Sure, it seems inconsistent when you first consider it, but research has indicated that the best way to build and maintain muscle as well as burn tummy flab is to eat smaller meals frequently. For quite some time, the established method to burn the most fat was to eat three regular meals a day; in fact, some people only eat two or fewer meals in a day.

Even so, if you really want to build muscle and burn tummy flab, the fact is that eating only three meals a day will not have a positive effect on your results. The truth is that if there are long gaps (4 hours or more) between your meals, your fat burning metabolism will slow down in an effort to conserve energy. This is a simple survival technique used by the body to stay healthy during times of starvation.

Simply put, the body has no way of knowing that there is a fridge full of food 10 feet away from you, and so when you stay without food for 4 hours or more, this natural survival mechanism is activated.

During this period that the body considers to be a “famine,” it will burn less fat as well as break down lean muscle tissue. Since muscle is metabolically active, it can actually burn calories by itself, and so losing muscle tissue can further slow down your metabolism. This is clearly not a good thing if you really want to burn tummy flab.

Besides an increase in muscle breakdown and a decrease in fat burning, a long gap between meals will lower your energy levels, cause increased hunger pangs, and destabilize your blood sugar levels.

If you want to burn tummy flab and ensure that your body’s fat burning processes remain effective and efficient, eat smaller meals more often during the day. Plan to eat 5–7 small meals every day, every 2–3 hours.

This might be difficult at first and may seem like a lot, but in time, if you keep at it, you will simply get accustomed to it. If you genuinely want to burn tummy flab, consume 5–7 small meals a day every 2–3 hours; this is the most effective step you could follow.

However, note that this does not suggest that you should eat more calories during the day. A good rule of thumb is to ensure that the caloric content of your smaller meals is the same as the two or three large meals eaten during the day.

By following this approach, you will burn tummy flab, but just as importantly, the approach in itself is healthier than others. If you are eating only a two or three meals a day, the portions of food that you would consume in one meal is much larger than what you would consume in the smaller, frequent meals. Eating large meals drastically raises your blood sugar levels; it also makes it hard for your digestive system to absorb all the nutrients at one time.

Several smaller meals keep your blood sugar level steady (this is important when trying to burn tummy flab) and are easily digested by the body.