Dear 6 meals a day,
FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!
Alright now that I got that out of my system, lets talk like human beings.
You must be mighty proud of yourself.
It’s the year 2011, and you managed to take over the world.
You have succeeded in convincing everyone that eating 6 meals per day is not only better (than eating 3 meals) but mandatory if you want to lose weight, build muscle, and be healthy.
Hell, you even had me fooled at one point, but I broke free from your evil spell. So now I have my chance to tell you why you’re completely full of crap.
– “Eating 6 meals per day boosts your metabolism”
Well aren’t you the clever one. But yes, unfortunately I have to agree that eating 6 times per day does TECHNICALLY boost your metabolism, but so does eating 1, 2, or 3 times per day.
You see, every time you eat any amount of food, you have to account for the thermic effect of food(TEF). TEF is basically the amount of calories needed to process the food you just ate. A common way to measure the TEF is to take approx. 10% of the total calories you just ate, and that number is the number of calories it took to process the food.
So if you eat 300 calories, it will take 30 calories to process those calories. However, you can also eat a 2000 calorie meal, which will take 200 calories to process.
In the end it all adds up to the exact same amount. Eating 6 meals per day does nothing special for your metabolism, it’s just a very clever spin of words used my fitness marketers.
– “Eating 6 meals per day keeps you out of starvation mode”
So do you really think the human body is stupid? Do you actually think that if we don’t eat 6 meals per day that we go into starvation mode, lose all our muscle, and die?
If so, then you are stupid my friend. Do you think our hunter gatherer ancestors gave a shit if they ate 6 meals per day? Do you really believe that’s the reason they died at an early age? Hell no! They didn’t care how many times they ate per day and they didn’t die from starvation mode, they died because they got torn in half by saber tooth tigers.
Starvation mode is a complete myth. In fact, there are studies showing that the human body doesn’t enter any sort of “starvation mode” like state for at least 72 hours without food.
–“People who eat 6 meals per day have less cravings”
The reason people who eat 6 meals have less cravings is because they are eating in a very consistent and structured pattern.
These people tend to care more about their health, which is why they strive to eat every 2-3 hours per day. This causes the body to get used to a specific eating schedule, which is why these people tend have less cravings.
On the other hand, there is NOTHING special about the number 6. As long as you stick with some somewhat consistent meal frequency, let it be 1 meal, 2 meals, or 3 meals per day, your cravings will be pretty stable.
In fact, eating 6 meals a day has many disadvantages since most people never really feel full after each of those so called “mini meals.”
However, eating 2 or 3 big meals a day will help you stay full and satisfied.
– “People who eat 6 meals per day get to eat more food”
Yeah… this is technically true. When eating 6 small meals per day, you’re eating at greater frequencies throughout the day, and you’re probably eating more varied foods, but you’re also eating like a damn pigeon during those times. For most men, that’s only 300-400 per meal. I’ve personally tried eating 6 small meals a day, and I absolutely hate it.
Each meal is such a tease. Half a cup of yogurt or a couple of nuts, ha!
I want 2 giant bowls of yogurt, and I want 3 giant handfuls of nuts. Small meals throughout the day are just so unsatisfying. They tend to stimulate hunger even more for me since I don’t get full from an individual meal. It works for some people, but definitely not for me.
Or even one meal a day is pretty great 🙂
Stop the lying
I know it’s not all you’re fault. I know that there’s a boat load of cash to be made when meal frequency is increased, and I know that this letter probably won’t change people’s beliefs in eating 6 meals a day.
But hey, I’m trying. I’m just one man.
Do you think that it’s even slightly possible that you let people know that there’s nothing wrong with eating 3 meals or even less per day? Maybe you could tell them about your sworn enemy intermittent fasting.
Just let the people have options. Is that too much to ask?
Anyways, let me know if you want to start spreading the truth about meal frequency. See you later.
Sincerely,
– Keith
P.S. I already know what you’re going to decide, and I know that the mainstream media is never going to stop supporting you so… FUCK YOU!
To my readers: Before you start leaving me hate comments and death threats for bashing 6 meals a day, just understand this – if eating 6 times per day works for you, then that’s great. Don’t stop. I just want to let people know that eating 6 times a day is not their only option to lose fat, build muscle, and get healthy.
Eating six to eight meals day was a disaster for me, especially if you have a slow metabolism. You never give your body a chance to burn off the fat you are storing by constantly eating every 2-3 hours. It also caused horrible constipation. Eating 6-8 little bird meals a day does not push food through your digestive system like 2-3 large meals does.
Who the heck has time to eat 8 meals? That’s insane?
I barely have time to eat 1 full meal. Unless you are rich and have a full cooking staff at your disposal.
