6 - 7 meals a day is too much???
I had a conversation in the gym last night with this guy about my diet. I told him I have a fast metabolism and that I was making some gains since I started eating more meals a day and taking whey protein. I started drinking protein shakes in October and was at 172. I’m 6′4, now 178-179. He said that I was eating too much which surprised me. This guy was 6′0, 213 and NOT my bodytype–the dreaded ECTOMORPH! Ugh! He said that by eating less meals, I burn less, and retain more muscle. Hmmm…..
Does this guy make a valid point? Or am I good with my current diet? A sample is below. Your thoughts, por favor….
Meal 1
Bowl of oatmeal
1 (or 2) scoop whey protein shake
Meal 2 (10 am)
Protein bar
Meal 3 (12 pm)
Lunch (TV Dinner w/ chicken for protein)
Salad
Fruit
Gatorade
Meal 4 (3 pm)
Snack (pretzels, fruit, protein bar)
Gatorade
Meal 5 (7 pm)
Post-workout protein shake (1 or 2 scoop)
Meal 6 (7:30 pm)
Chicken
Vegetable (or salad)
Gatorade
Meal 7 (11-12 midnight)
1 (or 2) scoop protein shake before bed
December 29, 2007 at 7:35 am
vagymbro more meals is definetly better. The more meals you consume, will lead to more calories, but also will stoke your metabolism and keep your body in an anabolic state. You have a high metabolism so you need to consume more calories. I would even suggest taking in more whole foods at each meal. Like meal 1 you could add eggs, chicken, or steak instead of a protein shake with fiber. Meal 2 could be a shake. Meal 3 you could substitute the TV dinner for chicken, & a sweet potato. Meal 4 protein shake with fiber. I like ti include a powdered fiber supplement with my shakes. That helps to bind fat and clear your system if you know what I mean. Americans don’t get enough fiber in our diets anyway. I substituted the protein shakes for whole foods because they don’t lose as much muscle when you start dieting down. I learned that from Carlo Filippone, Musclemag’s Muscle Chef, when I met him a couple of years ago. Your friend could also benefit from more feedings. The more you eat, the more calories you burn due to digestion. This is called the thermic effect of food. I hope this helps.
Finish strong,
Fox
January 23, 2008 at 7:28 am
I ate 6-8 meals daily when I was adding mass. Two of them generally were higher in fat. Keep eating quality meals, aim for at least 8 hours sleep and limit your activity outside of the gym.
I’d say aim for 3000 cals daily and if the scale isn’t moving 1-2 lbs weekly, add 200 daily calories until you get that 1-2 lb weekly increase.
January 24, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Thanks bro! Have you considered personal training if you don’t do it already?