Comments on Rick Mayo's Blog: Simplicity (In The Information Age)

The research really doesn't support that meal freq...

2010-03-24T05:52:50.837-04:00

The research really doesn't support that meal frequency has any effect on fat loss. Considering that the calorie intake is the same, studies of meal frequencies of 17 micro meals a day vs 1 large meal a day yeild the same results. The commonly prescribed 5 meal a day plan that you decribed is proported to "stoke the metabolism". Once again, science doesn't seem to support this claim. The stoking or thermic effect of food is the same with several smaller meals as it is with fewer large meals. I know it is not what is being suggested by magazines and probably your local trainer, but as it turns out, fat loss is just simply a matter of reducing your calories by any means necessary.

I hope this helps

Some of my friends tell me that snacking frequentl...

2010-03-23T21:11:10.053-04:00

Some of my friends tell me that snacking frequently throughout the day, so having approx. 5 mini meals, is better than eating say, 2 meals a day, if you're trying to lose weight. Their reasoning is that if your body is starved, which is the latter scenario, then when you do eat your body absorbs more (of what I'm not sure.. fat?)
What you're saying makes a lot of sense and I trust that you have done a lot of research, but so is the snacking-method a myth then?

And I guess to settle this in my mind once and for all, if my goal is fat loss, how should I be eating? (regarding frequency of meals, number of meals, portion sizes, and types of food)

Thank you!