# Meals and weight - does eating regularly affect your weight?



## bluekitdon (Dec 19, 2012)

I have read that eating at least 3-5 meals a day is one way to ensure your metabolism stays on target. I have personally observed that often people that are overweight skip breakfast or meals on a regular basis. I'm just curious what the average experience is on this, so let's try a poll and see what results we get! This is an anonymous poll.


----------



## bluekitdon (Dec 19, 2012)

Interesting, not the exact pattern I was expecting so far.


----------



## la_revolucion (May 16, 2013)

Er... Selected skinny. Not sure if that's right or not but I suppose that describes me. Well I am more likely to forget to eat than eat 3+ regular meals. Not good! I am trying to eat more regularly. Especially regarding breakfast! I always forget breakfast....


----------



## DiamondDays (Sep 4, 2012)

There have been studies made that show that naturally skinny people actually tend to skip meals more than overweight people. The skipping breakfast thing is more coupled with having an overall bad eating pattern, with eating lots of crap.


----------



## android654 (Jan 19, 2010)

The answer to this is inconclusive. There's no data that polyphasic eating promotes a change in metabolic functions, but athletes and health professionals use it as a psychocological tool to suppress hunger, limit bad habits, and introduce maximum nutrition throughout the day. Also, your poll is missing a lot if options to get the answer you're looking for.


----------



## Thief Noctis (Jan 6, 2012)

I'm skinny and basically skip breakfast and lunch every day. Sometimes even dinner, and sometimes for days at a time I had no meals whatsoever (by choice, I'm just not hungry). I've never been overweight, or even a healthy/average weight really, I just have a ridiculously high metabolism and strange eating times lol. Literally can't remember the last time I put weight on.

I'm only 17 (18 in Feb) mind you, so I probably won't be as lucky when I get older.


----------



## SeñorTaco (Jun 5, 2013)

It's actually a lot to do with the person's natural metabolic rate and how active is their lifestyle. 

I eat like as if I've been starved all my life and I've been let loose on a buffet of international cuisines and I can somewhat maintain my weight at 55kg max. I don't eat much throughout the day, just at night.


----------



## Konkelvonk (Jul 19, 2013)

bluekitdon said:


> I have read that eating at least 3-5 meals a day is one way to ensure your metabolism stays on target. I have personally observed that often people that are overweight skip breakfast or meals on a regular basis. I'm just curious what the average experience is on this, so let's try a poll and see what results we get! This is an anonymous poll.


I have skipped breakfast my entire life and eat junk food for lunch and a good home cooked meal for supper.I_ am 31 years old and weigh 110 pounds(50kg). It's all in the genes baby!_


----------



## bluekitdon (Dec 19, 2012)

Thief Noctis said:


> I'm skinny and basically skip breakfast and lunch every day. Sometimes even dinner, and sometimes for days at a time I had no meals whatsoever (by choice, I'm just not hungry). I've never been overweight, or even a healthy/average weight really, I just have a ridiculously high metabolism and strange eating times lol. Literally can't remember the last time I put weight on.
> 
> I'm only 17 (18 in Feb) mind you, so I probably won't be as lucky when I get older.


It does get more challenging as you get older. I was 120lbs 5'11", 3% body fat when I graduated high school so was very much on the low side. I'm in the upper healthy range now, but have to work at it now to stay that way at age 36.


----------



## bluekitdon (Dec 19, 2012)

Konkelvonk said:


> I have skipped breakfast my entire life and eat junk food for lunch and a good home cooked meal for supper.I_ am 31 years old and weigh 110 pounds(50kg). It's all in the genes baby!_


My guess is if you add up your calorie intake it is a fairly small amount compared to a lot of people. From what I've seen it doesn't seem to be so much what you eat as how much you eat. 

Now I'm starting to question if it really has anything to do with how often you eat either.

Interesting article.
Twinkie diet helps nutrition professor lose 27 pounds - CNN.com


----------



## SeñorTaco (Jun 5, 2013)

bluekitdon said:


> It does get more challenging as you get older. I was 120lbs 5'11", 3% body fat when I graduated high school so was very much on the low side. I'm in the upper healthy range now, but have to work at it now to stay that way at age 36.


working at it means going to the gym because honestly, that's the only way to go about losing weight (long term results plus personal satisfaction and other health gains). Yeah I mean we have caffeine pills but that fucks with your metabolic rate over time. But remember, proper nutrients are very important if you're going to the gym! Eating less and exercising more does not mean you're getting healthier!


