Home
>
Weight Loss
>
4 Tips for Fast Fat Loss Part III

4 Tips for Fast Fat Loss Part III

Fat Loss Tip #3) Proper Meal Frequency

Meal Frequency (i.e., the number of meals you eat each day) could be the most important aspect of your nutrition program. If you do this right you will build muscle, burn fat, and with a proper resistance training program, be well on your way to achieving the body of your dreams.

But first, I must burst your bubble. What you are about to read isn't sexy, it's not exotic, secret, or the uncovering of some super Eastern European nutrition system that led to tons of gold medals in weight lifting. I'm also not going to tout some super juice, or specific vegetable that you need to eat outrageous quantities of in order to achieve your goals.

What it is, is sound advice that works. Do this correctly, and you will be well on your way to fitness nirvana. The thing is, most people know about it, yet few actually follow through with it and put it into action.

I admit to being one of them. I've always been in good shape from playing sports, working out with weights and eating right. However, I was in good shape and not great shape because I did things right about 75% of the time.

I ate 6 meals a day, most of the time. I consumed enough protein in each meal, most of the time. I worked out and worked out intensely enough, most of the time.

Why is that, you might wonder. Well, I'm glad you asked. You see, it takes motivation, persistence, planning, and a little bit of sacrifice. Sounds horrible, doesn't it? Don't worry, it's not. But as I've stated before, nothing worth achieving comes easy. Don't get me wrong, it is simple, it's just not easy. But it can be pretty painless, if you have the right mind set.

So, what is it, already? Okay, okay, here you go. Eat six meals a day. No excuses, no exceptions, no nothing. Just do it. I told you it was simple. You might be ready to toss me in the trash because you already know such obvious advice.

But let me ask you this, how many consecutive days have you eaten six nutritious meals? If you are like most people, probably not many.

So if you know it's an extremely important part of achieving your goals and building the body you want, why aren't you doing it more often? I think one reason is that those of us in the industry have failed in hammering home the absolute importance of eating six meals a day. Sure, we say it, but if so few people are doing it, we must not be stating our case very well.

Reason number two - eating six proper, nutritious meals a day takes work. It takes a time commitment, among other sacrifices. And it's not just the time it takes to make the meals, or the time to eat them. It also involves other aspects of your life.

For example, socializing, going shopping, playing sports on the weekends, etc. If you eat six times a day, you need to eat every 2 or 3 hours, tops. What are you going to do, sit home all day every day so you can be near your food? Of course not.

But you will need to plan ahead. This could mean shopping and then cooking most of your food once a week, putting each meal in a microwaveable container, and then carrying meals to work with you.

You may need to invest in a high quality thermos (or two or three) and make your favorite protein shakes to take with you when you are going to be out and about for a while, or bringing some protein bars with you instead.

You may also need to withstand comments from friends and family. In our culture today, most social functions center around food - thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, even labor day and memorial day are times to get together with friends for a cookout.

Sure, you may be able to eat some of the food available. Even so, you most likely will be around long enough for at least one other meal, in which you will need to be prepared with something you brought with you.

This may require turning down the food offered and whipping out a protein bar, thus dealing with the questions and comments, usually negative, that will most likely arise.

And hey, how many of us have the well meaning mother or grandmother that assures us we are too skinny, we must eat more, offers us everything in site, and just won't take a polite no thank you for an answer?

I know, eating right may not be easy, but it is necessary if you truly want to achieve your best body, and in the shortest amount of time possible.

I've given my lecture on the necessity of eating six times a day. Now let's talk about what this can actually do for you in terms of achieving your muscle building and fat burning goals.

Our genetics haven't really changed during our existence. Initially, food was very difficult to come by and our ancestors never knew when they were going to be getting their next meal.

It was only natural that our bodies became very efficient at storing excess calories just in case they were needed at a later time in order to fend off starvation.

That was great back then. It helped keep many people alive. Now, however, when our next meal is a phone call or fast food restaurant away, it's not so good. Especially since those calories are stored as ugly body fat. Do any of us really want to look like a bear on the verge of hibernation? I think it's safe to say that the answer to that question is no.

This is one of the reasons for eating six meals a day. In general, there are three things that can lead our bodies to storing calories as fat. One would be to consume a very large meal.

This alerts our body to the fact that this could very well be our last meal for a long time to come, so we better preserve as many calories as we can (as body fat, of course) just in case our next meal doesn't come for a long time.

The next reason is going too long between meals. Again, this kicks in our bodies starvation mode and it stores calories as fat because it's not sure when it will be getting its next meal.

A third reason would be a sudden and severe restriction in daily calorie consumption. Just like going too long between meals, this kicks the starvation mode into action, causing the storage of body fat.

Now, what do most people do when they decide they need to lose weight and go on a diet? Correct, they severely restrict calories as well as going a long time between each meal.

This may work at first but eventually causes the exact opposite result that they are looking to accomplish. Their metabolism slows down and they start storing fat, even on so few calories a day.

Add to this mix, that most people who diet don't add weight training to their program and you have a real recipe for disaster. Without adding weight training, at least half of the weight lost will be muscle, not fat, which slows down your metabolism even more.

