How many meals per day should I eat?

How many meals per day if I just want to lose weight?

Many people think that if you want to burn fat efficiently, you have to eat little and often. However, there is a faster and more convenient way to do it. First of all, you shouldn’t focus on meal frequency. Instead, focus on how much food you eat per day and based on the goal you want to reach. If you are in a calorie deficit (5-10% below the amount of calories to maintain your body weight), eating 8 smaller meals per days instead of 3 bigger meals, would just have a tiny effect on the speed at which you torch fat. On top of that it may cost you a little fortune. So let’s stop with this myth, eating several small meals is not a magic solution to burn fat quickly. You can eat how often you want whether it is 3 big meals a day, or just a several meals. In short, what matters the most if you just want to lose weight is the number of calories you consume over a period of 24h. Why? because the total calories consumed count more than frequency.

What about eating to build muscle?

What if your goal is maximum muscle gain? Thinking that eating more meals will systematically increase your metabolic rate is just a myth. When it comes to diet, nothing is that simple, because we all have different metabolisms, schedules and lifestyles. So, you better eat the number of meals that fit your lifestyle and only your lifestyle. Not the one of those bulk up guys you may see posing on YouTube, magazines or Instagram. If you have normal life with a job, daily transportation, a family etc. you may think that it would be beneficial to eat a constant stream of nutrients. Yet the spacing of meals is in fact more beneficial for muscle gain. This is due to the way fall and rise of amino acids prime your system. In that case, eating more than 3 meals a day, will bring you no extra benefits, based on the total amount of calories eaten daily. Keep in mind that what you want is to feed your muscles, not your belly! So focus on your calorie and protein intake (between 25 to 30 gr per meal) and train hard to increase your strength in order to improve your muscle growth. You should also consider adding a pre-workout and a post-workout snacks in order to fuel your muscle.

Iron Fit Food Natural Protein Bars to build muscle the smart way
Iron Fit Food Protein Bars to build muscle the smart way.

What about eating to burn fat?

If your main goal is to only burn fat, go for a 5-10% calorie deficit diet. The most efficient way would be to eat 3 meals per day. However, on the long run you may also lose muscular mass. This is due to a catabolic effect, especially if you have high intensity workouts several days a week. This is why you must make sure your ratio carbohydrates, fat and protein are structured and adapted to your training and goal. Indeed, calorie deficit is great to burn fat, but it is just a short-term solution if you want to keep your muscular mass. Beware if you eat fewer than 3 meals per day you may end up overeating and choosing unhealthy foods. If you seek long-term, go for carb cycling with long periods of carbohydrate restriction coupled with short windows of carbohydrate referring. In that case eat high-protein, high-fiber foods because they will help you to feel full longer. On a low carb diet, eat a maximum of 3 times per day and add good fat to your diet. This way you can teach your body to become “fat adapted,” meaning it will burn stored body fat for energy.

To burn fat, don't starve! Just eat the right thing at the right time.
To burn fat, don’t starve! Just eat the right thing at the right time.

What if I want to increase my lean body mass?

In a nutshell, to increase lean body mass eating 4 to 5 meals per day is not a bad thing. However you must keep an eye on the macro-nutrients and remember that your lean protein intake is one of the keys. Please have a look at this interesting list of the 43 High Protein Food For Weight Loss. If you workout regularly, like 5 days a week, you will need about 2g of protein per kilo of body weight per day. This is the reason why protein bars can help you. They can provide you calories, protein and good nutrients, as long as they are made with natural ingredients like the Iron Fit Food Protein bars. They are convenient and easy to carry on so that you can eat them anywhere anytime. Especially after a workout, when the body is stimulated to increase muscle protein synthesis. Burning fat, is not just about “calories in calories out”, but about eating the right food at the right time! Regarding the amount of calories, increasing your daily calories by 5 to 10% would be sufficient in promoting lean muscle growth.

The Iron Fit Food Protein Bars can help you get enough protein and complex nutrients for your diet.
The Iron Fit Food Protein Bars can help you get enough protein and complex nutrients for your diet.

