How to Eat Small Portions Frequently

Eating more frequently in smaller portions helps to stimulate your metabolism and cause you to be able to burn more calories on a regular basis. However, it may be a challenge for you to break your schedule of having three square meals per day and heading to bed. Eating smaller portions throughout the day means cutting your calorie intake per meal to spread them out across five or six smaller amounts. There are several ways you can adjust your eating so that you consume less food in more times during the day.

Instructions

• 1

  Start small and keep up the pace. Begin eating a light breakfast within the first hour or two of waking up. Eat something small such as a protein bar, bowl of cereal or piece of fruit with toast. Eating something small kick-starts your metabolism to let your body know you're up and alert and ready to start burning.

• 2

  Stick to foods with plenty of protein and less carbohydrates so that you're not feeling hungry soon after consuming your meal. Protein like nuts, lean meats or eggs will last longer to help keep your cravings at bay until it's time for the next portion of the day. Add a little fat, like cheese, to balance your meal. Take the time to enjoy your food and eat slowly so your food has time to process.

• 3

  Try to eat something every three hours. Try turkey bacon with a piece of string cheese or peanut butter on an English muffin. Give yourself a few weeks for your body to adjust to your new intake schedule; at first, you may feel hungry and find it difficult to wait for the next meal or snack. Alternatively, if you feel as if you can't eat so often during the day, find one or two things that you like to snack on until your body gets used to having more food than normal.

• 4

  Cut your meal in half. For lunch, eat half of a sandwich with a cup of soup or a side salad. Avoid foods high in fat so that you are eating foods with substance to make you feel full and satisfied. Eat the other half of your sandwich a few hours later, or for dinner, depending on the size.

• 5

  Consider high-protein snacks and fruits as mini-meals. Before you know it, you will adjust to smaller portions and get in a routine of finding out which foods work better as larger meals and which are suitable for snacks between them.