How Many Times A Day Should You Eat?

EndurElite Chief Endurance Officer Matt Mosman discusses if eating smaller, more frequent meals helps you lose more weight and fat compared to eating larger, less frequent meals.

Does Eating More Frequently Help You Lose Weight?

Ever wonder if eating more often can boost your metabolism?

  • Digestion does raise your metabolism a little, so many individuals believe that eating less food more frequently keeps your metabolism raised.
  • But research shows that given equal calories on a daily basis, the number of meals does not make a difference as it relates to fat loss.
  • Also, some research suggests that having littler meals more frequently makes it harder to feel full, which could lead to increased food intake.
  • Metabolism can change based on meal size, so fewer but larger meals means a larger metabolism spike.
  • Over the course of a day or week, given an equal amount of calories, the number of meals doesn’t seem to matter — it all evens out.
  • Take home point? Digestion does minimally increase your metabolic rate, but meal frequency has less effect than the total caloric content of the food consumed.