Every time we want to lose weight, thoughts of multiple meals creep into our heads. Allegedly, 5-6 times meals lead to fast weight loss, acceleration of metabolism and other positive bonuses. But is it? Let's try to understand everything in more detail.
Weight loss diet plans can be very different from each other, but the body hardly feels such a difference. The body does not care how often you eat, because the assessment of energy and plastic resources occurs in 3-4 days, and not every day.
Frequent meals are believed to boost metabolism. But not everything is as simple as it seems. Metabolism is not a spinning wheel. This is the rate of metabolic processes and a whole set of various chemical reactions that are difficult to describe with just one term. Let's not go into the jungle of biochemistry and physiology. Instead, let's just turn to scientific data.
Boost your metabolism
Eating food does indeed speed up your metabolism. The problem is that people imagine metabolic processes in the form of a steering wheel or wheel, which is enough to spin and fat burning will begin by itself. We never tire of repeating that losing weight is a calorie deficit, nothing else. It doesn't matter how many meals you have per day, what your metabolic rate, etc. But where did the information come from about the benefits of frequent meals in the context of promoting metabolism?
The assimilation of food and subsequent processing requires energy - the thermal effect of food (TPE). After each meal, the body spends energy to process the food received, but this "acceleration" of metabolism directly depends on the amount of food eaten: less food - less energy.
For example: a 300 kcal dish will spend 50-60 kcal for assimilation, while a light 150 kcal sandwich will require only 15 kcal for full assimilation. That is, the amount of "acceleration" of metabolism directly depends on the amount of food, namely on its total calorie content and the difficulty of assimilation. Remember: fats and proteins are harder to digest than carbohydrates.
As a result, eating small portions often - you speed up your metabolism, but not so much. The amount of energy expended is minimal. In the case of large meals, the TPE coefficient is much higher.
As a result, there is no significant difference in the number of times you ate per day. From the point of view of the overall TEP, there are no differences. You will spend the same amount of energy, and this is proven by numerous studies.
Researchers tested what would happen if different people with the same daily calorie intake were given different dishes... One group was given small snacks throughout the day, and the other only 2 large meals per comparable calorie content. The result in terms of the number of calories spent for assimilation was identical, that is, the TEP of both groups was the same.
So in theory, yes, metabolic acceleration occurs more often with frequent meals, but the waste of calories becomes less. Rare meals lead to a more pronounced "acceleration" of metabolism, that is, to a more substantial expenditure of calories for the digestion of food.
So how many times are there?
For the body, the number of meals is globally unimportant. Calorie balance and lack of calories are key factors in weight loss. However, in fairness, we note a few simple truths:
- If frequent meals make it easier to follow the diet, you will lose weight, because it is easier to follow the diet;
- If frequent meals make it difficult to control your diet, you will get fat, because in the end you will break down;
- If infrequent meals complicate the calorie deficit, it will interfere with losing weight;
- If infrequent meals do not cause discomfort, it helps to lose weight.
Therefore, it is impossible to answer this question for everyone. Each person must independently analyze his diet, his eating habits and desires in order to understand which scheme is more comfortable for him. For weight loss, it will be most effective to eat without discomfort, strictly observing the calorie deficit. Many people believe in the benefit of 5 meals a day, but at the same time they suffer greatly from the everyday inconveniences associated with frequent meals.
Life hack
The most optimal scheme for us - for residents the former USSR and the CIS countries will have 2-3 meals and a small snack. Here you can make a moderate breakfast, hearty lunch and dinner, and an unloading snack from a small amount of forbidden foods.
If you are not full of small, frequent meals, try drinking a glass of water 20 minutes before eating. Add more fiber and don't eat fast. Some people are more comfortable eating less often, but more. The richer the meal, the higher the satiety coefficient, and the longer the satiety. Your task is to find a diet plan that will allow you to keep a calorie deficit without a pronounced feeling of hunger.
Style summary
You can eat 30 or even 40 times a day in micro portions, but no amount of speeding up your metabolism will help you lose weight if you are not creating a calorie deficit. These are the laws of thermodynamics. However, we note that some people speak positively about 5 meals a day, because in this way they simply stopped overeating. They began to eat less food per day and thus created a calorie deficit, that is, they started losing weight.
The very first question that arises for those who want to find a slim figure is how much to eat when losing weight. In order to give the correct answer to it and not harm yourself, you need to take into account several important factors on which the final result will depend.
