Do you really need to eat 6-8 small meals to keep your metabolism revved up so you burn fat all day and keep a steady stream of nutrients flowing to build lean muscle?

If you’ve been around the fitness scene for any amount of time, or have read any diet books or articles, you would think the answer to this one is an easy yes ” but the truth is

The 6-8 meals a day Advice Is A False Report!

The advice is based on studies completed around the thermic effect of food (TEF). You see, each time you eat, your body uses more or less 10% of those calories (total) to give power just to digest the food…

When this was found out, people misinterpreted the research by saying the more you eat (frequency) the more calories you’ll burn all day but this was a mistake because the math doesn’t work out.

* Six pint-sized meals of 300 calories (6-300) = 1800 calories total.

* Each meal you burn 10% of calories = 30 calories burned with each 300 cal meal

* Total cals burned because of TEF = 180

Therefore weigh that to a normal diet of 3 heavy meals:

* 3 Heavy Meals of 600 calories (3-600) = 1800 calories total.

* Each meal you burn 10% of calories = 60 calories burned with each 600 cal meal

* Total cals burned due to TEF = 180

So you see, if the calories are the same, it doesn’t matter how you break them up ” you’re still burning the same amount of calories and affecting your metabolism the exact same way no matter how often you eat.

Will Eating More Often Lead To More Lean Muscle Gain?

The short answer is no. Eating protein constantly actually causes your body not to synthesize it as much. Eating more total calories WILL lead to building more muscle but the meal frequency has little to do with it.

More crucial for lean muscle gain is the timing of your meals, particularly the post workout meal needs to be excellent to make a big thing that you’re getting superior nutrients into your body when it needs them the most.

Will Eating Less Meals Produce Muscle Loss?

Lots of guys who lift weights believe (and I used to) that not eating 6-8 meals per day will put your body into a catabolic state. Which means because you’re not eating a lot of food and keeping the levels of amino acids in your blood high your body will use your muscle tissue as fat.

This is not true either nonetheless not as far as you’ve heard. Because although you just eat one large meal each day, it can take up to 12 hours to digest” gradually releasing amino acids into your bloodstream the whole time.

When Would You Eat 6-8 Meals

So as to achieve a LOT of weight ” you need to boost your calorie intake to gain weight and put on muscle, thus if you’re an extra-large guy and you have to eat 5,000 calories a day to put on mass it might be easier on your stomach and digestive system to consume 5,000 calories broken up into a set of lesser meals.

If you’re using a ton of energy ” If you’re a high level athlete who burns a ton of energy like Michael Phelps who eats up to 12,000 calories per DAY and eats like an elephant. Also guys in the military in boot camp often eat as much as possible when they get the chance but still end up losing weight

If you enjoy it ” Some people might feel more satiated eating 6-8 smaller meals per day grazing for their food intake. I’m not one of those people but more power to you if you are.

I think knowing this will certainly help you feel better in your quest for better fitness, I know I believed this myth for a LONG time because almost everyone recommends it.

What Do I Do For Myself?

I put into practice occasional fasting. And I HAVE A THING ABOUT it. I vary between a warrior diet style eating schedule (when I’m sustaining my weight) and the lean gains eating style when I’m focusing on increasing muscle mass.