Thursday, January 29, 2009

The 6 Meals A Day Myth

By Caleb Lee

Do you actually need to eat 6-8 small meals to keep your metabolism revved up so you shed fat all day and keep a stable stream of nutrients flowing to build strong, massive muscles?

If you've been around the fitness scene for any amount of time, or have read some diet books or articles, you would think the solution to this one is a simple yes " but the reality is

The 6-8 meals a day Advice Is A False Report!

The advice is based on studies completed around the thermic effect of food (TEF). You see, each time you eat, your body uses more or less 10% of those calories (total) to give power just to digest the food...

When this was found out, people misinterpreted the research by saying the more you eat (frequency) the more calories you'll burn all day but this was a mistake because the math doesn't work out.

* Six small meals of 300 calories (6-300) = 1800 calories total.

* Every meal you burn 10% of calories = 30 calories burned with each 300 cal meal

* Total cals burned by reason of TEF = 180

So compare that to a normal diet of 3 big meals:

* 3 Large Meals of 600 calories (3-600) = 1800 calories total.

* Every meal you burn 10% of calories = 60 calories burned with each 600 cal meal

* Total cals burned as a result of TEF = 180

So you see, if the calories are alike, it doesn't matter how you divide them up " you're still burning the same amount of calories and altering your metabolism the exact same way no matter how you eat regularly.

Will Eating More Frequently Bring About More Lean Muscle Gain?

The brief answer is certainly not. Eating protein continually in point of fact initiates your body not to make it as much. Eating more total calories WILL bring about building additional muscle but the meal frequency has barely to do with it.

More critical for lean muscle gain is the timing of your meals, specially the post workout meal needs to be first-rate to let people know that you're getting high-quality nutrients into your body when it needs them the most.

Will Eating Fewer Meals Lead To Muscle Loss?

Lots of guys who lift weights believe (and I used to) that not eating 6-8 meals per day will put your body into a catabolic state. Which means because you're not eating a lot of food and keeping the levels of amino acids in your blood high your body will use your muscle tissue as fat.

This is not true either nevertheless not to the degree that you've heard. Because even though you just eat one heavy meal per day, it can take up to 12 hours to digest" increasingly releasing amino acids into your bloodstream the whole time.

When Should You Eat 6-8 Meals

So as to achieve a LOT of weight " you need to boost your calorie intake to gain weight and put on muscle, thus if you're an extra-large guy and you have to eat 5,000 calories a day to put on mass it might be easier on your stomach and digestive system to consume 5,000 calories broken up into a set of lesser meals.

If you're using a ton of energy " If you're a high level athlete who burns a ton of energy like Michael Phelps who eats up to 12,000 calories per DAY and eats like an elephant. Also guys in the military in boot camp often eat as much as possible when they get the chance but still end up losing weight

If you have a thing about it - Several people may feel extra full 6-8 eating reduced meals per day grazing for their food consumption. I'm not one of those people but more power to you if you are.

I think knowing this will certainly help you feel better in your quest for better fitness, I know I believed this myth for a LONG time because almost everyone recommends it.

What Do I Do For My Part?

I put into practice occasional fasting. And I HAVE A THING ABOUT it. I vary between a warrior diet style eating schedule (when I'm sustaining my weight) and the lean gains eating style when I'm focusing on increasing muscle mass.

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