If you restrict your calories too severely, even if you are weight training, a good percentage of your weight lost will be muscle, as your body doesn't have enough calories to sustain the muscle it has, let alone build new muscle.

This also goes for going too long between meals. If your body goes too long between meals, not getting the necessary calories, protein, and other nutrients, it goes into a catabolic state. In other words, it starts eating your muscle for energy. This would slow down your metabolism, leading to the storage of more body fat. It's a vicious cycle.

In addition, anyone who severely restricts calories and goes a long time between meals will hit upon the first reason - eating an excessively large meal, otherwise known in diet speak as binging. And most of these calories will go straight to being stored as body fat.

A study published in Metabolism (Karbowsa, J., et al. [2001] Increase of lipogenic enzyme mRNA levels in rat white adipose tissue after multiple cycles of starvation/refeeding. 50:734-738.) looked at this very same issue using animals.

The study showed that cycles of starvation and refeeding (i.e., binging) led to an upgrade of lipogenic enzymes. These enzymes promote body fat synthesis. We possess these same lipogenic enzymes. So, if you want to lose body fat or keep off the fat you've lost, don't starve yourself. If you do that, you are only going to binge, leading you to put the fat back on.

Now, how do you avoid these mistakes? You eat smaller, more frequent meals. If you eat every two or three hours, always having a prepared nutritious meal, shake or bar handy, you are much less likely to binge.

By not severely restricting calories and adding weight training, you will lose body fat, not muscle, thereby not only preventing your metabolism from slowing down, but also speeding up your metabolism due to the added muscle from the weight training.

Gregg Gillies

Gregg Gillies is the founder of http://www.buildleanmuscle.com and the author of Get Fit Fast. He articles have appeared in Ironman Magazine and he is a regular contributor to Body Talk magazine. Check out his site on http://www.buildleanmuscle.com

expert residential cleaners Park Ridge ...

In The News:

Apple and Google password managers can flag compromised, weak and reused passwords on your phone before credential stuffing attacks can strike.

Researcher Peter Garrigan says Moonshot AI's Kimi model was manipulated into providing instructions for biological weapons and assassination plans.

iPhone, Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones now offer call screening that asks unknown callers to identify themselves before your phone rings.

Ransomware can lock your irreplaceable photos and documents in seconds. A tested backup strategy and stronger cybersecurity habits are your best defense.

ShinyHunters claims it breached FBIJobs.gov and stole Social Security numbers, home addresses and sensitive assignment details of FBI personnel.

Find My iPhone, Google Find Hub and Samsung Find have critical tracking settings to enable now, before your phone ever goes missing or stolen.

The FTC proposed a new enforcement policy on personalized pricing, warning companies that hide how personal data shapes the prices shoppers see.

The $250 million Apple Siri AI settlement is now accepting claims, with eligible iPhone owners potentially receiving up to $95 per device.

ShareAScan turns T-shirts into scannable digital business cards with QR codes that link to profiles the owner can update anytime they choose.

BragJack research reveals how a single malicious browser extension could hijack Gemini, Perplexity Comet and Edge AI agents with zero clicks.

A phishing campaign impersonating OpenAI uses fake ChatGPT billing emails with a convincing login page to steal credentials and payment details.

Startups are helping modernize America’s defense industry with new technology and innovative ideas as the War Department diversifies its inventory.

New account fraud victims jumped 31% in 2025, reaching 5.4 million. Criminals open accounts you may never see on your regular bank statements.

Flytrex says its AI-powered Rooftop Dock system in Dallas-Fort Worth positions drones at restaurants before orders arrive, cutting delivery costs by 60%.

Samson Sky's Switchblade flying car secures $80 million from Dubai's Matin Group, but the redesigned hybrid-electric aircraft still needs more testing.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

CenterPoint Energy confirmed customer data was stolen, while a hacker claims 7.49 million records with partial Social Security numbers were taken.

The $59 Brick device promises to help curb phone addiction, but free iPhone and Android tools may already do the job. Here's what to try first.

Epsilon Data Management's "opportunity seeker" lists helped scammers target millions of older Americans, DOJ court filings reveal in detail.

HBO Max's verified Reddit account was hijacked to push 108 malicious ads using ClickFix, a technique that tricks victims into running dangerous commands.

Flash Shelton reveals how home security cameras and alarm systems can stop squatters before they claim tenant rights in your vacant property.

WIM-Z's AI dog training robot uses on-device processing to detect barking and dispense treats autonomously, with field trials showing up to 83% reduction.

Google's Threat Intelligence Group found PROMPTFLUX malware that uses Gemini to rewrite its own code every hour, raising urgent cybersecurity alarms.

Your VPN may quietly drop protection when switching between airport Wi-Fi and hotel Wi-Fi. Key settings like auto-connect and kill switch help.

A South Carolina caregiver allegedly gained power of attorney over a 75-year-old with Parkinson's, then transferred his home via quitclaim deed for $5.

4 Tips for Fast Fat Loss Part III

Weight Loss