels right for you and don’t do something because you think you need to do it while it doesn’t feel good. What works for someone else doesn’t mean it has to work out for you. Enjoying the process is much more meaningful than following the crowd girls!
Hope this blog post was helpful to you!
With love,
Carolina.
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