Yes and no.

The truth is the science on this is really complicated.

Sure it's true that if you eat less calories then you burn, you'll lose weight.

However, calorie counting is imprecise (labels can legally be off by 20% in the US, fitness trackers are laughably imprecise as well), metabolic rates can vary wildly between people so recommendations are really just educated guesses, and tons of things can affect that metabolic rate.

For example, the multiple meals thing has seen some supporting evidence. By eating a lot of small meals, your metabolic rate tends to stay up slightly higher, and your body is better able to process things like sugars as the intake is spaced out further instead of an all it once influx.

At the same time, one large meal a day has had some supporting evidence behind it as well. By doing this your body would actually go into a state of fasting for the majority of the day (known as intermittent fasting), which will typically lower metabolic rate slightly, but also burn fat more directly in non-active scenarios since there are no food calories available.

Both ways have their pros and cons, and it really comes down to what works for you, your schedule, and your lifestyle.