The answer suggests itself - you need to eat less than the body spends. But figuring out how many calories he actually burns is not an easy task. The simplest method is to calculate your weekly calorie intake and divide by seven. If the weight has not changed during the week, then the resulting value is the daily intake to maintain the current weight.
Unfortunately, without kitchen scales and strict discipline, calculating your weekly intake is very difficult. Moreover, it is almost impossible to count complex dishes, because the proportions of ingredients in each portion may differ. Fortunately, there are more or less average values.
Daily Calorie Table
If you do not take into account people with a clear metabolic disorder, the average daily consumption in women looks like this:
With such a consumption, you can not be afraid of the appearance of extra pounds, however, for weight loss, it is worth reducing the daily calorie content of the diet. But in no case indulge in all seriousness, almost completely excluding meals. There are such values, below which it is impossible to go down in any case.
A little off-topic humor:
Minimum calorie intake per day
It would seem that by reducing the daily calorie content to almost zero, you can quickly lose weight to the required figure on the scales, and then again stop limiting yourself.
Unfortunately, the body is not so easy to deceive. With this approach, the following happens:
- The metabolism will slow down very much
- Reduced immunity and resistance to infections
- The body will intensively burn muscle, and leave fat for later
- Water will temporarily go away
When the previous nutrition is resumed, all the water will return, however, the slowed down metabolism will not recover immediately, and the person will return to the previous weight or even gain extra pounds. At the same time, this time there will be less muscle and more fat.
To prevent this from happening, in no case should the daily calorie content be reduced below 1200 kcal for girls, and 1600 kcal for men.
What and how much to eat to lose weight
The easiest way to find out your daily calorie intake for weight loss is to look at the value in the table above and reduce it by 10 percent. In this case, the weight will definitely start to decrease. But in order to achieve real harmony and fit, you need to understand how many macronutrients you can eat while losing weight.
How much protein can you eat while losing weight
Proteins are the building blocks of all cells in the body. When losing weight, you need to get enough protein from food, otherwise, instead of fat, the body will begin to burn muscles. General recommendations by the level of protein intake look like this:
- With intense sports - at least 1.5 grams of protein per 1 kg of body weight
- With moderate physical activity - about 1 gram per 1 kg of weight
- With sedentary work and no stress - not less than 0.7 grams per 1 kg of weight
Thus, for a girl weighing 60 kg, exercising 1-2 times a week and working as a salesperson, the daily protein intake is 60 grams.
How much fat can you eat while losing weight
Fat is also the most important plastic material for the body. Almost 2/3 of the human brain is made up of fat, so it is very important to consume it every day. But, unlike protein, the daily intake of fat is slightly less. It is recommended to get at least 0.5 grams and not more than 1 gram of fat per day per 1 kg of body weight. It is equally important to consume both animal (milk, meat and) and vegetable (nuts, oils) fats.
Eating below normal protein and fat is dangerous in the long term and can harm a person's health. Therefore, to reduce calories and reduce weight, the most optimal approach is to reduce consumption.
How many carbohydrates can you eat while losing weight
Carbohydrates are undoubtedly needed by the body. They are a source of strength and energy. However, in an age when cheap carbohydrates can be found almost at every step, their use should be taken under strict control. You need to figure out how many carbohydrates you need to eat while losing weight.
In order to achieve long-term and stable weight loss results, it is necessary to gradually reduce the amount of carbohydrates absorbed. In no case should you completely and sharply exclude them from the diet. Fortunately, there are proven methods here too:
- In the first month of the diet, you should consume at least 5 grams of carbohydrates per 1 kg of body weight per day.
- Starting from the second month, it is necessary to reduce the amount of carbohydrates consumed by 10 percent each week, to 2 grams per 1 kg of body weight.
- Upon reaching this level of consumption, once every one to two weeks, you can arrange a fasting day for yourself to get rid of nervous tension.
People who are not going to compete in fitness bikini should not go below this level of carbohydrate intake. Also, do not forget that you cannot consume the entire daily requirement of nutrients in one go. When losing weight, the frequency of nutrition is extremely important.
How often do you need to eat to lose weight
Nutrients take time to be absorbed into the body. A person who goes hungry all day and then eats a bowl of dumplings on, exposes his body to tremendous stress. With such an organization of food, you can not only not lose weight, but also gain extra pounds. Simply because the metabolism slows down enough that the body can store excess fat from even one meal a day. It is imperative to think about serving size and how much to eat when losing weight.
How many times a day to eat when losing weight
Nutritionists say that you need to eat more often, because fractional meals in small portions speeds up metabolism. Indeed, there are several indisputable advantages in eating 4-7 times a day:
- It's easier for nervous system... It is extremely difficult to combat hunger and not overeat when the next meal is only a few hours later.
