Fact or Myth. Does Eating Every 2-3 Hours aid in Fat Loss?

FACT OR MYTH

DOES EATING EVERY 2-3 HOURS AID IN FAT LOSS OR MUSCLE GAIN?

I’m sure you’ve heard that eating five or six meals a day aids in fat loss or in helping gain more muscle or that it keeps your metabolism amped up. But is it true?

In one study of obese patients, sixteen subjects (eight women and eight men) were divided in two groups. One group ate only two meals per day. The other group ate three meals plus two additional lighter meals or snacks.

The two groups received exactly the same number of calories (caloric deficit) daily over an eight week period.

At the end of eight weeks there was no significant difference in weight loss or fat loss percentage.

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19943985

In a separate meta-analysis of fifteen separate studies on the subject the reviewers found

 “ no evidence that weight loss on hypoenergetic regimens is altered by meal frequency.”

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9155494

Verdict: MYTH

That being said, I believe there are some advantages to eating more than the usual two or three meals per day. Go back and read here from October 29, 2015 and I think you will understand.

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