How Often Should You Eat? A New Study Clears Up the Dieting Confusion

The conflicting trends of fasting and eating frequently can be confusing. The first says limit yourself to one or two meals to speed up your metabolism, the second recommends six or more a day to do the same—and there's scientific research to support both!

So in a new review, two of Men’s Health’s most trusted fitness and nutrition experts—Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., and Alan Aragon, M.S. co-author of The Lean Muscle Diet—dug back through all of the conflicting research to clear things up.

The verdict: "There was no difference in weight loss between people who ate very few meals or very many—as long as the amount of calories they consumed stayed the same," says Schoenfeld.

Okay, so that sounds a little anticlimactic. But chew on the finding for a second:

"If one method is not technically better than the other, you're actually at an advantage, since you're more likely to adhere to the plan you want to use," he says. "If you're forcing yourself to restrict your intake or making yourself consume a ton of meals per day, you're less likely to stick to it well enough or long enough to get all of the benefits."

In other words, the best eating method is the one that works for you. Just remember to stick to a few guidelines: Depending on how active you are, you should consume between 2,000 and 3,000 calories per day, Aragon says.

“While the nutrients you consume vary based on your activity level and body composition, try to consume 0.75 to 1 gram (g) of protein per pound of bodyweight, and 0.4 g to 0.8 g of both fat and carbohydrates," he advises.

And as long as you stick to a diet that consists of minimally processed foods and limit your junk-food intake to 20 percent of your calories, eat as frequently or infrequently as you see fit