- It is healthier for the stomach. Large meals stretch the stomach and create a feeling of heaviness in the stomach
- Social component. Drinking tea with a coworker, going out to lunch with a client, meeting friends after work - it's hard to do this if you limit your diet to two meals a day.
The main trick here is to choose a serving size that makes you feel full. It's good that well-known rules exist here as well.
Weight Loss Serving Size
How much food you should eat at a time while losing weight is a good question. A whole plate, and maybe only a half - everything is individual. Some can eat a handful of nuts and feel full, while others cannot eat until they feel a stretch in the walls of the stomach. To strike a balance, you can follow these rules:
- Eat no more than 250-350 grams of food at a time. The raw weight of the food is considered. For example, 70-100 grams + 100 grams of fish + 100-150 grams of vegetables. On the day of such portions of food, you can eat about 4
- If this portion of food is too large, you can reduce it and add an additional 1-2 meals a day.
- If such a portion is small, then increase it with vegetables until the body feels full.
- If your carbohydrate intake is decreasing, you need to compensate for serving size with additional
- The last meal should be no later than 2 hours
In the end, what we have: how to eat and lose weight
For a person who has read to the end, the question of how much food to eat to lose weight has already disappeared. He knows how important it is to control the amount of protein, fat and carbohydrates from food, as well as monitor the size of the portions. Yes, it is sometimes necessary to deviate from these principles for a short period in order to relieve the nervous system. But, with a smart approach and following the recommendations, the result will still not be long in coming!
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The concept of "diet" includes:
- the amount and time of food intake during the day
- distribution of the daily ration according to its energy value, chemical composition, grocery set and mass for breakfast, lunch
- intervals between meals
- time spent eating
The human body is extremely complex. The harmonious balance of this complex system, which is under the constant influence of the external environment, is what we call health.
The nutritional rhythm plays an important role in maintaining the normal functioning of the body and its health. The human body is designed so that at a certain time, the entire digestive tract prepares itself for food intake and signals this. A person who is accustomed to a certain diet can check the clock by signals from his stomach. If, for some reason, the next meal did not take place, the body is forced to rebuild, and this entails negative consequences.
At the hour set aside for eating, or some time later, at the thought of eating, gastric juice, which has a great digestive capacity, begins to flow into the stomach, and if at this time there is no food in the stomach, the secreted juice begins to act on the walls of the stomach and duodenum. Frequent eating disorders lead to the formation of ulcers, gastritis and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. In order to avoid such consequences of a disruption to normal nutrition, it is recommended that usual reception food to eat if there is no way to eat normally.
Human nutrition is regulated by the central nervous system. This is the responsibility of the so-called food center (appetite center) in the brain. And for normal and correct work of this center, the correct diet is extremely important. You need to eat a certain number of times during the day and at certain, strictly established intervals of time, if possible, correctly distributing food for each of the meals (both in volume and calorie content, and in the composition of nutrients).
As mentioned above, a person who is accustomed to a developed diet, at a certain time, has a feeling of hunger, an appetite appears. But you need to know that hunger and appetite are not the same thing. Hunger is a physiological condition when the amount of nutrients necessary for the normal functioning of the body ceases to enter the bloodstream. Appetite, on the other hand, can appear with one sight or even with the memory of tasty food (although there is no physiological need for a new portion of food in the body at the moment).
It also happens vice versa - there is no appetite, although the body already needs another portion of food. Both increased appetite not caused by physiological necessity, and its absence is a painful condition, most often caused by a systematic violation of the basic rules of nutrition. A normal food reflex is developed from childhood, when the body is formed and habits (including harmful ones) are formed. You need to know that in children, the food center (reflex) is especially easily excited not only from the type of food, but also from the mention of it. Satisfaction of each unjustified physiological necessity of the manifestation of appetite will inevitably lead to a violation of proper digestion, to overeating.
The question of how many times to eat a day, at what intervals and what calorie amount of food to take with each meal is one of the problems that is being carefully studied by specialists, including the Institute of Nutrition of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Scientists' studies have shown that a one-time meal is generally unacceptable: the human body is in tension with such a diet, not only the digestive system is not working properly, but all other systems and organs of the body, especially the nervous system. Two meals a day also makes you feel unwell. With such a diet, a person experiences severe hunger, and the digestibility of the most important part of the diet - protein, on average, is no more than 75 percent of that entered the body. With three meals a day, a person feels better, the food is eaten with a good appetite, and the digestibility of protein increases to 85 percent. With four meals a day, the digestibility of proteins remains at the same 85 percent, but a person's well-being is even better than with three meals a day. In an experiment, scientists have proven that with five and six meals a day, appetite worsens and in some cases the digestibility of protein decreases.
