EAT FIVE OR SIX MEALS EACH DAY

Most people eat three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. The problem with only having three meals a day, or even fewer meals, is that there is a large gap (greater than 3 hours) between meals. This large gap between meals results in a substantial decrease in the body’s blood glucose level. This causes the body to invoke its starvation mechanism.

Consuming five or six meals each day is enormously beneficial from a fat-loss point of view and cannot be over-emphasised. It keeps your body’s metabolism elevated, which means you burn up more calories and therefore more fat during the day.

Having a meal every few hours (ideally every 2-3 hours) means your body is constantly supplied with the energy it requires to function, as well as the amino acids it needs to maintain and build body tissues. The feeling of hunger is also dramatically reduced, as is the tendency to over-eat at each meal. People who only eat three or fewer meals a day have a greater tendency to over-eat at each meal because they feel hungrier than people who tend to ‘graze’ (eat more often) throughout the day. This tendency to over-eat is even more pronounced in people who skip meals to lose weight. Skipping meals results in uncontrollable urges to binge eat, especially during the evening - the worst time of the day to be consuming a large amount of food.

Before I go on, I would just like to clarify what a meal is. A meal is a portion of carbohydrate, protein and fat. An example of a ‘meal’ could be a piece of fruit with some nuts or a meal replacement shake or bar (a piece of fruit on its own is not a meal because it only provides carbohydrates). Many people assume that a meal has to be your typical ‘meat and veg’ meal where you sit at a table with knife and fork in hand. Not so. This assumption is also the main reason why many people say they can’t have five or six meals a day. They think that having a meal is too time consuming. Once they realise what a meal is, however, and how convenient it can be, their attitude changes. [NOTE: I use the terms ‘meal’ or ‘snack’ interchangeably]

Following is a summary of the advantages of consuming five or six meals each day:

➟ Increased metabolic rate

➟ Positive nitrogen balance maintained

➟ Reduced appetite

➟ Sustained energy

➟ Reduced fat storage

➟ Increased fat mobilisation

 

➟ An increased metabolic rate

This increase in metabolism occurs because the body is being constantly supplied with energy (food) every few hours. Through the process of digestion, the body is forced to expend more energy. Also, since the blood glucose level remains more stable, the body’s metabolism doesn’t have to slow down as it would if only three meals were consumed.

 

➟ Positive nitrogen balance maintained

Nitrogen balance is a measurement of how much nitrogen is lost (through sweat and urine) against how much nitrogen (from protein) is gained through dietary intake (food). Nitrogen balance determines whether the body is breaking down body tissue (negative nitrogen balance) or building up body tissue (positive nitrogen balance). Ideally it is best to keep your body in a positive nitrogen balance at all times. Maintaining or building tissue (particularly muscle) means your body’s metabolism will remain elevated, making it easier to burn off body fat.

 

Having protein in every meal throughout the day means there is a constant supply of tissue-building amino acids to assist in the maintenance and building of lean body tissue, which includes muscle. When you eat only three meals a day your body will be in a negative nitrogen balance at some times during the day because of the delay between meals, even if you eat protein at each of these meals. You can avoid this by simply eating more frequently.

 

➟ Reduced hunger

Feelings of hunger are reduced when there is a constant supply of glucose to the brain. This can be easily achieved by consuming small meals often and by ensuring there is a slow influx of glucose into the bloodstream.

 

➟ Sustained energy

By having a meal every 2-3 hours there is a constant supply of glucose in the bloodstream, sustaining energy levels. This is in direct contrast to having three meals a day, which results in large fluctuations in blood glucose and therefore, energy levels as well (see Diagram 1).

 

➟ Reduced fat storage

Another reason why eating five or six meals a day is so effective for losing body fat is because smaller meals don’t affect the blood glucose level and in turn, insulin levels, as dramatically as three larger meals do. A lower insulin level means there is less opportunity to convert carbohydrate into fat.

 

Eating more frequently also means the body is constantly using up energy digesting food. This is why eating breakfast is so important - it gives your metabolism a ‘kick-start’. If breakfast is skipped, your metabolism and therefore your body’s fat-burning ability stays sluggish until your first meal.

 

➟ Increased fat mobilisation

Your body’s tendency to mobilise fat for fuel increases with smaller and more regular meals. This is mainly due to the fact that insulin levels are low. A low blood insulin level means more fat can be mobilised from the body’s fat stores. A high level of insulin inhibits the mobilisation of fat for fuel and larger meals tend to promote the release of greater amounts of insulin from the pancreas.

Here is what Jane from Albany, WA has to say about MultiSlim

 

Firstly I am sooooo happy because I actually completed something successfully!!  A great achievement for me in the weight loss area.

 

After 8 weeks I ended up at 67.6kg -a loss of 9.3kg, 8cm off chest, 10cm off waist, 7cm off hips, 6cm off each thigh, a cm off each calf and 2cm off each arm.

 

I really have to say that I am over the moon with all these results and don't think I actually believed I could get to this point but I have!  I am only 2.5kg away from my goal of 65kg so will keep working on that in the next few weeks.

 

I really feel like I have good control over food and don't think maintaining my new weight should be too hard - my lifestyle now is just habit.  I have also learned that eating out and enjoying food can be done without guilt and gaining kg's.