Eating for Weight Loss and Putting on Muscle

Most people are familiar with the concept of eating 4-6 small meals per day, but many clients ask me why this is necessary. There are several reasons, and this method of eating works for people trying to put on muscle as well as those who are trying to lose weight. Here's why:

1. Metabolism

By eating 4-6 small meals per day, you are taking in some food about every 3 hours. This means your body has to digest something every 3 hours. The process of digestion actually uses a fair amount of calories, so you are increasing your metabolism by doing this.

2. Losing bodyfat

By eating smaller meals, you are hopefully taking in enough calories to cover immediate energy requirements and rebuilding muscle, without taking in an excess that would be stored as bodyfat.

3. Level blood sugar

By eating more frequently, you maintain a more even blood sugar level. This means a fairly steady energy level, without all those highs and lows most people experience when eating only 3 large meals per day, with a long time between meals. (Anybody who works 9-5 and has indulged in a large lunch knows that sleepy, fatigued feeling that hits about 2:30pm!)

4. More protein intake

Protein builds and repairs muscle, and an ample intake is absolutely necessary if you are working out and challenging the body. But like anything else, if you take in too much at once, the excess will be stored as bodyfat. By eating 4-6 small meals per day, you have more opportunities to increase protein consumption, without having too much at one sitting.

The whole idea is to make your body a fat-burning, muscle building machine. By increasing lean muscle, you will burn more calories, even at rest (muscle is more metabolically active than fat). See how it all comes together?