Visakha

The answer might come as a surprise: eating three big ones a day might help you lose more weight than ‘grazing’ all day—this is what new research seems to suggest.

In a study, Researchers from Purdue University in Indiana put overweight and obese men on a thrice-daily meal plan, with high protein and low calorie intake. The result: subjects felt more satisfied and less hungry than when they ate six times a day.

In another study, conducted by the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine in Prague, volunteers were divided into two groups and studied for 12 weeks. One group ate only two meals: breakfast and lunch. The other ate six small meals a day. Both groups lost weight, but surprisingly, it was the group that ate only two meals that lost more!

The explanation offered by experts is simple: the more times you eat during the day, the more amounts you are likely to eat.

However, eating only two meals a day is not practical for many Americans, especially those who find time to eat a ‘proper’meal only in the evening. For them, as for anyone wanting to shed the extra pounds, experts advise choosing low-calorie foods at dinner and upping the amount of daily exercise.