In yesterdays post “Breaking the Dogma of Meal Timing” I touched on the brief history behind meal timing.  Before I jump into helping you determine what might be a better fit for you, it should be clear that there isn’t evidence to support for everyone eating in a specific way. If you were to ask me what I support, I would say it depends. I happen to lean a little bit more towards multiple meals when dealing with dieting down. That being said, there are so many cases I can make against it for certain groups of people that I seldom feel comfortable providing that as a guideline. Alternative fasting methods or the good ole fashion “3 squares a day” have their place. When it is all said and done, as far as science and the field is concerned there still isn’t a clear winner for everyone. I will say though that stuffing yourself silly seems to fit with yours truly but enough about me, on with the quiz.

1. When younger you ate (    ) meals a day?

a) 1 big meal/maybe a snack
b) 2 meals/maybe a snack
c) 3 meals/maybe a snack
d) 4 or more meals/snacks

2. When younger your parents ate (    ) meals a day?

a) 1 big meal/maybe a snack
b) 2 meals/maybe a snack
c) 3 meals/maybe a snack
d) 4 or more meals/snacks

3. In the morning time you are hungry…

a)never
b)rarely
c)often
d)always

4. You naturally/intuitively will or would start eating…

a) many hours after awake, maybe 7-8.
b) a while after I am awake, maybe 4-5
c) a litte time after awake, maybe 2-3
d) as soon as possible when I wake up

5. You seem to train best…

a) at night
b) in the late afternoon
c) few hours after I am awake
d) first thing in the morning

6. You feel hunger the most at…

a) at night
b) in the late afternoon
c) few hours after I am awake
d) first thing in the morning

7. When you exercise you could eat…

a) a house filled with oatmeal pies
b) just the house
c) hungry, but not starving
d) not hungry at all, even sometime loss of appetite

8. When stressed out you could eat…

a) a house filled with oatmeal pies
b) just the house
c) hungry, but not starving
d) not hungry at all, even sometime loss of appetite

9. You sleep best on a…

a) Thanksgiving full stomach
b) full but not stuffed
c) maybe light hunger or fullness
d) hungry

10. You are currently eating…

a) 1 big meal/snack
b) 2 meals/snack
c) 3 meals/2snacks
4) 5 or more meals/snack

Yout Score:

Mostly A’s-MT1-Meal Type 1

You are the “feels so good but it is so wrong” type of eater. You are easily worked up or stressed. This can be both a good thing and a bad thing. If you are a hardcore trainee then you likely have one of the best bodies of everyone you know because you naturally load your body at its highest point of stress, recovery with sleep, and start the day all over again. However, if you aren’t an aggressive trainee, then you likely have the hardest time out of everyone you know because you load up on a bunch of food, didn’t do anything with it, and just let the sleep store it away. Sure, eating before bed isn’t going to get you fat, but eating everything for your whole day before bed isn’t exactly good for your nutrient partitioning. If not doing anything with that energy internally then also look out for insomnia and general restless sleep. This will cause worse sleep, more stress, and the cycle repeats. You also are likely to have sensitive blood sugar levels and respond to the highs and lows from the food loads.

What to do? If you are an aggressive trainee and your body is coming out the way you want then no need to worry about it right now. If you don’t need to drop a lot of body fat and/or have good discipline with the little you need to then enjoy your stuff.

If you are try to lose fat, and usually it is a good amount of it, then you need to a) train to help with partitioning and b) eat 2 meals a day instead of one huge one and a solid Post WO shake. Too small of meals for you might not be enough to keep you on track due to the signals of “full” you are use to receiving. While you are a prime physical candidate for small multiple meals, your mental will likely never survive. Split the difference at 2 meals and a huge PWO shake.

Mostly B’s-MT2-Meal Type 2

By nature you are likely a eat for pleasure and have in the past, or present, enjoyed restaurant eating and getting a nice big meal in at night with perhaps a small lunch and snacking during the day.  You don’t over do it on a massive scale, but you still over do it. You likely creep and crawled your way up to being overweight (or muscled if you train) rather than just “woke” up in a bad state 50 pounds heavier (or stacked). You are the average overweight or obese in the country in which that slowly bad caloric intake over time built the fat up. If you train you likely have a great muscle base but still have a harder time with lower body fat. You  might have some general stress and blood sugar problems but nothing that finding that right motivation tape can’t fix, the bookstores just seem to be out.

What to do? You are the perfect candidate for 2 meals/2 shakes.  What this means is you have two larger meals in your day, perhaps around lunch and dinner time. However the catch is to make sure that you place a proper Pre and Post workout shake around your training to aid in recovery and love the stress on the body and the feeling of blood sugar crashed that could lead to more eating at night time.  At the same time you will still have the room and enjoy have a few more calories to have a larger meal that you are primarily used to and your body enjoys.

Mostly C’s-MT3-Meal Type 3

Generally you always just fall in the middle. Not really that fat, not really that buff. Average is what you feel and to some degree you are right. You likely don’t get big hunger spikes. You aren’t that likely to crash, burn, and binge. You are not usually the one has to back up from the table to unbutton that top button. So what is the problem? Why can’t you hit your goals? Because you are likely a nibbler. Just as the deficit is about to take its hold you naturally kick into its defense and provide your body with what it needs to keep where it is at. Your set point is a bitch to fight because in truth you are likely pretty healthy and strong you just can’t shake that last bit of fat. The worry is that your stress and frustration about it will drive you to moving to a different category.

What to do? You need to back off on the snacking and stick to just meals. Let the hunger hit you a little, don’t fear it, just don’t make it be to aggressive. Try 3 meals a day and no snacks but on lifting days a Post WO shake. So for the boring and average answer.

Mostly D’s-MT4-Meal Type 4

You are likely the “skinny fat” and have a hard timing achieving fat loss because it isn’t fat loss you really need but Body Recomposition. You likely are pretty lean as it is, fear getting fat, and are more likely to not eat when depressed rather than let Ben and Jerry ease your pain. Catabolic is more the name of your game. While you have low hunger spikes this isn’t always a good thing and could be from undereating do to too much stress in the body that has shut down certain signals in the body. You will carry higher levels of body fat even at lower weights and are set up for just as many health issues as the A’s.

What to do? Eat! Since eating and hunger might be a problem for you though you would best be served by giving your body time to process everything. Try all day snacking but don’t avoid protein. Turkey and cheese can be a snack and you need the protein. Basically get in as many meals and snack as you can through out the say, keep caloric dense items with you, and make your training more strength based than aerobic.

Pass it around and Break the Dogma of Meal Timing and remember, your body is ruler and usually knows more than you think.