5 Meals a day on Slimming World?

TeresaTT

Full Member
I've recently started exercising a lot more as I'm getting near to target and I don't want to take forever to lose the last few pounds and I also want to be fit. I'm also very much aware now of making sure that I lose body fat and maintain and even increase my muscle.

There is a lot of advice around about the benefits of eating every three hours throughout the day to maintain regular blood sugar levels and insulin. This helps with fat burning and maintaining muscle mass.

I'm wondering whether this can be fitted in to SW. I'd like to eat four or five smaller meals a day instead of three larger ones. As long as I follow SW rules for each meal, I don't see how it can be a problem. I'll still eat my 1/3 superfree and only eat to satisfaction.

All SW meal planners show three meals a day but that might be because it's very difficult to have more than three meals a day. In fact there are quite a few people who can only manage two.
 
It should be completely possible. I know that some people find big meals hard to stomach and so graze all day instead. Some are fat, some are thin and the only difference will be what they're eating I imagine. I sometimes don't fancy a meal and so eat every couple of hours, nothing huge but something satisfying and free.

You and I are on very different ends of the scale though so perhaps someone closer to target will have some experience.
 
yeah when they say 5 meals a day i don't think they mean 'big' meals. it's usually a mid morning and mid afternoon snack of nuts or fruit or something like that.
 
Eating 5 or 6 small meals a day is the way some fitness professionals (including body builders) will do it to strip away fat or increase muscle mass (hard to do both at the same time).

I believe it is based on the principle of keeping your body's metalbolism as high as possible at all times, constantly working to burn calories, and combined with exercise, burn fat.

It's probably a very healthy way to eat too.
 
From what I've read it makes a lot of sense. However, ideally you need to eat protein and carbohydrates with each meal and that's what makes it so difficult. I'm still looking into it so I'll see how I can adapt to it. I know that my body suffers badly from fasting. If I go to the gym in the evening and don't have a decent snack afterwards I get a terrible migraine in the morning. If I snack after the gym I'm fine. That can only be due to a very low blood sugar level by morning.

Some body builders even wake themselves during the night to eat but I think that's a bit extreme.
 
Hey Teresa,

I would definately recommend reading the South Beach Diet book. That recommends 5 meals a day too, although the 2 extra meals are more a filling snack. It helps to stabilise your sugar levels, when in turn prevents those naughty cravings.

The foods on the South Beach Diet are pretty similar to the free foods on Slimming World. The only difference being that no white carbs are advised at all, as well as a few other foods which should be avoided.

So with that in mind, I see no reason why you can't do this on Slimming World.
 
the concept of how body builders diet, for fat loss, is very good, i have a word document somewhere with info on it if you want me to email it.
 
i always have

brekkie - around 9:30
snack - around 11.45
midday meal - around 1:30
snack - around 4pm
evening meal around 7:30
snack around 9pm

So i guess i have 6 seperate eating sessions a day! eek! snacks are fruit, yoghurts, etc and the evening snack is usually a choccie drink or a pud/treat like a curly wurly/HIFI bar etc.

xxx hope that helps honey xxx
 
Looks like I'm on to a good thing here. I had breakfast early this morning then a mid morning snack today of cottage cheese and carrot and it kept me going really nicely until lunchtime. As I wasn't ravenous, I had a smaller lunch than normally and now I'm still fine. We normally have a very early dinner at 5pm as my youngest son with learning difficulties can't wait any later. Later in the evening I'll have my usual bowl of fruit with a muller light which will give me protein and carbs.

I have so much energy at the moment and I'm keen to keep my metabolic rate high.
 
I am a constant grazer and with my GB, I cant eat huge meals anyway, this is why I chose SW as the basis for my eating plan.
I still have the craving to eat all the time, but now I can only eat when I am hungry.
Even eating things such as a banana will keep your metabolism going.
 
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