Atleast three is the key, for starters

People really should eat the three key meals a day, including some additional meals to up their metabolism. I plan to focus here some about the three key meals in a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Breakfast - This is a no-brainer. think about it. Can you go through the day without food for 6-9 hours, no, so why should you wake up and not eat in the AM within the first hour? You shouldn't. You should be eating within 1 hour of waking up.
Breakfast also replenishes the nutrients you have lost over the course of the sleep. Sleep is where you body regrows, which requires a great deal of nutrients. So you should replenish what was lost during this time.

Lunch - Simple, you crash after a few hours of not having food. Ever feel very tired prior to lunch? That's because you body requires the nutrients involved with lunch to proceed through the rest of the day. However lunch should not be a very large filling meal, rather something simpler and smaller then your breakfast or dinner.

Dinner - Is like a rejuvenation meal after your hard day. You require that last bit of nutrients to re-supply what was used in your daily routines. This doesn't mean eat like a hog, but the right ingredients to maintain your low fat weight and keep your strength.

For Example: Try moving furniture all day, you feel very hungry, the damage done to your body while moving a lot of items makes you hungry because your body is in need of regrowth. Hunger is the need to replenish the fuel used to help regrow your body. You require a balanced breakfast to start the day, a nutritious lunch to help you maintain your work load and a fulfilling dinner to help promote recovery.

If you already eat three meals a day then your doing good. Now try to increase that to 5-6 a day having small meals throughout the day without over eating at any meal. 5-6 meals a day keeps the body burning that energy because it has an abundance of income to burn with. Your metabolism stays on track and on fire like a incinerator.
Colby

A little bit less

One huge difference in a lifestyle change is when it comes to eating. Most people eat until stuffed full and can not eat any more. This is a very bad habit. You should normally eat until you feel full and not stuffed.

Typically one serving of food is enough for most people to feel full. Of course this all depends on how much you have worked that day and your body type. If you happen to be very large or have a fast metabolism then the numbers would be different naturally. Its up to you to fully decide what is right for this example to work properly. You could also cut large meals down into two separate parts to ensure you do not over eat or stuff yourself.
Colby

A little bit extra

A little bit extra effort a day can go a long way. What this means is that all you have to do is park further from the store to walk a little more. Try carrying a basket at the supermarket instead of pushing a cart, unless you really require a cart. Take to the streets if you live in a city with sidewalks and you can walk to lunch within reasonable time. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Use simple judgement of where you can get just a little extra out of your daily routines.

With these simple modification to your routines you can, for instance, keep your weight in check or get in better shape based on your current situation. If you take a flight of stairs and get winded, then you are obviously not in shape and need to work harder before health problems set it. For older able adults this is a great way to ward off osteoporosis.
Colby