Nutritionist Reveals How Many Meals Per Day You Should Eat to Lose Fat
Are you eating the right amount of meals in order to lose weight? McKenna Olsen is an influencer, certified nutritionist, and health coach who regularly shares tips and tricks on how to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way. In a recent post, she tackles the topic of meal frequency. "Does meal frequency matter for fat loss?" she writes. Here is everything you need to know about it.
Timing of Meals Isn't That Important
According to McKenna, meal frequency isn't important. "Simply put: There is no magic frequency or timing of meals," she says in her post. "The old belief that 6 meals a day, 2 hours apart, was best for metabolism and losing fat is dead. Your body simply knows caloric intake."
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Eating at Least 3 Meals a Day Will Help You Feel Your Best
However, there are a few things that come into play. "I will say that for sustained energy and better digestion, eating at least three main meals is going to likely make you feel your best and allow you to get in all the nutrients your body actually needs," she says.
Protein Should Also Be Dispersed
Protein also plays a huge role. "Also, science shows dispersing protein intake does make a difference in recovery and muscle growth or repair," she says.
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Only Eating One Meal a Day Isn't Good for Fat Loss, She Says
She doesn't believe that OMAD (one meal a day) is good for fat loss. "It's going to be really tough to get in the protein, carbs, fat, and fiber your body needs by eating 1x a day, and you likely are going to feel run down, tired, low energy, and potentially lack proper digestion. Not only that, but you will notice a difference in regulated blood sugar and hormonal fluctuations, directly affecting everything I listed above," she explains.
It Is Also Not Good for Hormones
Also, it can mess with your hormones. "As women especially, fueling yourself enough for hormonal health is so important. Again, it's hard to get the calories you need in one feeding," she says.
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Frequency Is "Personal Dependent"
"At the end of the day, frequency is personal dependent," she maintains, suggesting a few questions to ask yourself when figuring out proper meal frequency/timing for your life:
- How many meals is realistic for my schedule? (Do you have more time to eat or less?)
- Do I notice I feel better energy-wise, eating smaller, more frequent meals or larger, less frequent meals?
- Do I notice a difference in satisfaction with bigger or smaller meals?
She Sticks to 3 Meals and 2 Snacks
"I used to eat six meals a day, but now I am more of a three with two snacks type-a-gal," she says. "It's realistic for me, and I feel so much more satisfied with bigger meals vs. a small meal every 2 hours." And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.
