# 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:** 2
**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, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/21 "2016-08-16T03:30:50Z")
If it was such an bad thing, why would it be the overwhelmingly-preferred eating strategy of the leanest people on the planet (bodybuilders, including professional)? ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/22 "2016-08-16T03:51:14Z")
So you saying when eat only two or three times in a day your blood sugar/insulin levels go down and when you eat it goes up? And this up and down is bad for you? Where if your blood sugar/insulin levels are always up it is better for you? Eating 6 times day your blood sugar/insulin levels will always stay up. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/23 "2016-08-16T05:41:40Z")
Not up, steady. If you eat lots of starches and sugars, it will be higher than if you eat very few carbs. Smaller, more frequent meals also mean you’re less likely to jump on the food as if it was trying to run away when it’s not. ---
**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 16, 2016, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/24 "2016-08-16T12:17:01Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > 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. Not sure I understand what it is you’re asking… Maybe it’s because you have a poor circulatory system. Maybe it’s because you’ve got poor muscle composition due to a lifetime of poor physical fitness. The point is, if you get body stiffness due to long periods of sitting - you need to get up and move around periodically. Better yet, get some regular (daily) exercise. If you’re sitting for 4 hours at time, perhaps you need to change your habits. Chronic joint pain requires medical attention. See a medical professional and get a proper diagnosis and treatment. Often, the best way to keep things from getting worse is to get some exercise - even if it is arthritis, moving helps those with mild to moderate symptoms. ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/25 "2016-08-16T21:29:30Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Not sure I understand what it is you’re asking… > > Maybe it’s because you have a poor circulatory system. Maybe it’s because you’ve got poor muscle composition due to a lifetime of poor physical fitness. The point is, if you get body stiffness due to long periods of sitting - you need to get up and move around periodically. Better yet, get some regular (daily) exercise. If you’re sitting for 4 hours at time, perhaps you need to change your habits. > > Chronic joint pain requires medical attention. See a medical professional and get a proper diagnosis and treatment. Often, the best way to keep things from getting worse is to get some exercise - even if it is arthritis, moving helps those with mild to moderate symptoms. So you are saying I may have little to no muscles? I may have to work out and lift weights? ---
**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 16, 2016, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/26 "2016-08-16T23:12:20Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > So you are saying I may have little to no muscles? I may have to work out and lift weights? No. I said you need to get up and move more frequently. I have no idea what your body composition is like. ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/27 "2016-08-16T23:40:36Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > No. I said you need to get up and move more frequently. I have no idea what your body composition is like. So some one with little to no muscles have to get up and move around more than some one with lot of muscles? Or there could be some thing else like muscle wasting or muscle atrophy from laying and sitting too much. And the body stiffness is nothing to do with little to no muscles but muscle wasting or muscle atrophy. That just hour a day of walking will prevent muscle wasting or muscle atrophy. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/28 "2016-08-16T23:58:12Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > So some one with little to no muscles have to get up and move around more than some one with lot of muscles? > > Or there could be some thing else like muscle wasting or muscle atrophy from laying and sitting too much. > > And the body stiffness is nothing to do with little to no muscles but muscle wasting or muscle atrophy. > > That just hour a day of walking will prevent muscle wasting or muscle atrophy. Muscles have nothing to do with it. Activity (exercise) does. People who don’t exercise (even just stretching) tend to get stiff. ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/29 "2016-08-17T02:41:42Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > 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. Maybe it’s rigor mortis getting a jump on things. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/30 "2016-08-17T03:17:32Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > Your body is designed to run down a wildebeest. I think it’ll handle 3 meals a day. Walk one down, maybe. > **[Persistence hunting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_hunting)** > > Persistence hunting, also known as endurance hunting or long-distance hunting, is a variant of pursuit predation in which a predator will bring down a prey item via indirect means, such as exhaustion, heat illness or injury. Hunters of this type will typically display adaptions for distance running, such as longer legs, temperature regulation, and specialized cardiovascular systems. > Some endurance hunters may prefer to injure prey in an ambush before the hunt and rely on tracking to find their ... ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/31 "2016-08-17T03:24:58Z")
The new fad is intermittent fasting, going 12-20 hours a day w/o eating anything and consuming all your calories in the remaining 4-12 hours. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/32 "2016-08-17T03:27:52Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Walk one down, maybe. > [Persistence hunting - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_hunting) Looks like he’s running to [me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=826HMLoiE_o) ---
