Why Eat Six Meals A Day? Weight Loss Of Course!

I know, I know. You have heard it all before. Eating smaller meals more often is a great strategy to lose weight. But it can be tough to eat six meals a day. Weight loss is great, but is it worth it?

For the most part, I think that we in the fitness industry do a disservice when we say that you should eat smaller meals more often. Mostly because we say it, but we never explain why. We never talk about the benefits, and we never challenge you to try it for three weeks to see how it works for you. So, I am going to talk about the three main benefits of eating six meals a day. And then, at the end, I am going to challenge you to try it for three weeks so that you can see why eating six meals a day beneficial for yourself.

Benefit #1 – It speeds up your metabolism

One of the most important things that you can do if you want to lose weight is to speed up your metabolism.  So often, people inadvertently slow down their metabolism in a diet.  The reason for this is simple – your body is smart.  If you eat 1800 calories every day, your body gets used to that amount of calories and burns 1800 calories a day.  If you go on a diet and cut it down to 1300, you will lose weight for a while.  Then, your body will readjust and start to burn only 1300 calories a day.  And guess what – no more weight loss.  This is where the frustration kicks in, you go off of your diet, start eating 1800 calories again, and quickly gain back everything you lost and usually some more as well.  So how do we stop the cycle?  By speeding up your metabolism.

Eating six smaller meals a day will help you to increase your metabolism because your body never goes into starvation mode.  When your body enters starvation mode, it starts to store fat just in case you don’t eat again for a while.  This was great for cavemen who might not eat for a day or two while they are hunting, but it is not so great for us since the next meal is always available.  Eating 6 meals a day keeps your body from having to keep extra fat stores.  Less fat stored means less fat and more weight loss.

Benefit #2 – No more cravings

I don’t know about you, but when I get hungry, I want all of the “bad” foods.  I can even get to the point that I think that only ice cream, a candy bar, or a bag of chips will satisfy my hunger.  So I eat that bag of chips, and guess what – I’m still hungry!  Most of the empty calories that I take in are because I am hungry and craving something bad.  The main reason that we get these cravings are dips in our blood sugar levels.  The body is low on sugar and it sends out an S.O.S. demanding more sugar now.  Your brain interprets that and sends out cravings for all of your favorite junk foods that will up your blood sugar.  However, if you are eating six pre-planned meals every day, your blood sugar will stay at a much more constant level limiting or eliminating these cravings.

Benefit #3 – More energy

Much like the cravings benefit above, this one is closely tied to the blood sugar levels.  On a traditional diet, where you are drastically cutting calories, what usually happens is that meals are skipped.  This can mean that your body will go 12 waking hours without and food.  This leads to a severe drop in your blood sugar levels which can have two effects.  You will either be grouchy, low on energy, or both.  Eating six small meals every day keeps your blood sugar at a consistent level, meaning that your energy will stay at a consistent level.  I know many people who have quit diets because of a lack of energy, or because of how it made them feel.  Most of them think that it is simply the restricted calories that cause the drop in energy.  And, while this is definitely part of it, it is not at all the whole story.  Energy levels are so closely tied to blood sugar (hence the term sugar crash) and can be managed with a constant fuel for your body – even if you are restricting your calories.

The Three Week Challenge

So have I convinced you?  Will you give it a try for three weeks?  That is usually how long it takes for your body to get used to the consistent blood sugar levels, and for your energy level to increase and the weight loss to kick in.  Now, this is not a magic pill.  Eating six meals will do you no good whatsoever if you do not limit your calories and exercise at least three times a week.  If you want a diet that will spell out what to eat and when, I recommend the Diet Solution Program.  Talk about making it easy – it includes shopping lists and recipes so that you have no excuse not to lose weight on this diet.

Click Here To Take The Three Week Challenge

With The Diet Solution Program