Many times when someone is trying to lose weight, they think that less is more. In other words, there can sometimes be a tendency to skip meals or go longer lengths of time between meals as individuals feel this lowers their calorie intake. However, this practice usually leads to less weight loss and sometimes weight gain. When someone only eats one meal per day, the body tends to slow its metabolism. Food = Energy, and energy is needed for functions of every day living, such as walking, standing, or even your body’s ability to process foods or pump blood. Thus, if your body is unsure when the next energy source is coming, it’s going to store whatever your last meal was as fat for future use. Speaking of energy, someone who has eaten only once per day may feel very tired and become less active during the day adding less opportunity for your body to burn calories. Finally, when skipping meals or going longer times without food it is common to have a severe hunger all of a sudden. Most times it is very difficult to make healthy choices when we are faces with severe hunger. Anything will do at this point and most likely in larger portions as we tend to eat a bit faster than normal.
It is common for individuals who are overweight or obese to fall into the pattern of skipping meals. When I see these individuals for weight management I start by having them eat breakfast and work their way up to eating 4 or 5 small meals per day. Many times when I discuss this, my clients are nervous they will gain weight as they are eating more food. To their surprise the weight usually starts dropping instantly.
Eating small frequent meals takes extra work. You may have to plan healthy snacks ahead of time and plan to take breaks during the day to eat. But in the end you will develop a healthy habit and your weight and metabolism will reward you.
Filed under: Tips for Weight Loss
