Six Small Meals - The Secret to Permanent Weight Loss
August 5th, 2008 Posted by David Lemberg
America’s weight problems are now so well-known they’re even fair game for jokes at the Oscars. “Americans really know how to fill up a seat,” jibed Ellen DeGeneres, host of the 2007 Academy Awards.
The statistics are alarming. Sixty-five percent of Americans - 130 million in 2001 - are overweight or obese. Fifteen percent of American children are overweight or obese (up from four percent only 20 years ago). Healthcare costs related to overweight Americans has ballooned to $117 billion in 2003. And the numbers keep going up. The scales don’t lie.
And yet, diet and weight-loss books fill our nation’s bookstores. Low-carb diets. High-protein diets. The cabbage soup diet. The grapefruit diet. The raw foods diet. Most people have tried one or more of these. The new diet works for a while, then we can’t take the deprivation any longer and break the diet. Then, horrifyingly, all the weight we lost comes right back, and we’re right back where we started. Or possibly even a few pounds heavier.
The very good news is that a real, long-lasting solution exists. The basics of this healthy approach to long-term weight loss have been known for decades. This solution is not a diet. It doesn’t have a catchy name. There are, though, a few “magic” secrets to this food plan that works.
- Secret Number 1 – eat six small meals throughout each day, separated by 2.5 to 3 hours
- Secret Number 2 – combine protein and carbohydrates in each meal
- Secret Number 3 – drink plenty of water (six to eight glasses) throughout the day
- Secret Number 4 – eat two portions of vegetables each day
- Secret Number 5 – take one day off each week (a “free” day) and eat whatever you want, whenever you want
Why combine protein and carbohydrate at each meal? This critical combination feeds our muscles by providing the amino acids (building-blocks of protein) necessary to grow and maintain muscle tissue, and the carbohydrate we need to shuttle the amino acids into the muscle cells. If the carbs aren’t there the protein doesn’t get used.
There’s also a human performance benefit – eating balanced meals helps our brains work better - food combining enables better cognitive/mental function. So we’re not only getting healthier on this food plan, we’re getting smarter!1
Why eat six times a day? Studies have shown this approach results in a faster metabolic rate, a lower percentage of body fat, and reduced “bad” cholesterol levels, all the while maintaining lean muscle mass.2,3 Each meal contains approximately 300 calories (proteins and carbohydrates in each meal are in “portion” sizes). That’s it! This sensible, easy approach to food allows you to eat everything – there are no restrictions. And, on your free day you can indulge - or not - letting your natural instincts guide you.
1Fischer K, et al: “Carbohydrate to protein ratio in food and cognitive performance in the morning.” Physiol Behav 75(3):411-423, 2002
2Jenkins JD, et al: “Nibbling vs. gorging: metabolic advantages of increased meal frequency.” NEJM 321(14):929-934, 1989
3Verboeket WP, et al: “Influence of feeding frequency on nutrient utilization in man: consequences for energy metabolism.” Eur J Clin Nutr 43(3):161-169, 1991
