Are smaller more frequent meals better for body composition? Conventional wisdom states that smaller more regular meals are better larger less frequent ones, when it comes to losing weight (fat). We’ve all heard the six small meals are better than three, to boost the metabolism metabolism, argument, but does it hold up? Turns out that it does not, which might surprise a few. As always, these things will comes down to a degree of personal preference, total intake and calorie requirement, training load, goals and so on, but research worth considering for many of us (although the studies were admittedly carried out on a sedentary population). See the summary and link Brad’s website here>> w10performancegym/2015/01/are-smaller-more-regular-meals-better-for-fat-loss/ Conventional wisdom states that eating small, frequent meals helps to optimise weight loss. In theory, eating frequently enhances a phenomenon called the thermic effect of food (TEF), which results in more energy expended after consumption of the meal. What’s more, some postulate that multiple meals spaced throughout the day prevents the body from going into “starvation mode,’ thereby keeping metabolism perpetually elevated. There also is speculation that frequent feedings are beneficial for anabolism. This is based on the premise of a limit to how much protein can be used to maximize protein synthesis. It therefore follows that large boluses of protein result in extensive oxidation of amino acids, preventing their use in tissue building purposes. Despite a seemingly logical rationale, the efficacy of consuming frequent meals to optimize body composition has not been well established in long-term studies…”.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 12:45:21 +0000