You've probably heard the advice that eating small meals throughout the day is how you win the battle of the bulge. The claim is that frequent snacking, as long as it's healthy, keeps your metabolism humming, staves off hunger, and controls blood sugar.The end result: You eat less. Except it may not work that way.A study from the University of Ottawa found that on a low-calorie diet, there was no weight loss advantage to splitting calories among six meals rather than three.A second study found that switching from three daily meals to six did not boost calorie-burning or fat loss. In fact, the researchers concluded, eating six meals a day actually made people want to eat more.And a research review reached no conclusions about whether meal frequency helps or hurts with weight loss.So if the number of meals you eat doesn't make a difference with weight loss, what does?Calories, says Kristin Kirkpatrick, RD, a wellness manager at the Cleveland Clinic. Your best bet is to cut your daily calories, regardless of how often you nosh. If you want to eat more often, you can, as long as you keep your calories in check.