Conclusion: for healthy person the most rational way is to eat 4 times a day; three meals a day are also acceptable. As for medical nutrition for obesity, gastritis, colitis and other diseases, the doctor prescribes the diet and diet.
Now about the intervals between meals. From a physiological point of view, it would be ideal to start the next meal only when the digestion of the food eaten in the previous meal is over. To this we must add that digestive organs, like any other organ of the human body, need periods of rest. Finally, digestion has a definite effect on all processes occurring in the body, including the activity of the central nervous system. The combination of these conditions leads to the fact that a person who is accustomed to a measured diet develops a normal appetite at the right time.
One of the indicators of the duration of the act of digestion is the time when food is removed from the stomach. It has been established that with normal functioning of the stomach and other digestive organs, the process of food digestion lasts about 4 hours. Each meal leads to a more or less pronounced change in the state of the central nervous system. After eating, especially plentiful, some apathy sets in, attention decreases, the will relaxes, the person tends to sleep, that is, in the language of a physiologist, conditioned reflex activity falls. This state of the central nervous system, which occurs immediately after a meal, lasts, depending on the abundance of food taken, for an hour or more. Then all these sensations are smoothed out, and finally, by the end of the fourth hour, the food center returns to its normal state - appetite reappears. And if a person who is accustomed to the regime does not eat in a timely manner, he becomes weak, attention decreases, and efficiency decreases. Moreover, in the future, the appetite may disappear. If you systematically delay food or eat on a full stomach, the normal activity of the digestive glands is disrupted, digestion is upset. A longer interval between meals falls on the period of night sleep, but it should not exceed 10-11 hours. General rule is the following: between small meals, the intervals can be short (2-3 hours), but eating earlier than 2 hours after the previous meal is inappropriate. On average, the breaks between meals should be 4-5 hours.
The distribution of the daily food ration is of great importance, that is, the preparation of the menu. It combines the issues of the quantity of food, its quality composition and consistency in the intake of individual dishes.
The total amount of food consumed by a person per day, together with liquid meals and drinks, averages about 3 kilograms. Breakfast is the first meal after sleep. During a night's sleep, everything eaten the day before was digested, all organs of the body, including the digestive ones, rested and favorable conditions were created for their further work. Scientists dealing with nutritional issues are unanimous in the fact that breakfast is a must, regardless of whether a person is engaged in physical or mental activity. We can only talk about what part of the diet should contain breakfast. It is believed that if a person is engaged in physical labor, then breakfast should contain about 1/3 of the daily ration, both in terms of volume and nutritional value. If a person of physical labor eats an insignificant volume and nutritional value breakfast or even worse - starts working on an empty stomach, then he cannot work with full load, and his performance drops significantly. It has now become fashionable, especially among knowledge workers, to restrict breakfast to a cup of coffee or tea. At the same time, they refer to the lack of time and appetite. Both are the result of an improper lifestyle, a general regimen, including a diet. Putting things in order in the diet (as, by the way, in the whole way of life) is within the power of a person, and those who want can overcome the bad habit of eating incorrectly, and by the way, refuse bad habits such as alcohol abuse and smoking.
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How many times a day should you eat? This question is considered the most common among women who are looking to lose weight, athletes, pregnant women and even adolescents. General well-being, a charge of energy depends on our nutrition.
Proper nutrition should be the main goal of any person, regardless of age, and this should be given a lot of time and attention. We will try to figure out how much it costs to eat in order to lose weight, weight, during pregnancy, adolescence.
How many times a day do you need to eat to lose weight
This question is considered the most popular among women. There are times when the male half of society is asked to them. To lose weight, you must first consult with a nutritionist, who will help to establish the cause of your obesity at the same time, because there are times when extra pounds appear not only due to overeating and “night snacks”. To lose weight for a person, it is worth organizing food intake correctly, but also make this technique balanced.
Very often, overeating during a diet happens due to the wrong regimen. You can not eat a lot and rarely, it is better to eat a little, but often. Since due to the fact that the blood sugar level falls, weakness and malaise appear, a person in such a situation should eat more than he is supposed to. Therefore, it is better to keep blood sugar at the same level and avoid hunger.
