When and how much you eat are important components of setting up a weight loss diet and achieving a calorie deficit. Part of creating a personalised nutrition plan involves establishing meal frequency and timing that is optimal for you. This article covers key factors to consider when choosing a meal frequency, whether when you eat matters, and as always, key takeaways to set you up on a successful weight loss journey.
How many times a day should I eat?
For weight loss, there is research to suggest that both a higher meal frequency and a lower meal frequency is better. Some studies show that if you miss breakfast, you lose more weight than if you don’t, whilst other studies show that if you miss breakfast, you don’t lose as much weight as others.
What matters? When it comes to weight loss it’s about what helps you to best achieve that calorie deficit consistently. The meal frequency you can best adhere to will be based on both what suits you best and you therefore prefer – body and mind.
For athletic health and performance, meal frequency may indeed matter more. However, even for the management of blood sugar levels, the research on optimal meal frequency is inconclusive.
For this article, a meal refers to any time at which you consume food. Here are some factors to consider when choosing the optimal meal frequency for you:
•Preference for eating occasions
Do you enjoy eating a certain number of meals per day? If you enjoy having breakfast, lunch and dinner, then why cut out breakfast? Alternatively, if you hate breakfast, then you may wish to opt for lunch and dinner.
• Appetite
How does your meal number affect your appetite? Be aware that how balanced your meals are, how large your meals are, as well as your regular routine, sleep and multiple other factors influence appetite level. Nevertheless, you may also have learnt over a period of time a number of meals that you find beneficial for you.
• Daily caloric intake
Your caloric intake may determine whether a larger or smaller number of meals are preferential for you. If you are in a lower caloric intake, you may prefer to have fewer meals than more, so that your meals are more satisfying or can be more flexible.
• Energy levels
You may find that your energy levels are influenced by how regularly you consume food.
• Blood sugar management
Whilst historically smaller more frequent meals were thought to be better for managing blood sugar levels, there is more recent research to indicate that having a certain gap between meals and the components of that meal may be more significant at impacting blood sugar levels. However, if you feel that one or the other is preferential for you, then take this into consideration.
• Training
Depending upon your training time, you may find it beneficial for your performance to eat around that workout and the benefit it provides will depend upon your training type, body composition and goals. This may therefore be another meal you wish to schedule in within your nutrition plan.
• Time available
Both food prep and consuming food (and clearing away) takes time. Therefore, being realistic about that how fits into your daily schedule is a consideration.
• Meal commitments
Perhaps you have a family and like to eat breakfast and dinner with them, perhaps you have work lunches you like to be sociable for and join in with – these are all considerations when planning your meal frequency.
• Digestive health
Eating smaller meals more frequently may benefit some individuals with bloating and gas symptoms. However, for some individuals, having a greater gap with no food between meals provides the opportunity for their gut to rest and digest, also potentially managing the same symptoms!
A note of caution, many of these factors will be influenced by what and how you eat. For example, if you eat a balanced meal with an appropriate balance of macronutrients (protein), fibre, micronutrients and energy, this will considerably impact your levels of hunger and energy as well as blood sugar management. Appetite signals will also be considered significantly by your meal schedule – you can entrain your gut to know when to expect food (but your sleep and stress will also affect your appetite!).
A starting point for most people is a meal frequency of 3-4 x per day. Since a meal maybe considered an eating occasion, if you’re having a snack or a smoothie alone, this would be considered a meal. At the times where you’re not having a meal, you are fasting – so this means no food or drink containing calories. This may mean you need to bring some attention to the 2 flat whites you have between meals which not only break a fasting period but also deliver an additional 300-400kcals per day, over 2000kcals per week!
Does meal timing matter?
Meal timing matters more for athletes, especially those who train multiple times a day, or those who are especially lean. Additionally, for the management of blood sugar levels, eating during the time of daylight appears to be preferential from a circadian rhythm perspective. For weight loss, choose the times that work best for you to facilitate sticking to your nutrition plan and meeting your calorie deficit.
If you find that you prefer not to eat until later on in the day, then that isn’t an issue, unless you find that you over consume food later on in the day to compensate. Become aware of whether you become hungrier later on in the day simply because of the fact that you are eating less earlier on and whether this results in you making less optimal food choices. Also consider your energy levels throughout the day and how your performance throughout the day, overall movement and training are influenced by the times that you eat.
We typically like to recommend a minimum of a 12-hour fasting period – so if you finish your last meal by 8pm, then don’t begin your breakfast until after 8am.
Key takeaways
Choose a meal frequency that is optimal for you and trial it: if you wish to have 5 meals a day, do not choose to have 2 meals a day! Take into account what you think works best for you and trial it. Being consistent with that meal frequency is what matters – so if you’re going for 4 meals a day, then stick to 4 meals a day for a few weeks and see whether it works for you. This way you can plan to split your energy intake between those 4 meals and it removes the guess work as to whether you are meeting your caloric intake.
Choose mealtimes that work best for you and stick to them: for example, if you choose 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm then try to be consistent with this for a few weeks. Use it as guidance – so don’t worry if you’re out by 30-60 mins either side. The purpose to keeping it consistent is to train your body to get into a rhythm so that you can better manage your hunger and appetite.
Establishing when you eat is an important part of your personalised nutrition plan: designed to facilitate you consistently meeting your energy deficit and meeting your weight loss goals. Creating structure and habits, as part of your individual nutrition plan, can reduce the physiological and psychological tensions of consistently meeting an energy deficit, making your weight loss journey more effective!
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