3 squares or 6 littles?
I’m willing to be most of us were raised on the principle of 3 square meals a day. Now there is a lot of talk about 6 little meals throughout the day being the key to healthy eating and a small waistline.
Which way is the best way to eat? Truthfully at the end of the day, a calorie is a calorie and quality is quality. If you eat shitty food 3 meals a day or spread it out over 6 meals—It’s still shitty food. Right? There is some thought to the idea of small meals regularly keeps the metabolism in high gear and prevents blood sugar crash cravings. But the key is 6 small meals. They are not full service sit down meals.
Right. So what’s the best method to follow? Truth is there isn’t one. That’s right there isn’t one. Not one at all! At the end of the day, they both have the same metabolic effect.
Truth is, it’s what works best for you.
Are you a grazer and like to nibble here and there? Or do you need to step away and cut yourself off and stick to 3 squares?
If you’re the grazing type then 6 littles works perfectly for you. About every 2-3 hours you’re eating something. But tribe, make it high-quality meals. Think hard boiled egg, raw spinach, and rice cracker. Or plain greek yogurt w/nut butter and raw berries. Find a light meal that is balanced in macros (carb, protein, and fat). And rock it throughout the day. Honestly, this is how I have always eaten. It’s a little harder now with classes, work, kids, life, so I try to keep at least a bar in my bag always so I don’t end up hangery and starving.
If you are the person who needs the structure of 3 squares, or if that works better in your life schedule, then rock it! Same principles apply. Make the macros count. Also be aware if you are overeating because you have reached a blood sugar crash and your body is craving any and everything. I got tripped up here for a long time when I started teaching multiple classes a day. I would teach a bunch of classes in a row and be starving by the end and eat the equivalent of two meals and then eat again about 2-3hrs later. Seriously not a good plan. Seriously—hence the bar in the bag at all times. (bar type? Isagenix or Kindbar).
So moral of this story is make it work for you! Let’s be real, being healthy has to work for you or you won’t do it! Make it easy tribe. Don’t stress about it. No extensive meal prep and planning needed because life doesn’t work that way. Most of us have so much going on that try to create something with that strict of a structure is sure to set us up for failure. So don’t shoot yourself in the foot before you get started. Toss a few easy to carry options in your bag and take on the day like the warrior goddess you are!
And ps- fuck what your neighbor is doing. Her [his] plan probably won’t work for you…hell, it’s probably not working for her. Be true to you. Honor your body and what it needs. Find the silence and connect with it.
In light and life.