Hi folks,
I didn't want to post about this months ago, anywhere. Because the idea goes against everything that we have learned about meal frequency. But I've been doing it for months now and its continuing to work. So I'll share.

I got turned onto the idea of intermittent fasting back in May of this year. I was very skeptical. But I tried it and it works. Over the summer I was able to use it, along with eating the right foods, to get the leanest I've been in over a decade. And I was able to do this even while traveling a lot and being unorganized.

What I eventually realized, and studies do support this, is that dieting for different results really doesn't have to be as complicated as we typically make it. More meals per day tends to lend itself to bulking and for people with higher calorie requirements simply because it makes it much easier to get more calories. Less meals per day does the opposite. It makes it much easier to eat less, if necessary, due to smaller calorie requirements or for cutting purposes.

As an example, now days I happen to be staying on a military base for work. And here we get unlimited amounts of anything and everything we could ever want or need to eat or drink, buffet style 3 meals per day. It obviously can be really hard not to get fat here if you're not exercising a lot like the soldiers. From the holidays and even my first week here, I started to gain weight back again. So I had to come up with a plan.

Now days I'm just having a big dinner every night. I keep it simple with lean meat on most days, potatoes or grains (without oils added), fruits and vegetables. Then on a few of my workout days I allow a more lenient lunch and force myself to have dessert along with it, and then a typical dinner. The way I do it is important. I make sure my dinners are very satisfying, high in protein and starchy carbs. I typically don't get hungry until later in the afternoon, except for on workout days when I workout in the morning. And my forced desserts keep me from feeling deprived. On other days I walk by and look at the desserts, knowing that I want it, and I feel comfortable knowing that I get to try something different when my workout day comes up.

So far my new plan is working again. I'm still strong. And my belt size is getting smaller. And I plan on showing further improvements going into next year. 12-13% showed a flat belly, but no abs. But next year I'll work my abs hard, and hopefully they'll begin to show better as I approach single digits.

So many of you won't agree with my style. But you can't argue with results. And if you ever take the chance with an opened mind to look into the literature and hear the other side of the ideas on meal frequency, you'll find that with overwhelming evidence supporting a decreased meal frequency for fat loss, you might even find yourself interested in trying just to see what happens. That's what I did and I'm very glad I did. Now days I wouldn't want it any other way. It makes things so much simpler.

You might even be thinking the same thing I thought when I first heard about it. Ideas of deprivation come to mind. But once you get used to a lower frequency your body adjusts. You then get hungry when you are used to eating. My meals are much bigger now and much more satisfying. It seems that some how your hunger and satisfaction hormones work a lot better when you eat less often. At least that's my experience.

When I eat all the time (6 meals per day) I never fully enjoy my meals because they are so little. Additionally, how can you truly appreciate something when you just ate a few hours ago? With a break from food you burn off the fat and glycogen and while you're waiting for your next meal you get a little hungry. You look forward to that meal. And I always feel way more satisfied now days from food than I ever did when I was eating 6 meals per day.

Anyways, I posted this for a reason. I wanted to show you folks a different strategy I tried that works. And for anyone who feels lost or is stuck at the same weight for a while not knowing what to do, I certainly hope this helps to spark up some ideas and get you some results.

P.S.
Just like with a higher meal frequency, you still aren't going to get the results you want with a low meal frequency if you aren't eating the right foods. Heck, with the wrong foods you can easily wolf down thousands of calories in one meal. So my point is, you still have to eat good foods.

I'm glad you've found something that's working for you both physically and psychologically. The latter is just as important. I enjoy eating frequent small meals. It also keeps the insulin levels in check. Eating a huge meal raises insulin levels quite substantially and leads to fat storage, so the science says (at least what I have read). I stay lean year-round. I used to eat like a pig when I was younger. I succeeded in being a little overweight (but not hugely) either with many or with few meals/day, so long as I ate too much! My heavy lifts were much better back then, but I care far more about health now and I like having a six-pack year-round. Ultimately, the main issue is probably still calories in versus calories out, so long as your diet and training are good.

veganbodybuilder wrote:
That is absolutely incredible that you are able to walk around with the six pack all year long! I have not quite made it to that point yet, but my new meal frequency experimentations helped me a lot so far in getting several steps closer. One thing that was required is for me to learn more realistic goals as to how much I should weigh to be ripped. Currently in the mid 180's, my current goal is to get down to around 175. I also have to start working my abs, because I never really did it before.

I suppose I won't get too much into the science of the specific details when I say that I am quite convinced by now that meal frequency doesn't matter when it comes to how much fat will be stored or burned. In the end, regardless of frequency, calories in vs calories out is what determines if you will gain, maintain, or lose weight. You can argue about the science to support either side, but the truth is that both strategies (more meals or less meals) have worked for countless people.

The good news about that whole realization is that it means we don't have to be incredibly meticulous about meal size and frequency in order to get good results. If you love eating breakfast and small meals per day, and can manage and enjoy a 6 meals per day plan with the right calorie balance, it will work for you. And if you don't like breakfast you can still get good results too.

Speaking of skipping breakfast, I actually dreaded the idea of it when I first heard of it. I love breakfast and the idea of skipping it went against everything I was taught in the past. But when I heard others were having great success from it, I gave it a shot.

Not only did it work for me, but I realized a few things. Its a lot more convenient to get ready for work in the morning when you don't have to worry about taking the time to prepare a breakfast. As a result, it saves a lot of time. Also, if you have to eat breakfast as soon as you wake up because you have to get ready for work, you aren't even fully awake yet so you probably aren't hungry, but you end up eating it anyways and too quickly, which doesn't give you much time to really relax and enjoy it, and it makes it a lot easier to overeat later on. With skipping breakfast you don't have such a problem and you can build up anticipation for a great lunch. And during lunch time you should have a lot more time to sit and really enjoy the meal. Same thing with dinner. Also, because I love breakfast foods so much, sometimes I eat breakfast foods for lunch. I love it!