I'm sure you have heard it before, but one of the best ways to control your caloric intake and lose weight is to eat more often throughout the day. Ideally, you should eat 5 to 6 times per day, with 2 ? to 3 ? hours between each meal or snack. There are several reasons why this works.
1. Eating more frequently gets your metabolism going and keeps it working at an elevated level continuously throughout the day.
2. It will amp up your energy and keep your insulin level constant.
3. Because you are eating more frequently, you should eat a smaller portion at each meal or snack. Use some common sense here and remember the key word is SMALL! If you are eating your normal portions, this won't work! This isn't as hard as it sounds, because you just won't be as hungry since you just ate 2 or 3 hours ago.
4. Since you are not as hungry, it is much easier to pick a lean and healthy snack. When you let yourself get very hungry, you are much more likely to grab whatever is in sight. This is also when you start to crave all of those things that are so high in fat and calories, and you will probably eat more of it.
5. Even though you will ideally be eating LESS food that you are now, you will feel like you are eating MORE. Your mind and body will equate eating more frequently with more food, and therefore feeling more satisfied.
6. Knowing that you will be eating more often, you should plan ahead for your meals and snacks. This, too, will help to insure that you pick foods that are good for you and fit into a lean and healthy diet.
7. The thermogenic effect of eating several small meals is slightly higher than eating the same amount of calories all at once.
8. Eating little and often also really helps to control hunger and makes you less likely to binge.
Is it easy to incorporate eating 5 to 6 times per day into your schedule? Not at first! It does take a little extra time and planning. Is it worth it? Absolutely! If you do it sensibly, it will help you to control your fat and calorie intake. The result is reaching and/or maintaining your weight loss goals.
Another great tool is to use a diet journal to track your food intake. Once you start tracking your nutritional intake, you will really start to see every aspect of where your calories are coming from. Here is a free diet journal:
http://www.shapefit.com/diet-journals.html
Make sure each small meal has a lean protein source. Shoot for about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight and divide this number by your total meals throughout the day. Here are a few quick and healthy snacks I incorporate into my daily plan:
Healthy Snack #1: 1 cup of Non-Fat Cottage Cheese & 1 scoop of whey protein powder (chocolate mint). Mix them up in a bowl and you will be amazed how good it tastes!
Healthy Snack #2: 1 cup of all natural rolled oats & 5 egg whites. Mix the oats with a little water and microwave for about 1 minute. Spray a little Pam cooking spray on a pan and cook up the egg whites over medium heat. Finally pour the egg whites into the oatmeal and mix.
Kris Bierek is a fitness specialist for the health and fitness site http://www.shapefit.com where you can find FREE fitness tools like fitness newsletters, dieting tips, weight loss help, exercise questions and a free fitness analysis to help you get into the best shape of your life!
Airbnb cleaning service Arlington Heights ..Some of you will not like what I have to... Read More
If you're trying lose weight, maintain your weight, or sculpt... Read More
Are you weighted down with delusion, depression and on the... Read More
Burn fat while you sleep! Eat whatever you want and... Read More
Weight loss surgery is fast becoming a very popular way... Read More
Lose a pound of fat? what does it take? Not... Read More
I am sure that when I mention setting objectives for... Read More
There are lots of dieters, trying every sort of plan... Read More
These fat burning tips can help you discover a fat... Read More
1. Become aware of what you are eating.Before I started... Read More
Obesity and overweight, weight reduction and weight management therapies, miracle... Read More
Water is useful when we are trying for losing weight.... Read More
If anyone knows anything about fitness, it's that a low... Read More
Low carb beer and lite beer are two different animals.... Read More
There's nothing more fun then being creative with food and... Read More
This is a very important topic that needs to be... Read More
First of all we need to find out a reason... Read More
Natural therapies uphold the importance of minerals, vitamins and herbs... Read More
Control that sweet tooth. Remember that sweet things generally mean... Read More
Contrary to common belief, your weight is not really the... Read More
I would like to introduce you to an incredible new... Read More
Frankly, I'm puzzled whenever I hear this from somebody who's... Read More
Sometimes it's good to just let the feelings flow. Take... Read More
What is the relationship between intake of nutrition and metabolism... Read More
Let me tell you something - if you are doing... Read More
reliable maid service Winnetka ..Experts say obesity will overtake smoking as the biggest health... Read More
Surprisingly, hair loss is one of the reasons female pre-operative... Read More
Remember there's more to you than meets the eye. You've... Read More
If you're taking a fiber supplement or eating a high... Read More
Welcome to lesson #2. First of all, I believe that... Read More
I wonder how much it is generally known that the... Read More
You are the GREATEST, aren't you? You are focusing on... Read More
Getting enough of the good fats will help you lose... Read More
The Sour Truth -------------------------- Question: I had a baby 6... Read More
Yoga is wonderful for nurturing a state of mental and... Read More
Adherence to diet for one year, not the specific diet... Read More
The perfect diet should be combined with a healthy weight... Read More
Name a diet...any diet. It doesn't work. Try to name... Read More
Diet PillsTaking diet pills is definitely not an effective weight... Read More
Things get so confusing when it comes to understanding what... Read More
Q: I've heard you mention that you don't need tons... Read More
I know how difficult it can be do stick to... Read More
LivingAfterWLS reader feedback indicates snacking is the single biggest problem... Read More
A new survey has found that heel pain caused by... Read More
Eating the right foods and exercising regularly have been the... Read More
Diet tips for losing weight abound. Some are good, some... Read More
I was shocked. I started to cry...After the holidays, I... Read More
Hold the onions! Let's talk "liver". No, not beef liver,... Read More
We have such good weight loss intentions. We emotionally beat... Read More
Many critics in have attacked low carb diets for only... Read More
Weight Loss |