For healthy weight loss, one should eat 5-6 small meals a day, every few hours. If you feed your metabolism smaller amounts, more often, it will speed up, and you will lose weight.
However, if you’re a big meal eater, don’t fret, because you can still eat a good amount, just try to do it for your first meal of the day.
In the morning, your metabolism moves faster than it does in the evening. So you can make breakfast a larger meal without guilt, so long as it is healthy. An example of a good breakfast is one scrambled egg, a bowl of regular oatmeal, one banana, and a bowl of strawberries.
There is a common fallacy in the fitness arena that to lose weight you should eat as little as possible as rarely as possible. You actually need to eat less, but more often. For example one banana is not a well rounded meal. You can’t just eat a banana for breakfast and expect to get the results you want. It is also not enough to jumpstart your metabolism for the day. Your body needs more to start off with so it can get going for the day.
Also, each meal should have a blend of complex carbohydrates and protein. A banana is a good source of potassium, but it is hardly enough to constitute a “meal”. It is also just not enough to get you going first thing in the morning.
I use the banana example because all too often I overhear dieters say “I’m trying to lose weight, so I only grabbed a (insert any fruit here) for breakfast, maybe later if I get hungry I’ll have an apple.”
True, it is healthy to eat fruits, but they are not enough to constitute a meal, and you’re depriving your body of proper energy and nutrients if that’s all you’re eating for long stretches of time.
Your first meal of the day should be the biggest, and then gradually, as the day goes by, pyramid down the size of your meals.
If you don’t get home until say, 9pm one night, and haven’t eaten yet, this is not the time to go into the kitchen and cook up a big dinner. If you’re not getting around to eating until this late, you’ve missed the window for having a big meal. It’s time to grab something small and light, because your metabolism is working slower at night. A yogurt is a good thing to eat if you get hungry late at night.
To sum things up, when trying to lose weight, or just to eat healthier in general, you should start your day with a larger meal, then as the hours go by, gradually make them smaller.
The Way to Eat…if you want to lose weight.
It is common knowledge these days that the healthiest way to lose
weight includes three facets: cardio vascular exercise, strength
training, and proper nutrition. There are many different definitions
to proper nutrition, but basically, if you want to lose weight, the
bottom line is you have to burn more calories than you take in.
Not into counting calories or doing math about what you eat? Most
people aren’t. In turn, think of it in this sense: to lose weight it
means that your metabolism has to start moving faster.
Common symptoms of a slow metabolism include weight gain,
unexplained exhaustion, and little to no energy in your daily
activities.
Of course exercise is going to speed up your metabolism, but if
you don’t adjust your eating habits to go along with the exercise,
you probably won’t see the results you want to see.
What’s the best way to eat to speed up your metabolism? It takes
eating 5-6 small meals every two hours to get that metabolism
pumping!
Depending on your point of view this can be a lot or a little. A big
eater may consider this too little, and a daintier eater may consider
this too much. The bigger eaters will be left craving more after
their small meal, and the smaller eaters will think they can’t fit that
much food into one day. But however you want to look at it, this
way of eating promotes the fastest and healthiest weight loss.
Sure, it is going to take a while to get used to for anyone who isn’t
used to this way of eating, but after a while, your body and
metabolism will adjust and you will start to notice your pants
getting looser.
Common questions include:
when should I eat these meals?
The common rule of thumb is to always eat as soon as you wake
up, then, go from there.
Foods like fruits and vegetables are essential to proper nutrition but
alone do not count as a meal, because each small meal should
contain protein and complex carbohydrates. If you get hungry in
between, this is the time to incorporate your fruits and vegetables,
if they are not already going to be included in your small meal.
When you get hungry, that is your metabolism’s way of telling you
that it needs more food to keep going, if you don’t feed that
demand, it is going to slow down and leave your body depleted of
the proper nutrients and energy. This also Promotes weight gain.
On the other hand, if you feed it too much, it is also going to slow
down. Eating just the right amount every few hours is going to
keep your metabolism moving quickly and smoothly, and with a
good exercise program you are going to start seeing the results you
want.
