pic from here
As Americans we have it all wrong apparently. Most people skip breakfast, have a light lunch and chow down for dinner. Just remember this little addage:
Eat like a King For Breakfast
Eat like a King For Breakfast
Eat like a Prince for Lunch
Eat like a Pauper for Dinner.
Remember, Your metabolism slows down as the day progresses. Eat more when your body is a raging calorie burning furnace! I heard once that if you eat after 8:00 everything you eat is turned directly into fat cause your body doesn't need it.
I thought you needed a visual of a raging burning furnice :)
Even better! Eat 3 small meals and snacks in between. I always hear this and like sheep follow what the "experts" say, not exactly sure why it is such a benefit and what is the logic behind it?
Alot of reading but EXCELLENT INFO
After a meal is digested, your body has all of these extra calories floating around. It can store some carbohydrates in the muscles and liver and use some protein to build new tissues. All the rest of the energy that is not immediately used will be converted and stored as fat.A bigger meal which has more calories will leave more energy floating around in your system. Your muscles and liver have a maximum capacity to store carbohydrates but once they're full, everything else is converted to fat. You can either burn up that extra energy before it is converted to fat through exercise, or you can decrease the size of your meals so that your body will not need to convert excess energy into fat. While there is only so much carbohydrates that can be stored, the amount of fat you can store is limitless. (EEK! comment by me!) Stored fat can be used for energy. So what is the problem with body fat, won't the body use fat as an energy source between meals? The answer is that your body will use the stored carbohydrates in your muscles and liver for energy before it uses fat. Once the carbs are gone, your body might start breaking down muscle proteins for energy rather than using fat. It does not like to use fat as energy and will only use it in certain circumstances.(Darn picky bodies!!- comment by me) Instead of being stuck on three large meals per day, try making your three main meals smaller and incorporating snacks between meal times. You will be eating the same amount of calories, but they will be divided into more pieces. Instead of having all your calories come from breakfast, lunch and dinner, some should come from snacks.
Going the entire day without snacks can leave about five hours between each meal. (They are saying it's ok to snack?! Wahoo!!- comment by me)Fasting for five hours will cause you to get hungry and have cravings. Usually we get cravings for chocolate (who me?!?), chips and cookies, not salads. One of the most effective ways to cut down on junk food is to prevent cravings. Snacks between meals will keep you from getting hungry and keep you on track to eat healthier foods. You should try to eat every three hours to prevent yourself from getting hungry. Eating smaller more frequent meals will result in eating healthier foods, a lower body fat percentage and more energy throughout the day.
P.S. The "Haters" (see previous post) brought in leftover superbowl food. Aside from the cheeseball that of course tastes fantastic, there is this DIP. layer of cream cheese, layer of shredded chicken mixed with buffalo wing sauce, the top layer Bluecheese dressing, heat up in microwave and serve with Fritos. See what I'm dealing with here?!? Good food follows me! Dang!
My trainer, (remember the muscly Baron?) was horrified that I eat two meals a day (lunch and dinner) and sometimes snack in between. HORRIFIED! "You have to stop doing that" he says. "Do you want to lose 50 lbs?" My answer to this was of course a humble "Yes" "You have to eat 6 meals a day", small meals, a banana and yogurt one time, oatmeal and applesauce one time, chicken salad one time, and so on. "I'm not hungry that often" I say. But you crash in the afternoon and eat sweets and other stuff because you are starving" he says "right?" I hung my head and admitted defeat. "6 meals a day." he reiterates.
ReplyDeleteMy problem with this is, I have been watching my calorie intake as well. Several people told me that weight loss is simple (yeah right) they say it is calories in, versus calories out. If you put less in than you expend in a day, you lose weight. Well, when I eat 6 small meals, I end up eating way more calories a day, even if they are super healthy, like fat free yogurt and a banana. I don't get it. Maybe it doesn't matter? Maybe it does?
I'm making an effort, so I guess that is what counts, or at least I hope so.
I've also read that if too much time lapses between meals your metabolism starts to slow. But if you eat snacks in between meals, you keep it moving, and you burn more calories as a result. I usually eat a moderate sized breakfast (like cereal or a bagel with some fruit), a big lunch, and small dinner with lots of snacking in between. Although now that I'm pregnant my portions of everything have gotten much bigger!
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