The 6 Meals Per Day Weight Loss Myth - Busted!

I'm sure you've heard of the weight loss myth that 6 meals per day supposedly increases your metabolism and allows you to burn fat, right?

Well I'm here to tell you that that weight loss myth is, well, completely busted!

So first, let's started out with the fact that this weight loss myth has absolutely no credible research to support it. My guess is that some guy found a random piece of research that was so skewed it wasn't even credible, twisted it into his own version and the whole 6 meal per day weight loss myth was created.

Now, I'm not saying that the 6 meals per day weight loss myth doesn't actually work.

For most people it can work because of the other guidelines that come along with it such as eating more fibrous vegetables and protein, the fact that eating small meals in certain macronutrient ratios can help stabilize blood sugar levels, and that it sometimes eliminates the "binging" aspect of eating.

However, the weight loss myth that it actually increases your metabolism has absolutely no proof backing it up.On the contrary however, here are 3 pieces of research you can look up which actually prove the myth to be false.

In one study they should that the amount of food eaten, not the frequency of the meals, had a major influence on energy expenditure during a food restriction period.

In another study they found the exact same thing when they compared people nibbling at food to people who gorged at it, then had a longer rest period in between meals. It all came down to the total calories ingested, not meal frequency.

In yet another study they tested the difference between metabolic rates in people having 1 versus 5 meals per day, again consuming the same amount of calories, and found absolutely no differences.

By the way here are those studies (in order):

Effects of meal frequency on energy utilization in rats.
Hill JO, Anderson JC, Lin D, Yakubu F. Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University

Meal frequency and energy balance.
Br J Nutr. 1997 Apr;77 Suppl 1:S57-70.

Thermogenesis in humans after varying meal time frequency
Wolfram G, Kirchgessner M, Müller HL, Hollomey S.

So are you starting to see how this weight loss myth really is a weight loss myth and not "truth" like many people claim it to be?

Eating 6 meals per day might be good for bodybuilders, but for the average person trying to lose weight without going crazy over what and when they're eating, this weight loss myth should be thrown right out the window.