# Is eating two or three big meals in day hard on your body? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 14, 2016, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853 "2016-08-14T23:13:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/1 "2016-08-14T23:13:28Z")
Some one was telling me that eating two or three big meals in day is hard on your body and digestive system and you are more likely to have heath problems in the future than some one who eats 6 small meals in day. Also why do people get body stiffness from laying in bad for long time or sitting down and watching TV for 4 hours or more and not moving? ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/2 "2016-08-15T04:31:16Z")
Your body is designed to run down a wildebeest. I think it’ll handle 3 meals a day. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/3 "2016-08-15T04:50:20Z")
That depends on what you’re eating. Three large pizzas = Bad Three meals with fruits vegies and lean protien = good. Eating smaller more frequent meals helps speed up ondes metabolism. Or so I’ve heard. I have no idea if that’s based in hard science or not. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/4 "2016-08-15T05:30:08Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > Some one was telling me that eating two or three big meals in day is hard on your body and digestive system and you are more likely to have heath problems in the future than some one who eats 6 small meals in day. Probably not, we evolved to handle gorging. There weren’t any refrigerators in prehistoric Africa. ---
**Author:** ![appleaday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@appleaday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleaday)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/5 "2016-08-15T05:42:53Z")
I usually feel better when eating several small meals per day rather than three larger meals. YMMV. (I am diabetic, which might make a difference) ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/6 "2016-08-15T07:46:45Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Eating smaller more frequent meals helps speed up ondes metabolism. Or so I’ve heard. I have no idea if that’s based in hard science or not. It’s not. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/7 "2016-08-15T07:57:29Z")
The 6 small meals thing was popular 20-30 years ago. If anything most people have been getting away from that to, in many cases, even fewer than 3. I eat in a short window and rarely have more than 2 meals. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/8 "2016-08-15T11:02:01Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > …I eat in a short window and rarely have more than 2 meals. If you find a less busy restaurant perhaps you’ll get a more desirable eating spot. mmm ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/9 "2016-08-15T12:09:34Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > Also why do people get body stiffness from laying in bad for long time or sitting down and watching TV for 4 hours or more and not moving? Our bodies tell us what they need. It behooves us to listen. > [@drewder](#): > > Your body is designed to run down a wildebeest. I think it’ll handle 3 meals a day. Thing is, you gotta get off the couch and run one down. Running down a pizza delivered to your front door isn’t quite the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/10 "2016-08-15T21:54:11Z")
> [@](#): > > Also why do people get body stiffness from laying in bad for long time or sitting down and watching TV for 4 hours or more and not moving? > [@QuickSilver](#): > > Our bodies tell us what they need. It behooves us to listen. Thing is some people can sit or lay for a long time and get little to no body stiffness and other people can get body stiffness in less time. There seems to be no science explanation of why people get body stiffness from laying in bad for long time or sitting down and watching TV for 4 hours or more. Or any science explanation of why some people get more body stiffness than others or can sit or lay longer. Any other thing points to restless leg syndrome or if you have pain in joints Osteoarthritis or Arthritis like joints are stiff and sore or in pain. ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/11 "2016-08-15T21:56:14Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > The 6 small meals thing was popular 20-30 years ago. If anything most people have been getting away from that to, in many cases, even fewer than 3. I eat in a short window and rarely have more than 2 meals. So this is what started the myth of eating 6 **smalls meals** in day is easier on your body than two or three big meals in a day. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/12 "2016-08-16T00:21:38Z")
If anything the _current_ bandwagon is for fewer meals, such as one meal a day, or other variants of intermittent fasting. Most likely this is another nutrition item where individual mileage may vary. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/13 "2016-08-16T00:42:55Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > So this is what started the myth of eating 6 **smalls meals** in day is easier on your body than two or three big meals in a day. There _are_ benefits to several small meals a day, it’s just that metabolic increase is not one of them. Those benefits include stable blood sugar/insulin levels throughout the day and helps prevent binge eating. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/14 "2016-08-16T01:59:27Z")
I’ve tried various things. For me, in terms of health and weight, the correct combination seems to be: light breakfast - cereal or cereal bar and some fruit large lunch - meat maybe involved - what most people would call a “dinner” light supper - maybe a sandwich and again usually some veggies or fruit ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/15 "2016-08-16T02:06:41Z")
the six meals a day is part of the diabetic diet … I lost 40 pounds on it and got so sick of eating … the sight of food made me ill Only problem is once you get used to it and you quit … you tend to binge eat more because your not eating the tiny portions called for on that diet … ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/16 "2016-08-16T02:13:46Z")
I’ve adapted to eating one meal a day, from getting out of bed to getting back into bed. Just one day long grazing period punctuated by a few larger portions. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/17 "2016-08-16T02:21:46Z")
Eating multiple small meals a day is really bad for you. It’s probably a major factor in the current diabetes epidemic and may be involved in the obesity epidemic, which really took off after the so-called experts started to recommend “snacking.” Fasting and prolonged periods of not-eating seem to be quite good for the human body, reversing insulin resistance and leptin resistance. Your body evolved in an environment in which you ate infrequently, not constantly. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/18 "2016-08-16T02:28:06Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > Eating multiple small meals a day is really bad for you. Smh. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/19 "2016-08-16T02:47:52Z")
Eating constantly keeps your insulin levels constantly elevated. This causes insulin resistance and possibly leptin resistance. I’ll look for a cite. I’m tired. I edit around 5 pre-published studies per day and you get information fed into you and can’t remember where it came from. Plus there is a mouse running around. Is hitting a mouse with a shoe considered animal abuse? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/20 "2016-08-16T03:26:57Z")
Eating several _small_, protein rich meals keeps a steady, controlled level of insulin, whereas one or two large meals gives your body wild swings. I have lived with such a meal plan for several years and I can attest to it’s effectiveness. Attention needs to be paid to the macronutrient composition of those small meals, of course. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853.md?page=2)