Think of your metabolism as a paper shredder. If you feed it a few
sheets of paper little by little, it is going to stay in tact and keep
running smoothly. But what is going to happen if you feed it too
much paper at once? It is going to jam up and move slowly if at all.
If your metabolism does this, you will gain weight.
Another common question concerning this way of eating is: what
constitutes a proper every two hour meal? Below are a few
suggestions that if eaten at the proper times, will have you on the
fast track to losing the weight you want, without the hassle of
calculating calories, fat grams, etc.!
Suggestions for “every two hour meals”:
*protein bar or protein shake
*peanut butter(natural) sandwich (no jelly) on whole wheat bread
*handful of peanuts, almonds, cashews, etc. (not macadamia nuts)
*half cup of plain oatmeal and piece of 2% cheese
*one scrambled egg with piece of multi grain or whole wheat toast or bagel
*small salad with chicken
*can of tuna with 3 pieces of whole wheat melba toast
###
weight includes three facets: cardio vascular exercise, strength
training, and proper nutrition. There are many different definitions
to proper nutrition, but basically, if you want to lose weight, the
bottom line is you have to burn more calories than you take in.
Not into counting calories or doing math about what you eat? Most
people aren’t. In turn, think of it in this sense: to lose weight it
means that your metabolism has to start moving faster.
Common symptoms of a slow metabolism include weight gain,
unexplained exhaustion, and little to no energy in your daily
activities.
Of course exercise is going to speed up your metabolism, but if
you don’t adjust your eating habits to go along with the exercise,
you probably won’t see the results you want to see.
What’s the best way to eat to speed up your metabolism? It takes
eating 5-6 small meals every two hours to get that metabolism
pumping!
Depending on your point of view this can be a lot or a little. A big
eater may consider this too little, and a daintier eater may consider
this too much. The bigger eaters will be left craving more after
their small meal, and the smaller eaters will think they can’t fit that
much food into one day. But however you want to look at it, this
way of eating promotes the fastest and healthiest weight loss.
Sure, it is going to take a while to get used to for anyone who isn’t
used to this way of eating, but after a while, your body and
metabolism will adjust and you will start to notice your pants
getting looser.
Common questions include:
when should I eat these meals?
The common rule of thumb is to always eat as soon as you wake
up, then, go from there.
Foods like fruits and vegetables are essential to proper nutrition but
alone do not count as a meal, because each small meal should
contain protein and complex carbohydrates. If you get hungry in
between, this is the time to incorporate your fruits and vegetables,
if they are not already going to be included in your small meal.
When you get hungry, that is your metabolism’s way of telling you
that it needs more food to keep going, if you don’t feed that
demand, it is going to slow down and leave your body depleted of
the proper nutrients and energy. This also Promotes weight gain.
On the other hand, if you feed it too much, it is also going to slow
down. Eating just the right amount every few hours is going to
keep your metabolism moving quickly and smoothly, and with a
good exercise program you are going to start seeing the results you
want.
Think of your metabolism as a paper shredder. If you feed it a few
sheets of paper little by little, it is going to stay in tact and keep
running smoothly. But what is going to happen if you feed it too
much paper at once? It is going to jam up and move slowly if at all.
If your metabolism does this, you will gain weight.
Another common question concerning this way of eating is: what
constitutes a proper every two hour meal? Below are a few
suggestions that if eaten at the proper times, will have you on the
fast track to losing the weight you want, without the hassle of
calculating calories, fat grams, etc.!
Suggestions for “every two hour meals”:
*protein bar or protein shake
*peanut butter(natural) sandwich (no jelly) on whole wheat bread
*handful of peanuts, almonds, cashews, etc. (not macadamia nuts)
*half cup of plain oatmeal and piece of 2% cheese
*one scrambled egg with piece of multi grain or whole wheat toast or bagel
*small salad with chicken
*can of tuna with 3 pieces of whole wheat melba toast
###
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