Regular eating is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of achieving your weight loss goals, but actually, it is one of the most important tools that you can use to keep yourself on track. As a dietitian I spend most of my clinic time explaining to people why they should not skips meals. I would guess over 60% of my patients skips at least one meal per day. I understand some people don’t feel like eating, and others think skipping meals will actually help them to lose weight as they are removing some
calories from their diet.
Picture this...You started the day feeling great, really motivated to have a healthy day. You decide to skip breakfast and hold out till lunch. By 11 you're really feeling the hunger and have reached for a piece of fruit. No good, still very hungry. Lunch time, a bowl of soup, healthy right? It's now nearing 4 o'clock and the temptation of the office cakes is becoming near impossible to resist... ok one piece... and maybe a biscuit too. Home time, you arrive back at the house and oh my goodness are you hungry. You reach for
the first thing you see in the cupboard, a share bag of crisps, telling yourself you'll just have a few. Next thing you know the packet is empty and you're wondering how this happened. Healthy eating can start tomorrow, and you're already on the phone to order a Chinese. Does this sound familiar? We've all been there.
So how can regular eating help us?
You may have heard the term 'blood sugars'. This simply means the amount of sugar that is circulating in our blood at a given time that is ready to provide us with energy. In an ideal situation we would like to keep our blood sugar levels fairly stable throughout the day, allowing for slight natural fluctuations. When we wake up after a night sleep we have usually gone a good 8-10 hours without any food. Our blood sugar levels will be very low and we may feel physically lethargic. This means it's time to break-the-fast, AKA time for breakfast and get our blood sugar up to a nice level. By mid-morning we will have digested
our breakfast and probably be ready for a little pick me up, a small snack to tide us over until lunch. Similarly in the afternoon, around 4 o'clock you may start to feel hunger creeping back and go for snack number 2 to keep you going until dinner. This regular pattern will keep our blood sugars stable all day, and prevent us from grabbing the wrong type of foods.
Regular eating also helps to keep our metabolism stable which in turn will improve our fat metabolism. It promotes self control and keep our energy and concentration levels stable all day.
So what changes can I make?
Try and stick to 3 regular meals with a couple of small snacks if needed.
Think about what it is that you're eating. Realistically, does a bowl of Frosties keep you satisfied for long? probably not. So maybe choose something with a less sugar and more protein and unsaturated fat to keep you feeling fuller for longer. Maybe eggs on toast or some porridge with a bit of peanut butter.
Set reminder alarms, to remember when you need to eat your meals and snacks, until it becomes a natural habit
If you don’t like eating too early push your meal times back a little. For example have your breakfast at 10am instead of 7am, lunch at 2pm and evening meal at 6pm.
Keep a food log to show how regular eating has improved your energy levels, performance and the food choices you made.
When it comes to snacks, check if you are truly hungry. If not just stick to your 3 meals that have no longer than 4 to 5 hours in between each.
If you work a night shift still have 3 regular meals during the night time.
Please get in touch with our dietitian if you want some tips and tricks specifically tailored to your lifestyle.
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