When it comes to the “separate meal system,” people usually first think of “weight loss.”
The viewpoints presented in most materials are nothing more than: the separate meal system can avoid prolonged hunger in the body, thereby promoting metabolism and burning more calories; or, the separate meal system can reduce the burden on the digestive system, helping to better absorb and digest nutrients.
However, we also know that the key to weight loss lies in creating a calorie deficit each day, rather than the amount consumed at each meal. If the total intake remains unchanged, does the separate meal system really help with weight loss?
Myth 1: Eating less, more frequently,
increases the calories burned from eating.
It is indeed a fact that eating requires energy consumption, usually accounting for about 15% of the caloric content of food, which is closely related to the type of food, with significant differences.
But!
Research as early as the 1990s has shown that, when consuming the same foods, the calories burned by the body to digest food are unrelated to the number of meals.
Myth 2: Eating less, more frequently, increases basal metabolic rate.
Some sources claim that dividing the same amount of food into multiple portions can elevate the body’s basal metabolic rate (BMR).
A study in 2004 involving young healthy women maintained the variety and total amount of food provided for one and a half months, with Group A eating 6 meals daily and Group B eating 3 meals, sometimes randomly increased to 9 meals; results showed that after a period of time, Group A’s metabolism level was slightly higher than that of Group B.
It sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?
If more meals lead to a higher metabolic rate, then if all daily food is prepared and eaten slowly at a constant and even pace over 24 hours, theoretically, as the eating intervals approach zero, the number of meals will approach infinity, and the metabolic rate will also approach infinity… (math knowledge comes into play here)
But!
Many studies also indicate that, with equal total intake, whether consuming two, three, four, five, six, or seven meals a day, there is no effect on the basal metabolic rate.
A 2015 meta-analysis studied the effects of the number of meals on changes in weight, fat mass, lean body mass, and body fat percentage.
You might have seen similar bar graphs in some articles, and if you only compare the height differences of the bars, it’s easy to draw the wrong conclusion: consuming more than 5 meals a day is most beneficial for weight loss, followed by 1 to 2 meals a day, with 3 meals a day being least favorable for weight loss; the separate meal system is helpful for reducing fat and maintaining lean body mass.
But!
In reality, after considering statistical data and excluding studies with the largest data biases, the correct conclusion is:
The difference in weight impact between eating more than 5 meals a day and 3 meals may not exceed 0.3 kilograms, indicating no significant difference.
The number of meals does not significantly affect fat reduction, maintaining lean body mass, or lowering body fat percentage.
At this point, the conclusion should be quite clear: the long-term effects of the separate meal system, compared to the standard three meals a day or even one or two meals, are not significantly different.
Eating less, more frequently, indeed has its benefits.
So, why do many bodybuilders consume 6 or 7 meals a day?
One main reason is that bodybuilders’ energy intake is far higher than that of an average person; it is quite common to consume over 3000 kilocalories a day, even during fat-loss periods.
Distributing excessive food intake across multiple meals can indeed lighten the burden on the digestive system.
So, why do many nutritionists usually recommend the separate meal system?
For maintaining stable blood sugar levels, the separate meal system does indeed play an important role.
Who is suitable for the separate meal system?
Here are some suggestions:
People with hypoglycemia, as the separate meal system helps stabilize blood sugar;
Individuals looking to gain muscle mass, as the separate meal system helps consume more food while lightening the burden on the digestive system, given a relatively large total food intake;
People with smaller appetites, who won’t exceed total caloric intake even with more meals;
Those prone to binge eating, especially when emotionally unstable due to hunger, the separate meal system helps control daily hunger levels.
Conversely, if someone has a larger appetite and becomes emotionally unstable when not full, consuming 5 meals a day may directly lead to excessive total energy intake!
Focusing on the total daily intake is far more meaningful than just the number of meals.
Combining “reasonable eating and appropriate exercise” is essential for effective weight loss.