Different goals, different diets.

At the end of the day, how many times per day you should eat depend on your goal and of your metabolism. So to get the best answer, you must test, test and test ! If you are looking to gain lean muscular mass, you may need to eat 4 to 5 times a day by promoting protein and avoiding carbohydrates that stimulate too much insulin secretion. As long as you do your Fitness session with enough intensity and you do enough cardio on a daily basis. On the other hand if your aim is just to gain mass, let’s say you’ve trained hard so you created a higher demand for nutrients. So you need to eat enough carbohydrate, fat, protein and food that will help you get the mass you need. But it doesn’t mean you have to eat sweets and junk food! Try to focus on a source of quality animal protein associated with a source of slow carbohydrates: pasta, rice etc… Whatever your goal, metabolism, training frequency or Fitness experience, keep in mind that the main key is the quality of your food more than the quantity.

Ben – Iron Fit Food

www.ironfitfood.com

instagram: ironfitfood

www.facebook.com/ironfitfoodth

Could sleep deprivation make me fatter?

Could sleep deprivation make me fatter?

Yes! Sleep deprivation can cause you to pack on extra kilos of fat. When we don’t sleep enough, our metabolism slows down to save energy. As a result the body will start to release the evil hormone Cortisol, which is increasing hunger (besides reducing the protein synthesis, halting tissue growth, reducing muscle mass, increasing abdominal fat …). On top of that, the level of Leptin hormone also known as the “satiety hormone” is dropping down, so you just end up craving for more food. And if you think you could go to the gym and burn out some more calories by training early morning with an empty stomach, then you are wrong… Because one of the several consequences of sleep deprivation on the metabolism is a big decrease of energy burned over a 24 hour period.

Scientists even said that a 4h sleep a night could increase the risk of obesity by 73% (50% for 5h and 23% for 6h). I suggest to sleep between 7h to 9h per night, especially if you are workout out at the gym regularly. This is also for an obvious matter of muscle recovery.

What the Scientists say?

Scientists even said that a 4h sleep a night could increase the risk of obesity by 73% (50% for 5h and 23% for 6h). I suggest to sleep between 7h to 9h per night, especially if you are workout out at the gym regularly. This is also for an obvious matter of muscle recovery. Indeed, as a reminder you are building up muscular mass thanks to anabolism. For it to happen you need, among other things, a good nutrition, no stress and more than anything sleeping well.

As you understood, sleeping is more than important if you want to stay fit and healthy! By the way, when you are craving so bad for food, please adjust your diet accordingly to your physical activity. Don’t forget to eat enough calories to recover after a hard workout session, and to slow down your carbs intake if you already have a diet rich in carbs or if you want to burn out some fat. The Iron Fit Food bars are a great solution for your diet. Whether you need to stay lean, burn fat, gain muscular mas, they will help you to reach your goals.

Ben – Iron Fit Food

www.ironfitfood.com

instagram: ironfitfood

www.facebook.com/ironfitfoodth

Thai dishes with the most proteins

Thai Barbeque, or MooKrata หมูกระทะ, often comes in the All You Can Eat mode

How to survive the protein deficit in Thailand

For anyone who leaves in Thailand, eating enough protein without exceeding in calories and all sort of trans saturated fats or refined sugar can be challenging. In fact, street food in Thailand is available everywhere and at cheap prices, so there is always something for everyone. But most of the times it is full of oil, sugars, processed food that are fattening and almost useless from a nutritional point of view. As long as your aim is to seek high protein and clean food.

Beside Thai Food, do there is any other protein high protein food option?

Indeed, there is another option. If you are looking for a good and healthy protein source, the Iron Fit Food Protein bars, brownies and cookies are an outstanding alternative to junk food or food with a poor amount of protein. And more than anything, you can easily carry them with you and they can be of a great help if you are somewhere where you have not much healthy choice when it come to food. Without mentioning the fact that they are made with natural ingredients. They may not be a meal replacement, but they provide an easy option for dieters who don’t have the time or resources for extensive meal planning, especially after a workout session at the gym!

