Does Eating More Frequent Meals Really Rev Up Your Metabolism?

You’ve probably heard that eating smaller meals, several times a day will stimulate your metabolism, and keep it revved to burn more calories throughout your day.
The New York Times points out that although some studies have found modest health benefits to eating smaller meals, the research usually involved extremes.

Many weight-loss books and fad diets claim six meals a day is a more realistic approach.
But will it really make a difference?

The New York Times states:

“As long as total caloric and nutrient intake stays the same, then metabolism, at the end of the day, should stay the same as well. One study that carefully demonstrated this, published in 2009 in The British Journal of Nutrition, involved groups of overweight men and women who were randomly assigned to very strict low-calorie diets and followed for eight weeks. Each subject consumed the same number of calories per day, but one group took in three meals a day and the other six.
Both groups lost significant and equivalent amounts of weight. There was no difference between them in fat loss, appetite control or measurements of hormones that signal hunger and satiety. Other studies have had similar results.”

Exercise, on the other hand, seems to effectively increase metabolism according to studies.

Sources:

  New York Times March 21, 2010

  The British Journal of Nutrition November 30, 2009; 1-4. [Epub ahead of print]

How to Really Super-Charge Your Metabolism

Just like the article above states at the end, the best confirmed way to really boost your metabolism is exercise.
When you exercise you clearly burn more calories, but you can super-charge your calorie burning mechanism even more by building muscle!
Why is this?
Because muscle demands energy to just “sit” on your body. Fat does not.
For every pound of muscle that you gain, your body burns 50-70 calories more per day. That means, if you gain 10 lbs. of muscle, your body will burn an additional 500-700 calories per day, and with proper diet, that equates to more or less guaranteed weight loss.
Everyone’s metabolism is different, but you can speed it up or slow it down within a reasonably short amount of time by making the following common-sense changes to your diet and lifestyle:

• Eat according to your nutritional type to ensure your body is getting the right fuel it needs
• Avoid sugar and grains as they are the leading cause of insulin- and leptin-resistance, which affects your hunger levels, your weight, and your risk of any number of diseases
• Listen to your hunger, and eat a healthy meal or snack when hunger calls
• Implement a well-rounded exercise regimen that includes strength training to build muscle, as well as interval training, which has been demonstrated to significantly increase fat loss.