It is very popular now to read and hear about eating less food that it has already become one of the weight-loss doctrines. But as many people know from the physiology of metabolism, you have to eat more often to modify your body composition. An important fact in this sense is “energy balance.”
A series of researches developed a technique to calculate hourly energy balance and that is, how many calories you are burning versus how many calories you are taking in. The researchers found that if you maintain your hourly surplus or deficit within 300 to 500 calories at all times, you will best be able to change your body composition by losing fat and accumulating lean muscle mass. People with the biggest energy imbalances (those who were over 500 calories in either ingestion or expenditure) were the fattest, while those with the most balanced energy levels were the leanest. So if you eat only your three times a day, you’re creating considerable imbalances in your energy levels. Between meals, you’re burning many more calories than you’re taking in. At mealtimes, you’re taking in many more than you’re burning. Research shows that this kind of eating plan is very effective.