Thai Food healthy and protein rich dishes

However, there are also some valid alternatives in the Thai cuisine (restaurant and street food) that can be considered healthy and protein rich. As previously mentioned, you want to avoid dishes full of carbs, sugar, trans fat and go for high protein, low carbs and good fat Thai dishes… This requires you to carefully pay attention to the recipes. Indeed, many Thai dishes contain hidden sugar, processed food and carbs.

Hidden sugars and unhealthy processed ingredient

Takes the example of a Som Tam (Papaya Salad), it is often, not to say always, cooked with sugar and GMO. Well, this is how a simple and basic vegetable Thai dish can ruin your diet, because of sugar, and health because of this toxic GMO. So when you order such a dish, just ask for no sugar and no GMO.

A Non exhaustive list of Thai dishes with the most protein

Now, let’s back to rich protein Thai dishes and get together through an non exhaustive list of the best and most flavorful you can find in Thailand. Here’s the list:

1. Gai Yaang ไก่ย่าง: The undisputed king of Isaan cuisine: grilled chicken. Better if in the form of chicken breast เต้านมไก่ย่าง, you can find it almost everywhere and at almost every Isaan street stall, even though usually Thais eat it in the morning. You can ask for ข้าวเหนียว kaow niaw, sticky rice, that fits perfectly with the chicken and make it a very balanced meal with good carbs and high protein. They usually drumstick + thigh, half a chicken, or just the whole chicken breast.

Gai Yang One Of The Thai Dish With The Most Protein

Gai Yang Grilled Chicken. One of the Thai dishes with the most protein

2. Moo Krata หมูกระทะ A solid second place is held by the infamous Thai Barbeque, often coming with an All You Can Eat option, so pay attention not to overeat. They usually offer beef, pork, chicken and seafood that you will need to barbeque yourself. Prices start from 150 thb all the way up, depending on the place and the poultry and fish offered. The only problem here is not to put too many unhealthy sauces on the food and not to eat all the fried and greasy side dishes and dessert that come included in the price. The biggest amount of proteins you can get, that’s for sure. We suggest going for Thai Barbeque after a long, intense training. It the perfect way to refill your body with protein, fibers and good fat!

Moo Krata หมูกระทะ Thai BBQ High Protein Dish

Moo Krata หมูกระทะ Thai BBQ. Often come in an all you can eat set.

3. Plaa kapong nung manao ปลากะพงนึ่งมะนาว: A healthy, not too greasy, filling Steamed fish with Lime and Garlic. For this, you’ll need to go to a proper restaurant, as street stall usually don’t have it. The price is around 350thb or more depending on the kind of fish and the level of the restaurant. Delicious! Check at this awesome recipe by clicking here

Plaa Kapong Nung Manao Thai Dish WIth Protein

Plaa Kapong Nung Manao. A Healthy Thai Dish With Protein

4. MoFai หม้อไฟ If you like soups, you are lucky because the Thai Hot Pot is one of the dishes richest in protein in Thai cuisine. Similarly to the Thai Barbeque, you can order the kind of meat and fish that you want with the soup. Prices are similar too. Remember not to drink too much broth, as is going to carry all the fat from meat and fish that melt as you cook them.

Thai Hot Pot A Protein Rich Thai Dish

Thai Hot Pot A Protein Rich Thai Dish

5. Kai Satay ไก่สะเต๊ะ One of the cheapest and colorful chicken dishes is the Chicken satay with peanut sauce and served with a refreshing cucumber and onion salad. The chicken is first marinated in coconut milk and curry powder and then grilled. The sauce made with peanuts is really good, but don’t abuse of it as it is very caloric. You can find the Chicken Satay in street stalls as well as in restaurants and it’s usually very cheap (10-20thb per meat stick). Are you hungry yet?! Have a look at this yummy and easy recipe by clicking here

Chicken satay with peanut sauce and served with a refreshing cucumber and onion salad ไก่สะเต๊ะ

