Six small meals a day
Eating every three to four hours instead of three large meals
Five or six smaller plates spaced three to four hours apart, so no meal is heavy and there is never a long stretch without fuel. Athletes with two sessions a day use it to keep energy steady and fit protein around workouts. It runs against the time-restricted eating many people in this directory prefer. Total intake matters more than meal count for weight, so the choice is about schedule and appetite, not a metabolic edge.
Who backs it
Sorted by strength of stance
- Cristiano RonaldoDoes it
Footballer · Portugal captain and five-time Ballon d'Or winner
Eats regularly rather than in three sittings, sometimes up to six smaller meals a day, which he says keeps his energy high enough to perform in every session. Goal adds that a dietician has planned the spacing, one meal every three to four hours, since his Real Madrid years.
Source: Goal: What are Cristiano Ronaldo's diet, workout and fitness secrets?
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under energy or fitness.
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Resistance training
Lifting weights 2-4 times a week to build and hold muscle
Backed by 37 of 44 stacks: 32 do it, 3 recommend it, 2 have discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Zone 2 cardio
Easy aerobic work you can hold a conversation through, 3+ hours a week
Backed by 12 of 44 stacks: 5 do it, 5 recommend it, 2 have discussed it - Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Cycling
Steady riding, outdoors or on a stationary bike, as daily low-intensity cardio
Backed by 7 of 44 stacks: 7 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
High-intensity interval training
Short all-out efforts with full recovery in between, a few times a week
Backed by 6 of 44 stacks: 5 do it, 0 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Daily cardio
Around half an hour of aerobic work most days, at any pace you can sustain
Backed by 4 of 44 stacks: 4 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Swimming
Lap swimming as low-impact cardio and a reset for the head
Backed by 4 of 44 stacks: 4 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
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