Advice:
- You need to take food up to five to six times a day, in small portions.
- Be sure to calculate daily rate calories to be divided at each meal.
- It is recommended to chew food thoroughly, eat for more than 20 minutes. So during the meal comes a gradual saturation of the body, and then you will not be able to eat too much.
- The last appointment is no later than three to four hours before bedtime.
- For dinner, it is better to eat protein, vegetables.
- Let breakfast be nutritious.
- Snacks are fruits, nuts.
- It is recommended to drink 2-3 liters of liquid every day, read about the water balance.
- Let the diet consist of protein foods, fruits, vegetables, cereals.
- You should drink no more than two glasses of juices daily.
- If there is a desire to eat something "harmful" or high-calorie, then it is better to do it before lunch.
- Drink 300-350 ml of water half an hour before a meal.
- In the morning, half an hour before breakfast, you should drink 1-2 glasses of warm water.
- In the daily diet, it is recommended to include foods that promote intense burning of subcutaneous fat.
Meals 5-7 times a day
Positive points: efficiency increases, attacks of hunger do not torment, metabolism improves.
Negative points: temporary restrictions, slow burning of subcutaneous fat.
Meals 3 times a day
Positive points: fast burning of subcutaneous fat, convenient control of calories, "training" hunger.
Negative points: there are bouts of hunger, poor absorption of nutrients.
Eating three times a day is suitable for people who are unable to control one-time calorie intake. Meals five to seven times a day are suitable for people who lead active image life and exercise.
How much to eat to gain muscle mass
This question is of interest to athletes and beginners in this business. It is considered one of the main, which includes the basis of sports nutrition. It is worth paying attention to, especially for beginners in sports, because if the diet is not drawn up correctly, then you should not expect positive results.
The principles of proper nutrition for professionals:
- Eating more than six times a day. It is worth eating in small, balanced portions.
- Balanced diet. The composition of the food taken must be of high quality. It is recommended to eat less than 80g carbohydrates, 10g fat, 60g protein at a time. Violation of this rule leads to extra pounds, stopping the set of muscle mass.
- Various meals on the day of training, rest. Recommends to eat more food in the morning after exercise. In the evening, you need to eat less.
Therefore, in order to achieve what you want, you need to constantly adjust your diet, on days of rest and training.
Gain weight, how to eat
Below are some tips that will help many to gain weight correctly without gaining weight yet.
Helpful tips to gain weight:
- It is recommended to double the amount of food consumed at one time. If you have the opportunity to snack, you need to eat twice as much as you are used to.
- You need to eat every two to three hours. This is recommended for those people who really do not have enough calories in their diet. If you constantly forget to eat, set the alarm. Eat as much as possible in the morning, immediately after waking up.
- Using large cutlery, filling it to the brim
- Eating food immediately. Protein, carbohydrates should be taken in a ratio of one to one. This proportion helps the body to recover intensively after physical exertion.
- Eat a high-calorie diet. It should be borne in mind that food should be high-calorie, but healthy. It is not recommended to consume whole vegetables, oatmeal, low-calorie soups.
- It is imperative to control the amount of calories consumed so that food intake does not lead to obesity. It is recommended to keep a diary, write down the calorie content of foods. If signs of fat gain have been noted, it is best to reduce energy value 250 calories.
- minimal.
- You can not play sports on an empty stomach.
How much to eat during pregnancy
The period of bearing a baby is considered the most crucial moment in the life of every woman, therefore nutrition during this period is considered one of the main components. Every pregnant woman should know that not only the full development of the baby, but her well-being depends on the correct diet. Next, nutrition will be presented by trimester.
First trimester... Due to the fact that this period of pregnancy is accompanied by toxicosis, nutrition must be correct in order to reduce such unpleasant symptoms. Each reception is minimal, the dishes are light, even lean, it is advisable to exclude seasonings, aromatic herbs from the diet. For pregnant women in the first trimester, it is best to pay attention to cereals, fruits, vegetables, meat. Drink as much water as possible at every opportunity.
Second trimester... During this period after toxicosis, you can please such an interesting situation, simplify your diet a little, and allow it to expand. It is recommended to exclude overeating, so eat little by little, but often. It is better to eat more meat, fruits, vegetables, foods rich in iron. It is necessary to limit the amount of salt in the diet to avoid puffiness.
Third trimester... During this period, in order to avoid bouts of heartburn, it is better to reduce portions, give preference to eggs, boiled meat, fish, poultry, omelet, dried white bread. Also, to avoid constipation, you must eat dairy products, steamed dried fruits, vegetable salads, boiled cabbage, beets.
