the six small meals a day bull****

Exactly right. The sluggishness is caused by the digestion of large meals.

 

Definitely. I was really busy today too and had a large dinner, when to the gym and sparred, proceeded to get whooped pretty badly and had my worst performance in a long time. I'd rather go in a bit hungry then feeling too full, smaller meals gives me that.

 

Everything you said is pure opinion. Tell the girl/small guy cutting or maintaining on 1200 cals a day that they'll stay full from 6 200 cal meals spread out every few hours. They'll be spending each minute of those 2-3 hours dying to eat their next meal. It comes down to personal preference.

No. Look up "Intermittent Fasting" on the site that even spawned this thread. 6 meals a day is not required for anyone including bodybuilders, its just a preference for some people.

 

I feel better when I eat more frequently, and I tend to eat less as well.

Say you eat a bagel w/ creamed cheese and jam (500cal) before your workouts, and you workout twice a day. After your workouts, you eat a protein-heavy meal for recovery. That's 4 meals, and there's no getting around them as they're all necessary and can't be combined. Here's why (for me):

I get headaches, nausera, and general bad moods when I work out on an empty stomach. Just doesn't do it for me. So I have to eat something before I work out. I also hate working out on a full stomach for obvious reasons such as needing to throw up/take a deuce. So I eat some simple carbs before my workout for some energy/fullness, then I eat a recovery meal afterward. So if I'm working out twice a day (as I should be if I'm trying to compete) then I have to eat 4 times a day minimum.

Then in the middle of the workday you eat lunch or snack on trail mix or something. That's 5 meals, and there's no reason not to have that 5th one. Why work 8hrs on an empty stomach, especially if you have a semi-active job?

And then your 6th meal could be some cottage cheese or milk before bed, or a protein shake or something. You'd only do this if you were trying to gain weight, so for me 5 meals a day is perfect: if I ate less frequently than that I would have to feel like **** at work and/or during my workouts.

You go to your church and I'll go to mine.

 

Not if it doesn't put you over your calories for the day. :good

As talked about, meal timing is irrelevant for weight loss/gain.

But as with everything else you said, you summed it up well:

It's all preference people.

 

I never eat without 2 hours of training. If I train in the morning I have breakfast early and then go back to bed. I do load up with liquids closer to time though.

 

Same. Typically I go to the gym from about 6-9 PM, so I eat dinner at about 4. I eat again when I get back. MAYBE I'll have a small, small snack halfway through my time at the gym just so I'm not super hungry.

 

How long do you normally train for? I train boxing and we train hard for an hour and it's off home again.

 

I think in all the real world research I've read, not controlled laboratory experiments where they specifically control exactly what he person eats, one of the most of not the most important factors in weight loss is the control of apatite. The two best ways to control apatite outside of diet type are #1 drink water regularly, #2 eat small frequent meals. Yes the thermogenic effect of eating is over rated, so is the after effect of intense exercise. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn't eat small frequent meals or engage in intense exercise.