The Concept
The idea is that by eating small meals every 2-3 hrs you will speed up your metabolism. This is because of something called the thermic effect of food (TEF). TEF is the calorie cost of digesting food when you eat it. TEF accounts for 10% of your daily energy expenditure.
So every time you eat your metabolism does indeed speed up. Due to this people believe that eating more frequent meals would boost your metabolism.
Is that a fact?
Although the metabolism boost is real every time you eat, this doesn’t mean that you will speed up your metabolism by eating more frequent meals. The reason is simple.
Let’s illustrate why with identical twins, both eat 3000 calories.
Twin A: Eats 3000 calories over 3 meals
| Meal 1 | Meal 2 | Meal 3 | |
| Calories | 1000 | 1000 | 1000 |
| TEF（Kcal） | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Twin B: Eats 3000 calories over 6 meals
| Meal 1 | Meal 2 | Meal 3 | Meal 4 | Meal 5 | Meal 6 | |
| Calories | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 |
| TEF（Kcal） | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
The TEF is identical at 300 kcal. If the calories are equal there will be no difference in metabolic boost.
Why?
TEF = 10% of the total calories eaten
So it doesn’t matter how many meals you divide 3000 kcal over, it will always be 10% which is 300 kcal. Just like eating a cake, it doesn’t matter how you slice a cake, if you eat the whole cake, it all adds up to the same.
There’s nothing wrong with eating small, frequent meals but it just doesn’t boost your metabolism. However, it’s undeniable that small frequent meals can provide a steady protein supply for those looking to build muscle, aiding in muscle synthesis and recovery. Understanding your own needs is the key to the best dietary strategy!
