Are you eating out of hunger or habit?

It is often believed that eating 6 meals each day will boost your metabolism, keep your blood sugar in check, improve appetite control, and turn you into a fat burning machine! For many, eating 6 meals each day is not a problem. In fact, there are plenty of opportunities that schedule this into our daily routine without the need to think about it.

- Breakfast
- Morning Tea
- Lunch
- Afternoon Tea
- Dinner
- Supper

How often do you eat?

By this I mean an accurate account of everything that goes into your mouth. There are a number of physiological and psychological reasons we choose to eat. In many social situations it is often expected that we eat. Things such as boredom influences hunger, as well as the mouth watering commercial that was just on television.

There is also an adaptive component to hunger that aligns with your habitual meal patterns.  Ghrelin is a hormone that controls the hunger and satiety cells. It is produced by the stomach and tells the brain when it’s time to eat.  Your established eating patterns will regulate the stomach’s release of ghrelin.  According to new research, ‘If you eat all the time, ghrelin secretion will not be well controlled’.

Quite often when working with clients I get a two part answer when asked about their food. The first part being the ‘school assignment‘ that ticks all the right boxes and gets a pass. It sounds good and looks good on paper. However, the client is still baffled as to why they are not losing weight. When we start to drill down a little deeper a more accurate picture emerges.

Here’s a snippet of a recent conversation…

Damian: So tell me about your diet. What does a typical day look like?
Client: My diet is really good actually. We eat pretty healthy.

Damian: That sounds good. What about breakfast, lunch and dinner. What would a typical day look like?
Client: Breakfast is usually some muesli and yoghurt, or maybe an egg on toast. Lunch is often salad. Dinner is usually a stir fry, maybe some pasta.

Damian: Have you ever monitored how many calories you are eating, or the protein, carb and fat breakdowns of your meals.
Client: Not really. I eat low carb though.

Damian: Why do you believe you are not losing weight?
Client: I think it’s my hormones. A friend mentioned you helped her lose weight.

Damian: What about snacks? Do you eat between meals?
Client: I don’t really snack. When I’m at work is the biggest problem. There is always cakes for morning tea or stuff left over. I know when I’m at home I’ll often eat if I’m bored. That might be a biscuit or something with a cup of coffee. I do like chocolate.

Damian: Can you tell me a little bit about what you drink? Things like coffee, tea, soft drink, alcohol, water.
Client: I probably don’t drink enough water. I have a couple of skinny lattes, sometimes a diet coke when I’m at work. Alcohol, well I know that probably isn’t helping.

Over the years I have seen some very interesting food diaries. As you can see in just a few minutes we start to see a few differences in what the client believes they are eating and what’s really going on. Unfortunately, we are really bad at estimating food intake and exercise. Studies show that people often underestimate how much food they eat and overestimate how much exercise they do.

Do you really need to eat 6 times a day?

Firstly, there have been many success stories of people eating 6 meals each days to create amazing transformations. This is something fitness enthusiasts and physique competitors have done for many years. However, this mainstream advice may not be suited to everyone. Especially for those who enjoy their food and eating larger meals. Quite often when dieting, spreading your daily calories over six meals can feel like you are constantly grazing and never satisfied.

A 65kg female may have a daily food intake goal of 1700 calories/day. Divided over 6 meals gives her around 280 calories per meal. For many this would feel more like a snack than a meal, leading to problems with appetite control and hunger.

Another potential problem with this approach is that it is much easier to over consume calories when eating 6 times a day. If your meal frequency is resulting in excess calories this will impact on your fat loss efforts. Even if you believe your diet is healthy. Current research also suggests this approach results in higher blood glucose levels compared with eating 3 meals per day. There are many benefits to maintaining your blood glucose within a healthy range, especially as preventative measures against diseases such as Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes.

Structured eating every 2 – 3 hours for many can be inconvenient, it is also not necessary when you consider that the digestion of a regular meal takes around 5 – 6 hours. For most people, eating 3 meals a day, including a couple of snacks would be a recommended starting point.

In summary:

- The best eating pattern is one that allows you to enjoy your food without overeating. How much you eat is more important than how often.

- If eating 6 smaller meals each day makes it easier for you to control calories, this will help you lose weight.

- If eating 3 larger meals each day makes it easier for you to control calories, this will help you lose weight.

- There are many psychological benefits to eating larger meals, especially when dieting. No one likes to be told to cut back or restrict something. With 3 meals a day, you can eat larger portions while still meeting your fat loss goals.

- Make sure you chew your food thoroughly. Take the time to sit down and eat. Don’t stuff yourself in front of the television. Relax and enjoy the flavour. It takes around 20 minutes to get the message that your stomach is full.

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