I received an email question last week from a reader asking:

“How many times a day should I be eating?, Is there a set number that is best for weight loss? How often do you eat?”

Ok it was 3 questions, but here is the best answer I could come up with.

I don’t think that there is 1 specific eating schedule that is best for weight loss. It really depends on the individual and how they deal with the hunger in between meals. I’ve found that the longer I go between meals the more likely I am to go off course and eat something I’ll regret later.

I’ve heard a lot of people say that your body goes into “Starvation Mode” after 5-6 hours without eating. I personally don’t believe that is true. Starvation mode is when your body starts to store energy (fat) in anticipation of an extended period without food. I don’t think 6 hours qualifies.

Now your body will start to slip into fat storing mode if your overall daily calorie intake is constantly too low. I would say anything under 1000 calories per day can be dangerous and will probably prevent you from losing weight. (Well fat anyway)

A popular way of eating is 5-6 smaller meals a day. The theory is that it keeps your energy levels steady and you end up burning off the calories more evenly throughout the day, meaning there is nothing left to store as fat. This makes sense for me and it’s what I am currently doing.

Right now I am eating every 3 hours with a glass of water or 2 in between meals. I find that at the end of 3 hours I am hungry enough to eat but not too hungry that I will abandon my plan and overeat.

Here is a sample of my day.

-Wake-up and workout 6am-7am

-Breakfast 7am

-Mid-morning Snack 10am

-Lunch 1pm

-Midday Snack 4pm

-Dinner 6:30/7:00pm

-Post workout snack on weight training days 10pm

The bottom line is that unless you are really looking to add some serious muscle, it doesn’t really matter what kind of eating schedule you employ. As long as you are comfortable between your meals and don’t overeat at those meals you should be ok.

A couple of tips to keep in mind:

1. Always have a post workout recovery snack that includes some protein and carbs. Chocolate Milk is a great choice.

2. Watch your portion sizes, some meals can have well over 1000 calories.

3. Breakfast, Breakfast, Breakfast you heard this over and over again. Just eat something early in the morning and call it breakfast, so I can stop preaching it please

If you have a question you’d like answered just send me an email. Please remember to include your name/site if you would like me to include it in the post.

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I will concede that you can burn slightly more calories after a good rest and on a somewhat empty stomach.

The short answer: The best time to workout is when you have the time to do it. Fitting workouts into your already busy life can be difficult but it’s essential to losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Here is the long answer. This is just from my experience and the results I’ve seen. When it comes to aerobic activities like running, biking, rollerblading etc. the rule I follow is that – motion creates energy – So I do my cardio workouts when it’s most beneficial to have or create lots of energy. This means first thing in the morning. I need that energy boost to start my day.

I’ve found that an early a.m cardio workout wakes up my whole body, reduces any anxiety or stress I have about upcoming tasks that day and makes me more creative and productive. This is of course after refueling with a good healthy breakfast and a hot shower

Weight training or strength training workouts are best suited for the early evening/night. The reason is you’re breaking down your muscle fiber during these workouts. If they’re done properly they should leave you feeling a little shaky and a bit weaker. Your body’s reaction to this is that it wants to rest and rebuild. What better way is there to listen to your body, than to give it 8 hours of sleep!

Final Thoughts

I have found that cardio sessions done at night keep me up all night and I just can’t get a good rest. Weights in the morning make me tired and I do nothing but yawn all day.

Experiment with your schedule and see if you can fit this way of exercising into you routine. You can remember it like this – Burn in the morning, build at night – It’s worked for me.

If you’re thinking that I am just a morning person? Wrong, I’m the snooze button King.

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