Time and time again, we’ve heard that eating minimal amounts of food throughout the day can help you successfully burn the fat. Though many say this can be broken down into five-to-six meals per day, does this really impact your weight loss expectations? The reality is that if you continue to eat small, frequent meals throughout the day, you won’t shed the pounds as quickly as you anticipated.
Will you really boost your metabolism? By nibbling throughout the day, you avoid burning fat needed to lose significant weight. As you are frequently eating, you’re continuously releasing insulin, which helps to store sugar and prevent enzymes from releasing sugar to break down fat. By putting your body into a “post-absorption state”, you’ll utilize stores for nourishment and eventually burn more. In addition, by eating smaller portions throughout the day, it will not allow you to feel full or satisfied. Instead, eating three meals with a snack between lunch and dinner every four hours may do the trick. This will help maintain your blood sugar levels and assist your body in utilizing energy stores, thus enhancing your ability to shed the pounds.
In addition, when you limit your meal times to three times per day, your body will generate more muscle-building hormones. Many believe that by limiting your food intake, your body will burn fewer calories to save energy. Though this may be the case, it still takes a few days of low-calorie restraint for the body to slow down your metabolism. The truth is it doesn’t matter how many meals you eat per day. At the end of the day, if caloric intake and the type of foods you eat is the same, then it doesn’t matter if you are eating three or five meals per day. Scientifically, there is no evidence that says eating more frequently results in significant weight loss. Valuable nutrients such as carbs, protein, and fats are still vital, but how often you consume the meals isn’t relevant.
When choosing an eating plan, you must find one that meets your needs. Furthermore, eating frequently will cause you to become hungry more often, thus leading to a higher calorie intake. This will then cause you to pack on the pounds. In contrast, when eating less often, you aren’t as hungry throughout the day. This will allow you to consume fewer calories. The most important thing is to concentrate on what you eat versus how often. If you can maintain a mindset of removing the word “dieting” in your brain, and changing it to “lifestyle eating”, chances are, you’ll be able to reach your weight loss goals. Are you ready to burn more fat?
There are many ways to adjust your diet to manage the weight. Here is one example of a four-meal plan you could use:
- Breakfast -8 am
- Lunch 1 pm
- Afternoon Protein Shake 1.5 hours before workout
- Dinner around 7 p.m. (could be the post-workout meal)
- Protein Shake before bed
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