Chicken satay with peanut sauce and served with a refreshing cucumber and onion salad ไก่สะเต๊ะ

That’s it for now, we’ll continue in the next post with our bits of advice on nutrition for active people. Nutrition for Bodybuilding, Fitness, Crossfit and related sports in Thailand is possible even without spending an excessive amount of money with our suggestion. As you can see, finding Thai dishes with the most protein is easy, as you just need to take a closer look at the recipes. However, you may need a high protein, convenient and quick-eat solution, especially after your workout session. This is why we created the most convenient and healthy protein bars you can get in Thailand, made only with the best natural ingredients and whey protein, to help you achieving your fitness goals. Also, at the opposite of most protein bars that you can find on the market in Thailand, our protein bars are made with natural ingredients. This make them a good and convenient alternative to Thai dishes with the most protein. And this is what you want for your body. You want to avoid protein snacks, full of sugar, carbs and with a list of ingredients that you don’t even know the name because they are artificial.

Iron Fit Food Natural Protein Bars health benefits

How Iron Fit Food Protein Bars can greatly help you to lower your cholesterol, keep blood pressure in check while helping you losing weight and gaining muscles

You are having troubles finding good quality natural protein bars in Thailand? Iron Fit Food is THE solution. Indeed, Iron Fit Food Protein bars, cookies and brownies are made only with top ingredients and, most of all, they are all of natural and sugar free. This means that all the Iron Fit Food Protein Snacks are loaded with the best whey protein, but also with healthy super-food such as nuts, seeds, raisins and coconut oil to achieve their high content of proteins, vitamins and mineral. Our bars are therefore a great help to maintain overall health at a top level, boost the immune system, lower bad cholesterol, keep blood pressure in check and of course promote weight loss and muscle building.

Let’s take a deeper look at the benefits of some of the ingredients Iron Fit Food food Protein Bars are made with:

Peanuts:

Peanuts contain vegetable protein, unsaturated fat, fiber and minerals. In particular, monounsaturated fats are the type of fat that lowers LDL, the “bad” cholesterol. The US Food and Drug Administration performed a study showing that a handful of peanuts at least five times every week can help lower your risk for heart disease by more than 25%.

Peanuts are also a healthy source of vitamin E, folate, niacin and manganese. They are also rich in resveratrol, a phenolic antioxidant present in red grapes used to make red wine.

Pumpkin seeds:

Pumpkin seeds contains an incredible variety of antioxidants . Starting from a good dose of vitamin E composed by several forms of it such as Alpha-tocopherol, alpha-tocomonoenol, gamma-tocopherol, delta-tocopherol, and gamma-tocomonoenol, making the bioavailability of Vitamin E greater than other forms. Moreover, Pumpkin seeds are rich in mineral antioxidants like manganese and zinc. Also Phenolic antioxidants are provided by pumping seeds in a variety of forms such as phenolic acids hydroxybenzoic, caffeic, coumaric, ferulic, sinapic, syringic and protocatechuic acid.

To summarize the benefits, Pumpkin seeds are good for:
-Maintaining Heart Health because of their Magnesium content.
-Boosting the Immune Support because of their Zinc content.
-They are rich in Plant-Based Omega-3 Fats.
-Good for maintaining Prostate Health.
-They have Anti-Diabetic Effects.

-Rich in aminoacids
-They contain Tryptophan that help provide a Restful Sleep.

Health benefits of iron fit food protein bars

Pumpkin seeds present in ironfit food bars present a long list of benefits

Sunflower seeds:

Health benefits of iron fit food protein bars

Sunflowers seeds improve bones, skin and are full of minerals

Sunflower seeds contain vitamin E, an important antioxidant for neutralizing free radicals that would otherwise damage molecules, such as cell membranes, brain cells, and cholesterol.

Sunflowers seeds have anti-inflammatory effects that can help with symptoms in asthma and arthritis, where free radicals and inflammation play a big role. They contain Phytosterols, compounds that when present in the diet in sufficient amountscan reduce blood levels of cholesterol.