----------



## Arbite (Dec 26, 2010)

bluekitdon said:


> It does get more challenging as you get older. I was 120lbs 5'11", 3% body fat when I graduated high school so was very much on the low side. I'm in the upper healthy range now, but have to work at it now to stay that way at age 36.


I'm pretty sure at 3% bodyfat you'd be close to death. I doubt you where that low.


----------



## bluekitdon (Dec 19, 2012)

Arbite said:


> I'm pretty sure at 3% bodyfat you'd be close to death. I doubt you where that low.


I did have some health issues from it such as spontaneous pneumothorax (collapsed lung multiple times). They measured me repeatedly in college health class because they didn't believe I was that low either. Otherwise was very healthy, could always run forever for example.

One of my daughters is the same way I was, she's a rail but very healthy. She's in the lowest weight bracket for her height/age.


----------



## Arbite (Dec 26, 2010)

bluekitdon said:


> I did have some health issues from it such as spontaneous pneumothorax (collapsed lung multiple times). They measured me repeatedly in college health class because they didn't believe I was that low either. Otherwise was very healthy, could always run forever for example.
> 
> One of my daughters is the same way I was, she's a rail but very healthy. She's in the lowest weight bracket for her height/age.












This is what 3% looks like. It can only be maintained for a few hours before the body starts to shut down or eat its own organs. 

You were not 3%. 5-10 is more likely.


----------



## bluekitdon (Dec 19, 2012)

Arbite said:


> This is what 3% looks like. It can only be maintained for a few hours before the body starts to shut down or eat its own organs.
> 
> You were not 3%. 5-10 is more likely.


I was a rail back then, could see pretty much all of my ribs & bones, not a bodybuilder. May very well have been a little more, that's just what they measured me at, not that it really matters *shrug*. 

My original point was just that it gets harder to stay skinny or even in the healthy range as you get older. I'm a much healthier weight & build now, but struggle a bit to keep the extra off the stomach area. Probably doesn't help that I was always used to being super skinny, so anything I can pinch feels like I'm getting fat.


----------



## Konkelvonk (Jul 19, 2013)

Arbite said:


> I'm pretty sure at 3% bodyfat you'd be close to death. I doubt you where that low.


I went for a sonar few years back to measure my fat, 2.5%, And I feel fine.


----------



## LadyO.W.BernieBro (Sep 4, 2010)

Sort of, but l have weird bloodsugar. What l've always been told about my bloodsugar is that l was basically hypogylcemic but not enough to ''warrant concern'' and that l should aim for 6 small meals throughout the day.

l will never be able to manage that and l'm hardly able to manage eating 3 separate meals on schedule, but when l force myself to l have less weight fluctuations and less sugar cravings.


----------



## Arbite (Dec 26, 2010)

Konkelvonk said:


> I went for a sonar few years back to measure my fat, 2.5%, And I feel fine.


I doubt it.

To even get to that point requires extreme dieting, and a large cocktail of drugs.


----------



## Konkelvonk (Jul 19, 2013)

Arbite said:


> I doubt it.
> 
> To even get to that point requires extreme dieting, and a large cocktail of drugs.


Actually I lied, sorry. The sonar threw an error "cannot measure fat percentage below 2.5%"


----------



## Arbite (Dec 26, 2010)

Konkelvonk said:


> Actually I lied, sorry. The sonar threw an error "cannot measure fat percentage below 2.5%"


My statement still stands. You either just stepped out of a concentration camp, or had a mix of Winstrol V, Anavar, Halotestin, Test E, HGH and more in you.


----------



## Curiously (Nov 7, 2011)

(So far) I'm thin and don't usually eat three square meals a day. If I eat lightly for two consecutive days, I see results quite readily in terms of "thinning" out and it takes me a while to gain weight. It's likely genetics because the same happens to my parents and sibling. Now that I'm in my 30's, I'm more aware that I can't complacently depend on my fast metabolism to keep me at this size and I'll need to be better about working out/staying fit and eating better.


----------



## bluekitdon (Dec 19, 2012)

Interesting that the polls show just the opposite correlation to what I have seen in many studies where people are encouraged to eat multiple meals a day to boost metabolism and lose weight. Granted it's a small poll size and I didn't ask about meal size (small versus large meals) but here's what I see so far.

33% of people who say they are overweight skip meals frequently
38% of people who say they are normal size skip meals frequently
44% of people who say they are skinny skip meals frequently

Makes sense, fewer meals = fewer calories.


----------

