Is 5-6 meals a day? [breakfast lunch] [exercise]
Im eating 5-6 meals a day and Ive seen how effective it is, but I wonder if it really needed to lose weight. First, the food is expensive meals 5-6. Healthy eating is expensive enough to start, but eating 5-6 meals seem expensive. Second, it seems like too much work. Its funny. I used to think exercise was the hardest part. But its really simple compared to healthy eating. I have no trouble making time for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But it is increasingly difficult to squeeze in an extra 2 or 3 meals. If I were in a meeting at work, I can not just because its time for meal # 4. Or if the weekend and I am shopping, I can not run home every 3 hours to eat. My feeling on a weight loss plan is that any changes you make to your routine should be changes you can keep for life. Exercising every day is something I can stick with for life. Eating oatmeal and eggs for breakfast each day is something I can stick for life. But those 5-6 meals a day stuff is just a royal pain and Im ready to scrap the whole thing and go back to eating like a normal person. Im just wondering if anyone still really can eat to get lean that way. Because I have enough to worry about. I do not my life complicated by planning six meals a day. Im just curious to know how much Ill affecting my weight loss results when I go back to 3 meals a day.
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Reply:guy, now you see my problem. I don't want my meals to be huge, but squeezing in enough calories between meals is tough. Also, my protein portions are 6 ounces, not 4. I keep a jar of unsalted nuts at my desk, but still struggle with adding more protein, though I do eat non-fat yogurt and cottage cheese.
guy, I really would prefer to avoid protein supplements. They're convenient, but I'd rather put real food in my system, not something with a hundred ingredients that I can't pronounce. I just wish they made cottage cheese in single serving containers that were as cheap as yogurt.
I agree on the supplement shakes issue I would not go that route either. As for cottage cheese small containers go to the dollar store and by some small containers and put the cottage cheese in them it is cheaper that way to buy the big container. Also half whole foods natural peanut butter and sliced grapes sandwhich on whole grain bread is a great snack and stays without putting in the fridge.
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Reply:guy, now you see my problem. I don't want my meals to be huge, but squeezing in enough calories between meals is tough. Also, my protein portions are 6 ounces, not 4. I keep a jar of unsalted nuts at my desk, but still struggle with adding more protein, though I do eat non-fat yogurt and cottage cheese.
guy, I really would prefer to avoid protein supplements. They're convenient, but I'd rather put real food in my system, not something with a hundred ingredients that I can't pronounce. I just wish they made cottage cheese in single serving containers that were as cheap as yogurt.
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Reply:If you are looking to keep lean muscle mass than you need to have more food than that. From what I see that is not enough calories even if you were not looking to do that. I'm thinking your protein is probabaly around 4 oz per meal, am I correct in that assumption? You need more than that. Add some nuts they are easy to keep with you. From what I see above there is also not enough good fat in your diet except for the salmon other than that your diet is pretty clean like mine you just need more of it.
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Reply:I've been monitoring by body fat percentage and discovered that if the snacks aren't substantial enough, I lose muscle mass. Simply eating some yogurt or a piece of fruit doesn't seem to be enough. I keep an "emergency" supply of protein bars in my desk, but I really wanted to avoid eating anything processed.
I've also found that its very difficult to add just protein to my diet. Eating more meat or nuts also adds accompanying fat, and therefore calories, no matter how lean the selection. Fruit is mostly sugar (carbs) so that won't spare lean muscle.
(I, like many people, get some assistance in this area from things like protein powders, shakes, and bars … but you said you want to stay away from those.)
From searching an online Nutrition Data database, some common "natural" foods that have the highest protein-per-calorie ratio include turkey, tuna, shellfish, egg whites, and no-fat cottage cheese. Non-fat plain yogurt is also pretty good in this department. These are all things can be worked into meals or used as between-meal meals to help boost protein consumption without sacrificing your goals of weight loss.
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Reply:Right now, this is what my typical breakfast, lunch and dinner look like.
Breakfast:
3 egg whites
oatmeal w/blueberries
orange juice
Lunch
Grilled chicken breast on whole wheat w/lettuce and tomato
Steamed vegetables
Dinner
Grilled salmon w/tomatoes
Steamed vegetables
Those meals are pretty easy to stick with and I'm losing weight on them. But the snacking in between is where I get in trouble. I've been monitoring by body fat percentage and discovered that if the snacks aren't substantial enough, I lose muscle mass. Simply eating some yogurt or a piece of fruit doesn't seem to be enough. I keep an "emergency" supply of protein bars in my desk, but I really wanted to avoid eating anything processed. It feels like I'm one of those people who will never be able to maintain a lot of muscle mass unless I eat a lot and that's just cost prohibitive. Oh well. I guess there are worse things than being skinny.
If you are looking to keep lean muscle mass than you need to have more food than that. From what I see that is not enough calories even if you were not looking to do that. I'm thinking your protein is probabaly around 4 oz am I correct in that assumption? You need more if I am. Add some nuts they are easy to keep with you. From what I see above there is also not enough good fat in your diet except for the salmon other than that your diet is pretty clean like mine you just need more of it.
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Reply:Right now, this is what my typical breakfast, lunch and dinner look like.
Breakfast:
3 egg whites
oatmeal w/blueberries
orange juice
Lunch
Grilled chicken breast on whole wheat w/lettuce and tomato
Steamed vegetables
Dinner
Grilled salmon w/tomatoes
Steamed vegetables
Those meals are pretty easy to stick with and I'm losing weight on them. But the snacking in between is where I get in trouble. I've been monitoring by body fat percentage and discovered that if the snacks aren't substantial enough, I lose muscle mass. Simply eating some yogurt or a piece of fruit doesn't seem to be enough. I keep an "emergency" supply of protein bars in my desk, but I really wanted to avoid eating anything processed. It feels like I'm one of those people who will never be able to maintain a lot of muscle mass unless I eat a lot and that's just cost prohibitive. Oh well. I guess there are worse things than being skinny.
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Reply:For me my success has been 5-6 small meals a day and like the other posters say it does not have to be all meals. For instance I eat organic oats, soy milk for breakfast and then a few hrs later fruit and then lunch I eat salmon salad, and then maybe hand full of nuts or raw veggies or raisins (handful) go home workout and then eat light dinner and then popcorn and a cocktail to wind down from work. oh by the way if I miss a meal I end up starved by my next and then eat too much to compensate..I am down almost 3 sizes in my pants in 3 months.
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Reply:Hi, Outtolunch :wave:
I agree with Piper…I think you need to put something healthy in your stomach every few hours, not necessarily a meal.
I, too, struggled with five to six "meals". I found myself hungry a lot. I went back to three meals, healthy foods (our breakfasts are the same!), appropriate serving sizes, and just squeezed in a few healthy snacks, and I've had success. Like you, my work schedule made it nearly impossible to squeeze in an extra meal or two, so I had to make snacks work for mid-morning and mid-afternoon.
Good luck 
Lysne
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Reply:I dont think it is 5-6 "Meals" that is really what is recommended. It hink it is more that you should Eat Something 5-6 times a Day. So that You are never going too long without food. Meals 4-6 Can just be good healthy Snacks.