They are also a good source of magnesium that can help with asthma, lower high blood pressure, and prevent migraine headaches, as well as reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.Magnesium is also needed for healthy bones and energy production.

Dried raisins:

Having a few raisins every day is good for your stomach and can help your Digestion as they contain fibres.

They are rich in potassium and magnesium in good levels.
They also can help against Anaemia as they have a good amount of iron and B-Complex vitamins. Their copper content also promotes the production of red blood cells.

Raisins are rich in polyphenolic phytonutrients, which are well known as anti-inflammatory antioxidants, therefore helping to boost the immune system and to treat Infections. Raisins contain phenol, collagen and elastin that promote healthy skin.

Health benefits of iron fit food protein bars

Dried raisins promote healthy skin and will give you an energy boost

Sesame Seeds:

Sesame seeds are rich in copper and manganese, also containing calcium, magnesium, selenium, vitamin B1, iron, zinc, molybdenum, phosphorus, and dietary fiber. Also, they contain 2 substances that are totally unique: sesamin and sesamolin, Those have a cholesterol-lowering effect in humans, and prevent high blood pressure. Sesamin has also evidence to protect the liver from oxidative damage.

Practical Tip:

To lower your risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease, enjoy 1 natural snack from Iron Fit Food, rich in healthy nuts, seeds, raisins and proteins at least 4 times a week.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, at the opposite of most protein snacks in Thailand, the Iron Fit Food Protein Bars are more than just products made with whey protein and some fillers. Indeed, they are made mostly with high protein natural ingredients, so you get get protein from different sources plus a good variety of macro nutrients, which literally make them the best protein bars in Thailand.

How can I train if I am traveling regularly?

Body weight workout routines are one of the keys for training when you travel

I often hear people telling me that they can’t be fit just because they are constantly traveling around. Well, when we travel, we all agreed it is not convenient to carry in our luggage some dumbbells and barbells. However, we can tailor our very own body weight workout routines. In that case it is important to master some basic exercises that you can do anywhere such as the planks, body weight squats, mountain climber, lunge, triceps dips, flutter kick, push-ups etc… If you want to go furthermore with your training and you think body weight exercises are too limited in term of variety and results, then I suggest you to buy a packable workout gear such as a resistance bands, a skipping rope, a foam roller or even a sling trainer (e.g. TRX), this kind of equipment is light, easy to carry on, easy to use and it can be installed quickly everywhere on the doors, walls etc…

Chosing a hotel with Fitness Facilities

When you are traveling, the best solution is definitely to go to a hotel with a fitness facility, so before booking any room always have a look at the list of the facilities of your hotel. And if your hotel don’t have any fitness facility? Then you can always search on the internet (e.g. Google map) for the closest gym to your hotel. So don’t let a simply nasty trip being an excuse to stop your training, you have to be motivated more than ever, especially since traveling can also mess up with your nutrition and your sleep habits, both necessary for a good recovery, maintaining your muscular mass burning fat and so on.

What about the nutrition?

And regarding the nutrition? As stated above, traveling can also mess up with your nutrition, too much carbs, not enough protein, tiny portions and late meals. One of the solution is to take supplements. There is several supplements available on the markets, all made for different purposes, fat burning, bulking up, sleeping etc…. However, the most important thing is to make sure that your intake of protein is high enough. Please see more details and figures about the daily protein intakes in the website of the National Center for Biotechnology Information here. To make it simple I suggest your daily protein intake to be of 2g of protein per kg of body weight in order to maintain your muscular mass. It is often a hard task when we travel and this is the reason why protein bars such as the Iron Fit Food bars are an outstanding solution. If your aim is to low down your carbs intake then you will go for the Performance bars, if your aim is to bulk up you will go for the Brownies or the Energy, if you are in between and need an all-rounder then you will go for the Original bars. Anyway, always keep in mind that being fit requires discipline and motivation, it is like anything else in life, just a matter of priority.

 

Ben – Iron Fit Food
www.ironfitfood.com
instagram: ironfitfood