I totally agree with you! I used to eat 2 meals a day before I moved to US and I never had weight problems before. In US all the snack culture and the 6 meals a day theorie and the big breakfast made me change my habits and I won 20 pounds in a year and I never stop exercising 3/4 times a week so definitely is the amount of food that this country made me believe I need to eat. I am coming back to my old habits and I am pretty sure I will start being myself again. Not for nothing America is one of the most fat countries in the world, is like people never stop eating during the day and for a year I became one of them sadly but read this is perfect for me now to see that I am not the only one thinking 6 meals a day is wrong.
Its the calories you’re consuming, not the frequency of times per day you’re eating. Pretty simple. If you like 6 times a day because you want to eat more often, go for it. If you want to eat 3 large meals a day because 3 small meals and 3 snacks doesnt satisfy you, cool. Its the calories that makes you fat. Your bodies not going “well, he ate only 1500 calories but wait, 6 meals per day!?! Make some fat cells!
First things first, if you eat six (6) meals a day you’re going to get fat, very fat, maybe super fat.
Try this instead: Eat your three meals a day, but eat 1/2 of breakfast then 2 hours later eat the other 1/2 of breakfast then 2 hours later eat 1/2 of lunch then 2 hours later eat the other half of lunch and so on to supper.. 1/2 and 1/2.
I’ve found this: 1. Keeps me from eating any snacks between meals. 2. I’m more even keel, not stuffed or hungry, 3. Trains me to eat less at one sitting which is very helpful in restaurants, bag the leftovers.
It’s not frickin rocket science.
Not 6 meals!
3 meals; 1/2 * 6.
you dont get fat from eating 6x per day. You get fat from eating too many calories.
You get fat when you have alleviated levels of insulin in your body.
I used to this eating 6x a day was good but yet right. It will get you fat! How can food digest when your eating that many times a day? It can’t!! Eating 6x a day is a joke and bs. I’ve been told eating breakfast as your largest meal then go smaller as day wears on along with having last meal by
5-6pm. How do all these Victoria’s Secret models stay so lean thin?
they dont eat a lot.
Great article and I’m picking up what ur putting down . They are mini meals and I used to do this too but got so sick of never feeling satisfied and constantly thinking about my next snack sized meal or prepping a weeks worth of them and that lifestyle is exhausting and I’m so over it . I now eat when I’m hungry and don’t when I’m not, Simple:
Example to the above people thinking they’re full meals 🙂
M1- 1 egg , 1 egg white and a small banana , protein powder scoop
M2 1/2 cup Greek yogurt and 8 nuts and a mini apple or protein ball
M3 small tin of tuna 1/2 cup or brown rice with 1/4 avocado
M5 protein scoop with cup of almond milk or mini protein bar
M6 small steak with veg and 1/2 cup sweet potato
Exhausting!
cool thanks
Thanks for pointing out the insanity of the mini meals. I went crazy trying to do it. Never lost weight either. I began to lose when I learned to eat two generous satisfying meals per day. I never eat after 5 or 6 and do not eat until 11 or 12 the next day. It was not easy at first but I learned it was not really hunger when I tried to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. I did not enjoy my meals as much, in fact not at all. Recently my weight loss stalled and I have gone to a snack and one meal or occasionally one meal. It’s great to feel good and hungry again. It forces me to choose food carefully. You know if you are super hungry grabbing a pint of ice cream or bag of chips is tempting because it is already made. I have done it a few times and did not gain anything but did not lose either and felt guilty about the lack of nutrition. I started telling myself if you eat nutritious meal first you can have the ice cream. But after eating the good stuff I wanted little or none of the ice cream. Thank you for all the eff you toward the moron that promotes the six small meals bs.
I went from around 35% body fat to 12% in less than a year, mostly through fasting and weight training, and a little bit of cardio and have kept it off (except for winter when I’m around 16-18%), but in my experience fasting and weight training definitely beat 6 “small” meals a day and loads of cardio. I always work out before consuming any calories whatsoever, because if I consume ANYTHING other than water less than 2 hours before the gym, it really slows me down and the workout becomes ineffective.
nice zach, that’s awesome
I totally agree! Six meals is a sham designed by the food industry and trainers in order to spend more. I eat once a day and love it. Have lost 30lbs in 6 months and never have any ill side effects. Nature surely never supplied that many meals a day in the past. Lions and other hunters go days without meals regularly. What makes us think we couldn't manage the same?
Agreed!!
I swear this blog came to me at the right time!! It got me sick so yes, fuck you to 6 meals a day!! Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you and fuck you. So glad to be freed of the devil 6 meals a day plan.
🙂
I absolutely agree. Nobody solves overweight by eating more and those small meals tend to get bigger and unhealthier.