Is it better to do 3 meals or smaller mini meals?

I eat according to my nutritionists plan for me - 5 small meals a day.  I usually count my protein shake in the morning as my first meal, then eat every 3 to 3 1/2 hours.  My "meals" consist of 2-2 1/2 oz or protein, and a couple bites of veggies.  I'm 7 months out and this has worked great for me.  I don't panic about food or feel deprived because I know in just a short time I'll eat again.  So that small amount does me just fine.

My NUT and surgeon want me to eat 3 meals a day and no snacks.  Their history says that is best for long term success.  Their thinking is that after 2-3 hours, the body will turn to stored fat for calories.   If you snack, it wont.

It is not easy though.

Its amazing to to me the variations on the plan. I do 3 meals and 2 snacks for several reason. One is I don't have the capacity to get enough protein in if I only ate three small meals. THe other reason is my schedule would mean I would go 6 and 8 hours without eating if I stuck to meals and the NUT thought that was too long. I started that plan preop and I think I ended up eating more in a day by eating snacks but now post op its works well as long as I get protein in during every meal and snack.

My surgeon's plan is also very specific.  3 meals a day and during the first 6 months a protein "shake" between those meals and before bed.  I had my 3 month checkup last week and he said the reason is that in order to get in enough protein I have to drink that protein in between meals and he said the protein between meals helps keep the metabolism in "hyper" mode during the rapid weight loss phase.  After 6 months he said I should be getting all my protein from solid food and shouldn't need to have protein in between meals.  They also said an emphatic NO to snacking between meals.  I've found that I'm not hungry, when I think I'm hungry I'm usually actually thirsty.  So far, in 3 months, I'm already over half way to my goal, and after talking with my surgeon, I think I may be able to lose 10-20 lbs more than my original goal!  Good luck!

I eat 4-6 small meals per day. I am 4 weeks post-op and cannot eat a lot at one time. So, for example, I might have one egg for breakfast because I can only eat the one egg and then I'm full.  About an hour and a half to two hours later I would have a 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt and a Dole peach cup packed in water. I consider those two small meals breakfast. I think whichever you choose it might just be personal preference.