How much to eat for a teenager
Adolescence is considered important for every person, since during this period the formation of an adult body begins. This period is fraught with many, both pleasant and not very pleasant moments. It is very important to eat right in adolescence so that the body has enough everything for full growth and formation.
How much and how
- A teenager, like every person who monitors his body and diet, is recommended to eat more than five times a day in small portions.
- Every adolescent's diet should contain the necessary amount of calcium, which is responsible for the development of bone tissue and satiety.
- For girls, it is recommended that a sufficient amount of iron is present in the daily diet.
In addition to all of the above, the diet of every teenager should contain fruits, vegetables, nuts, dairy products, seafood, and meat. It is necessary to try to make food intake not only nutritious, but also tasty.
conclusions
You read about how many times a day you need to eat. As a conclusion, we can say that a person's nutrition, regardless of goals, situations, should always be correct, balanced, moderate, then you will not have to resort to unnecessary diets and other ways of adjusting your body.
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One of the most talked about topics in the world of sports, fitness and healthy eating- how many times a day you need to eat to gain muscle mass, lose weight or keep your stomach healthy. And they also argue about how much and how much to eat. We tried to understand this controversial issue and prepared the pros and cons of fractional nutrition.
Some people eat every 2-3 hours as recommended. Most eat only one full meal a day, the rest of the time they have a snack or drink coffee / tea. Others do something in between.
Is there an ideal meal frequency for metabolic health, calorie loss, and muscle growth? We looked at general statements and research to understand how to actually eat in order to stay healthy and achieve your goals (weight gain, “ideal” weight, etc.)
1. A large number of meals improves metabolism
People try to eat more than three times a day because they have been told that this will increase the metabolic rate. Can frequent meals really speed up and thereby help with weight loss?
Studies by American scientists have shown that when overweight people consumed the same number of calories distributed over several meals (each has its own number - from 6 to 2 meals), no differences in metabolic rate were found.
This suggests that multiple meals (more than 3-4) do not increase metabolic rate or improve dietary conditions. In other words, it doesn't matter how many times a day you eat. The main thing is to keep the required number of calories. And, of course, eating once a day is also not an option. Eat as soon as you feel hungry - if you feel like eating every 2 hours - fine, if only 3 times a day - great (and convenient) too! But there is another curious detail due to which scientists are inclined in favor of three meals a day. So, blood fat is significantly lower than six meals. Perhaps the standard daily routine is still more beneficial for the body and of cardio-vascular system in particular.
2. Divide the daily food supply into 5-6 small portions
They say that this type of food is good for the stomach (does not overload it and does not leave it hungry). And also the use of 5-6 small portions (no more than 200 g) per day is good on a diet - eat often, but lose weight. It sounds tempting, but it is not always so. It is psychologically difficult for people to eat so often and always control the portion size, not to eat something extra. Moreover, overweight people. It is important not to wait for the maximum feeling of hunger. Because insulin rises along with it, which is important for. Therefore, as in the previous paragraph, we advise you not to stick to a tiny portion and frequent meals. Eat as soon as you need it.
The main thing is to try to maintain an approximately equal interval between the conditional breakfast, lunch, dinner and not to dissolve into constant snacks.
3. You need more food to grow muscle mass
Many people try to eat more food throughout the day in an effort to build muscle. Studies looking at the rate of muscle protein synthesis have shown increased muscle growth following a protein meal. An experiment was carried out: one group of athletes ate up to 6 times a day for several weeks, the other group - 2 times a day. According to the results, after three weeks muscle mass increased in the first group of athletes. This study demonstrates the importance of not only the number of meals, but also specially selected diet and exercise. Keep this in mind. Because if you just eat high-calorie 6 times a day, it is not a fact that your muscles will increase.
4. And finally, about the time of the meal.
As we said above, it is advisable to evenly distribute your three or, say, six times. The intervals between breakfast, lunch and dinner should preferably be the same. This is convenient for those who work in the office - it is very easy to set up the system, adjusting to the schedule. Do not drag out dinner, the last time you need to eat is 2-3 hours before bedtime. Then you can only afford water. The body needs to slowly tune in to sleep and then rest, and not indulge in digesting your nighttime snacks.
Remember that in any case, only you can know when and what time it is best for you to eat. Each person is a separate "substance" with its own rhythm, tastes, appetite, habits, metabolism, and so on. Listen to your body and the signals it sends. Then you will always be in a healthy weight and in a good mood!
