whats so magical about 'Three'?

it doesn't have to be 3 hours, it can be 2 hours or 4 hours,

its to keep the metabolism running,

if you dont eat anything for a long period of time your body goes into starvation mode and anything you eat after that will be stored as fat basically.

 

Yes, this is true. In fact it's even better for an athlete to eat around 5-6 meals a day. Obviously a bit smaller in portions than the traditional three.

 

Nothing.

 

its a myth. 7 meals is just as good as 1 meal. this myth has been busted. lol

 

Wrong. :good

 

Younghypnotiq, in terms of energy it is the same, but the body needs consistent nutrition so that it does not think that it is in a state of starvation. Otherwise it will cling to fat (our subconscious minds can be primitive ******s at times) because it thinks that you will starve to death!

The 3-hour thing is not certainly not exact science however. So you are correct in that there is nothing magical about it.

You sound like you take your training and diet seriously though, and will have a good idea of what your own body needs to get it where you want it to be.

 

Your liver and kidneys perform a function called gluconeogenesis.

GNG (or gluconeogenesis) serves to maintain blood sugar levels. In other words, it is the bodies mechanism for making its own carbohydrates. To do this, it breaks down alanine (an amino acid, component of protein), lactate and glycerol (component of the fat stored in your system).

It generally begins to kick in after about two and a half to three hours - This is why you should refuel your body after this time period. Your body will break down muscle tissue to maintain the blood sugar levels in your body. If you don't eat for seven hours, as suggested, there will be a "ketogenic" effect in your body, as GNG will become the dominant source of carbohydrate production, and in summation of its effects, you'll be weak, mentally lethargic, and have bad breath.

Note: GNG is not one of the bodies most efficient mechanisms - Now that you know it exists it doesn't mean you can stop eating carbohydrates. Some people who try out the Atkins diet still get nauseous and even faint. Don't rely on it, give your bodies all the nutrients it requires.

 

Actually the bad breath comes later, when there is a high concentration of ketone bodies in the bloodstream, I used the 7 hour figure because a poster claimed eating every 7 hours was healthy.

EDITED: I just noticed my error. Someone claimed one meal a day (as opposed to 7) was healthy. It's not

 

nope ur an idiot. it is an old body building myth. the main reason why it helps you get bigger is because its easier toea t 7000 cals in 7 meals then in 3

 

no you are an idiot, read my first post.

 

i no alot of people think that but it is not true. many studies have proved it false

 

from another site.

a) research suggests that the amount of meals you eat does not matter as much as the total calories at the end of the day. I can spread that out over 5-6 small meals or, I can eat 3 large square meals. Either way, research showed that there was no difference between the two.

b) Taking that into consideration, if I am eating 4000 calories a day, obvisouly, 6 small meals a day is going to be much easier than eating 3 huge meals a day. So, that is one reason why you might consider the smaller, more frequent feedings.

c) A female on the other hand, who might be eating very low calories, may not want to eat 6 meals a day. For example, 6 meals of 200 calories would be extremely small meals and might not be satisfying at all. So, they may opt to eat 3 larger meals to feel like they are actually eating something.

d) the idea that your body goes into starvation mode if you don't eat after 3 hours is pretty ridiculous, so we can throw that one out. Also, given that the research suggests 24-hour metabolism is more important than the number of meals, it doesn't make a difference.

e) Probably the most important part of the 5-6 small meals and the reason why I suggest it as being the best option is because it keeps people from being hungry and snacking. If I eat 3 meals a day, no matter how large, the length of time between those meals is significant enough that I will get hungry, snack and then increase my daily total caloric intake, ultimately throwing off my diet. Also, those that have a large length of time between meals tend to get hungry and eat crap food and make crap choices because they are so hungry. It is mentally more satisfying to eat more frequent meals.