THE MYTH:
Eat small meals every 2 to 3 hours (6 meals a day) to spike your metabolism. Your body is like a fire, if you constantly stoke it, the flame will burn hotter!
THE TRUTH:
You cannot trick your body into burning more or less calories by manipulating meal frequency.
THE EXPLANATION:
This myth has been debunked so many times that I am shocked it still persists...but for some reason the majority of clients I talk to still believe it. In fact, there are plenty of Personal Trainers and so called "nutrition experts" that are still repeating this nonsense. Metabolic rate varies from person to person due to a number of factors including genetics, age, hormone levels, active muscle mass, etc. However, meal frequency is not one of those factors.
The myth
started and was propagated due to epidemiological studies (that is a fancy word for the study of behavioral patterns) of fit versus overweight people. There were multiple studies done in the 50's, 60's and 70's that lead to these false conclusions. In
these studies, they found that the fit people typically ate smaller meals and snacks frequently at regular intervals throughout the day whereas the overweight people only ate a few times. From these studies, the theory arose that eating smaller meals every few hours throughout the day lead to an increase in metabolism - resulting in more calorie and fat burning throughout the day. Another theory that played into this myth is the notion that your body has an extreme sensitivity to going into "starvation" mode, and if you don't feed it regularly, your metabolic processes will come to an immediate halt in order to prevent starvation (I'll talk more about this in an upcoming myth busting post). However, where these studies went so wrong is that there was no due consideration of other factors that actually affected weight loss/gain. Almost all of these studies narrowly looked at eating frequency habits...not at total caloric load or activity level. For example, in the study someone eating 6 small meals a day might have consumed 2,000 calories whereas someone eating 2-3 meals might have consumed 5,000 calories. But these studies didn't look at calories...woops! Ultimately, these were uncontrolled studies that didn't prove anything about metabolism.
In recent history there have been a myriad of good, scientific studies that have shown meal frequency does not affect metabolism. The New York Times even referenced a study in 2009 by The
British Journal of Nutrition
which concluded that there was no difference in metabolic rate or weight loss
in people who ate 3 meals versus 6 meals. There was another good study in 2010 by The School of Human Kinetics, and you can search online and find many, many more. However, the myth just won’t die! I suppose it is true that if you tell a lie long enough and loud enough people will accept it as the truth.
THE TAKEAWAY:
Now that you know meal frequency is not a factor in metabolic rate, what does that mean for you?- If you simply enjoy the habit of eating small meals and snacks regularly throughout the day, no problem. However, be careful that these habits aren't leading you to consume too many calories and prevent you from achieving your goals. Eating 6 times a day requires a lot of preparation, planning and effort to ensure you are eating the right kinds of foods and not overeating.
- If you have been forcing yourself into the routine of eating 6 times a day because you think that is the "healthy" thing to do...I'd suggest you change your plan. See if you can eliminate the snacking and move more towards a regular meal schedule. Truth be told, some people ruin their diet plan because of poor snacking choices.
- Increased meal frequency does have some potential negative effects, which compound if you are eating high glycemic index carbohydrates. Constantly spiking your blood sugar at regular intervals throughout the day can lead to reduced insulin sensitivity...making it more difficult to burn fat and leading to a number of other health issues. You also may experience regular fatigue throughout the day due to the spike and fall in blood sugar associated with your meals/snacks.
- Want to actually increase your metabolism? Do strength training! Obviously, Boot Camp falls into that category. Even while you are resting, your body will burn more calories to rebuild and repair muscle after strength training. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn at rest, and muscle under repair is the most active tissue for burning calories.
- And finally...whether you have a fast or slow metabolism may make things more or less challenging when it comes to weight loss. BUT…weight loss still has to do with whether you take in more calories than you burn and vise-versa. Don't use your metabolism as an excuse to prevent you from achieving your health and fitness goals!
Scripture for the day:
I Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
Is anyone wondering why on a fitness blog I'm constantly posting some type of scripture verse or spiritual thought? The answer is pretty simple. I believe if I'm serious about being a follower of Christ, I should use whatever platform I have to influence others for Christ by pointing to Him. Now whether my platform on this blog is 5 people, 500 people, or 5,000 people doesn't matter. I need to use whatever platform God has given me and be faithful with it. Being a Christian isn't, or it shouldn't be, exclusive to interactions with "church people" or just on "Sundays." It should be all of the time, in every interaction and opportunity I have with others...and when the only audience I have is God.
Does that mean I'm batting 1.000 or that I never fail in this effort? Of course not. Praise God that He is willing to use imperfect people to accomplish His perfect plan!
Does that mean I'm batting 1.000 or that I never fail in this effort? Of course not. Praise God that He is willing to use imperfect people to accomplish His perfect plan!
