The question is are more frequent and smaller meals better for you or are fewer and larger meals better? Six meals vs two meals? Which way to go?
You’re probably going to ask, “Doesn’t this depend on your goal? Isn’t it different if you want to lose fat vs to gain weight/muscle?” The answer is “No” and that’s why I posed the question in this manner.
But, for the sake of having a goal, let’s assume that your goal is to lose weight (fat). You want a faster metabolism and calorie deficit. That’s it!
But, how do you achieve faster metabolism? By eating smaller, more frequent meals? Not really.
Here is why. Let’s assume for a second that you eat a certain set amount of calories and a set ratio of the macro nutrients (carbohydrates, fats, proteins), so in other words these variables are not variables. In our case they are constant. This is because we want to see if we only have one variable if our metabolism changes and how it changes.
I will give you the scoop right away. Whether you eat six small meals or two large meal you will NOT burn more calories from eating more frequently. And, it’s very simple why. All macro nutrients require a part of the energy they supply the body to be used against the process of digestion itself. So, whether you swallow these Calories and this set ratio of macro nutrients, the body will still use up the same amount of Calories to digest that food.
In other words, eating more frequently does not increase your metabolism. And, vice versa, eating less frequently does not decrease your metabolism. And there are many scientific papers to prove that metabolism does not suffer if you eat less frequently (1, 2, 3).
What determines how many Calories you burn is mainly the rate at which you expend calories from moving around and exercise. So, if your goal is to lose fat the solution is very simple: eat less frequently (by for example skipping breakfast – a type of Intermittent Fasting), and use your body more. It’s as simple as that.