**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 17, 2016, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/33 "2016-08-17T12:08:18Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > So some one with little to no muscles have to get up and move around more than some one with lot of muscles? Again, no. Sitting for hours at a stretch is not good for any body type. > [@sweat209](#): > > Or there could be some thing else like muscle wasting or muscle atrophy from laying and sitting too much. It’s possible, in extreme cases of sedentary lifestyles . [Because sitting for hours at a stretch is not good for any body type.](http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/sitting/faq-20058005) > [@sweat209](#): > > And the body stiffness is nothing to do with little to no muscles but muscle wasting or muscle atrophy. It could be caused by a variety of reasons. If it’s chronic, consult with a medical professional. > [@sweat209](#): > > That just hour a day of walking will prevent muscle wasting or muscle atrophy. Any form of exercise would be beneficial. How much depends entirely on what you want to achieve. Where are you going with all this? Wasn’t your OP about daily eating habits? ---
**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 17, 2016, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/34 "2016-08-17T12:12:45Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > The new fad is intermittent fasting, going 12-20 hours a day w/o eating anything and consuming all your calories in the remaining 4-12 hours. I’ve been doing this for about 15 years now - eating once a day. I’m a trend setter. 😉 ---
**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 17, 2016, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/35 "2016-08-17T12:45:49Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > … Where are you going with all this? Wasn’t your OP about daily eating habits? Not familiar with the op’s [past](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=769430) health-related threads I guess. (S)he’s moved on from thin bones and snapping joints … it’s progress! ---
**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 17, 2016, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/36 "2016-08-17T13:12:00Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Not familiar with the op’s [past](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=769430) health-related threads I guess. (S)he’s moved on from thin bones and snapping joints … it’s progress! I wasn’t. And now I know. Thx. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/37 "2016-08-17T13:13:12Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > Your body is designed to run down a wildebeest. I think it’ll handle 3 meals a day. Except most of us aren’t running down wildebeests. We’re sitting in cubicles staring at computer screens for 9 hours a day. ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/38 "2016-08-17T18:52:52Z")
> [@Winston\_Smith](#): > > Except most of us aren’t running down wildebeests. We’re sitting in cubicles staring at computer screens for 9 hours a day. Every book, magazine, media and such talk about being on air plane or being in car on road and you need to get up and move around do not sit for too long. Everyone knows being on air plane or being in car you can get body stiffness and by getting up and walking around it helps. No one yes no one no book, magazine, media or web sites talks about computer IT jobs or sitting home in front of TV and getting stiffness. ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/39 "2016-08-17T19:03:45Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Not familiar with the op’s [past](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=769430) health-related threads I guess. (S)he’s moved on from thin bones and snapping joints … it’s progress! It funny I know some friends and family who have snapping joints and most them have sedentary lifestyle and people I know that do not have snapping joints are active and do not have a sedentary lifestyle. Some people have tight body tendons from sitting or laying too much and by moving around and doing body stretching you will loosen up the tendons and it will not snap. It will go away when you get up and move around and do some body stretching. Again books, magazines, media and do not talk about about this. Even some doctors do not talk about this. The human body was not built to sit or lay like in today’s worlds. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853/40 "2016-08-17T19:05:37Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > Every book, magazine, media and such talk about being on air plane or being in car on road and you need to get up and move around do not sit for too long. Everyone knows being on air plane or being in car you can get body stiffness and by getting up and walking around it helps. No one yes no one no book, magazine, media or web sites talks about computer IT jobs or sitting home in front of TV and getting stiffness. You must not read much. [http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2015/05/08/sitting-too-long.aspx](http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2015/05/08/sitting-too-long.aspx) [http://www.simplebackpain.com/sittingatacomputer.html](http://www.simplebackpain.com/sittingatacomputer.html) [http://www.marksdailyapple.com/16-tips-for-desk-jockeys-what-to-do-about-sitting-all-day/](http://www.marksdailyapple.com/16-tips-for-desk-jockeys-what-to-do-about-sitting-all-day/) > **[If You Sit at a Computer All Day This Mobility Exercise Will Change Your Life...](https://jamesclear.com/thoracic-mobility)** > > If you find yourself sitting in a hunched over position, this thoracic mobility exercise will improve your posture, reduce pain, and increase flexibility. And, the admonition to get up and move when sitting in an airplane is to prevent [DVT](http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=40582), not just to reduce stiffness. It’s also recommended to do calf exercises to promote blood flow. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-two-or-three-big-meals-in-day-hard-on-your-body/762853.md?page=3)