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This is always a sore subject…How many times a day should I eat and how much…?
I’m sorry to say that opinion varies so much that it really is a personal choice and most importantly, it’s up to you and your body to figure out what works best for you.
This is some of my Best Advice For Portion Control when I am asked this question.
There are some people that only have one big meal a day and that works for them and others eat up to 6-7 small meals a day…
Everyone’s body reacts differently. Mine for example responds very well to 5 meals.
It’s not only easier for me to eat several small meals a day, but my body also digests the food better this way.
This might work for you or it might not… the trouble is that you don’t know until you try out several different options for yourself.
I would recommend starting with 5 meals (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner) for the first few weeks and see how your body reacts. Of course make sure that these 5 meals are hitting your required marco target for each day.
I use these amazing 8oz Mason Jars and handy reusable black BPA Free, freezer and microwave safe stackable storage containers, to store my prepped meals in.
After about 2-3 weeks, you should know if you need to make changes and either increase the amount of meals to aid your body's digestion, or decrease the number of meals as it may suit your lifestyle and daily routine better.
If you’ve calculated your macros, you will know by now how much protein, carbs and fats you will need to portion them all out for your meals accordingly. It doesn’t matter if you have 1 meal a day or 8...it’s up to you to portion out your meals accordingly.
Make sure to stick to your measurements and have your food scale or cups ready, as well as all your Tupperware when prepping your meals. This is the food scale I use.
The benefit of making sure you get your portions correct now, is simple… You know exactly what you will be eating today, tomorrow and the following days. There will be no change and you will be consistent with your meals each day.
This consistency will pay off dramatically, as your body will need to be given the right amount of food to nourish your fitness lifestyle and you won’t be tempted to go astray and eat something other than your prepped meals.
Summary
Anyone who tells you that they have a guide on portion control which will be able to help you and everyone else, is simply lying to you as everyone is different and you could potentially need to help with losing weight or maybe trying to gain it.
So, the only way to know for sure, is if you learn about your body and listen to it while you try to figure it out.
It can be difficult for some getting used to tracking your macros, but keep your goal in mind and hopefully that will give you the motivation to keep going.
Helping me along the way and making sure that I get my portions right each time, is my personal favorite food tracking app called MyFitnessPal App.
After providing it with a few simple pieces of info about yourself, it will give you a good estimate of your daily macros you need to be aiming for, as well as allow you to track your progress, by adding your meals to the tracker.
I’ve been using this app for years now and I would highly recommend it to anyone particularly starting their meal prep and fitness journey, as it helped guide me on how much of what I should have in each of my meals, allowing me to hit my target for the day.
If you need to learn more about Macros, please have a look at my article called “7 Simple Steps To Start Eating Healthier (2023)” where I explain how you can calculate your macros if you wish to do it yourself.
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