Meal Frequency…When, How Much, What??

To eat 3 meals, 6 meals, or even 9 meals a day that is the question??? How many meals, how often, what size portion, when and what time are good to eat, and when do you avoid eating. It’s the never-ending, always-changing questions and answers. There are many thoughts on this and many possible answers, but bottom line we need to do what works well with our own individual bodies.
According to a recent study by American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a group of nutrition researchers concluded that whether you are practicing the “three”, “six”, or even the “nine” meal daily dietary pattern, weight loss ultimately comes down to “how much energy or (calories) is consumed as opposed to how often or how regularly one eats”.
As far as increasing the amount of calories we burn, according to Viki Sullivan PhD, RD, LD; the only thing that has been consistently shown to increase Baseline Metabolic Rate (BMR) is…Exercise!! In other words weight maintenance: Calories In = Calories Out.
Another major key factor is eating the right total amount of calories each day, and getting those calories from the ideal amount of Protein, Fat, and Carbohydrates (yes I did say Fat and Carbs)!

The trick is eating when you are truly hungry but not so ravenous that you are at risk for overeating or eating out of control. Ask these questions:
· Am I hungry? (If unsure, wait 20 minutes and ask yourself again)
· When was the last time I ate? (If it’s less than three hours, it may not be real hunger)
· Could a small snack tide me over until the next meal? (Have ready-to-eat fruits or vegetables on hand for this)
However, many nutrition experts agree that when it comes to weight loss irregular eating patterns and skipped meals are not good for any of us. So make sure to eat something!
If your unsure how many calories you might need, see one of the trainers and we would be happy to put some info together for you. Number of calories expended through physical activity increases with: frequency, intensity, and duration of training program; as well as non-training physical activity (jobs, recreation, sports). With today’s Apps and programs out there its easy to monitor this on the go and in everyday life, so let us know what we can do or how we can help!