How many meals are YOU eating…?

How many times do you hear the classic phrase ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day!’, or how about ‘if you have to skip a meal, make sure it’s NOT breakfast’?!?  Probably a lot.  And you know what- it’s true.  But it’s also important to fuel your body several times a day, not just first thing in the morning.

Now why is it actually important eat more FREQUENTLY throughout the day? Not necessarily 6 times, but not necessarily just 3 either.  More frequently…and here is why!

1. It helps stabilize your metabolism…not SPEED it up.  Think about this, if you’re eating at a constant and consistent level throughout the day AKA not overstuffing and never feeling starved, your metabolism will remain at a more steady rate as well as never having deficiency. More calories at one time are too much for your body to handle!! The best way to jump-start your metabolism is to exercise. Exercise will aid in reducing body fat as well as putting an increase to your lean muscle mass. By increasing lean muscle mass, your metabolic rate will increase and aid in the actual weight loss process. Muscle tissue uses more calories than fat tissue because it has a higher metabolic rate!! So get to lifting!!! 🙂

2. Smaller meals helps to keep your insulin levels at a steady state. Understanding how to control and balance your blood sugar is the most important aspect in controlling the cravings and actual fat loss!  The most effective way of doing this is through our smaller meals and more frequent eating! Eating the right types of carbohydrates, with lean proteins and small amounts of “good” fats, will stabilize your blood sugar and insulin levels preventing energy spikes and crashes.  No more roller coaster cravings!

3. Listen to your body! Don’t force yourself to eat food when you aren’t hungry. If you are trying to eat multiple small meals, try to avoid eating when you are completely full. Learn to listen to your body and make your meals even smaller if you find yourself feeling overly stuffed. Try a 200 calorie meal/snack opposed to a 300-350 calorie meal. As long as you are meeting your nutritional requirements, don’t increase your caloric intake! That leads to weight gain. But make sure you are getting the proper nutrients at each meal. Also, you NEED  to avoid eating empty calories and processed snack foods while you are sitting at your desk or driving to and from work.  Even though they are quick and easy- they lack nutritional value! Foods that are low in nutrients and high in calories, just cause your blood sugar to spike and then drop, creating the roller coaster cravings I talked about previously! And what this will do is make you hungrier a lot sooner! Instead, try to make each meal balanced with complex carbohydrates (whole grains!), and a lean protein!  It’s all about choices– PLANNING AND ROUTINE!!

Make some changes and figure out what woks for YOU! 

Base of the Pyramid

Dieting can be one of the hardest obstacles to overcome when trying to make changes to your day to day routine as well as changing the way you look.  I call it the ‘base of the  pyramid’ for a reason; if you don’t change the way you fuel your body, you will NOT change the way you look.  It is the foundation and the base of molding your body towards your desired goal. Whether it is to lose weight or gain muscle, neither one of these can OR will be accomplished without changing what you put into your body.

Plan.  You have got to plan!  Plan your meals.  Pack your food.  Have it ready to go with you in the morning.  It’s that simple.  It is always much harder to grab healthy and nutritious meals ‘on the go’. So without having to even question what you are putting into your mouth, KNOW what you are putting into your body by preparing it YOURSELF! You can always prepare larger quantities of food and freeze remaining portions for later convenience.

Routine.  Everyone THRIVES on routine.  This includes routine of working out, when you go to sleep, how many hours of sleep you get, and what you are feeding your body!  Why do you think it’s always hard to come back from vacation?! Because you fall out of routine…!

Watch your sugar! Believe me, I love candy as much as the next guy, but PLEASE limit your intake of sugary foods! With Easter right around the corner, it’s hard to not walk into a grocery store without seeing Chocolate bunnies, cadbury cream eggs, and PEEPS!  And I hate to say it, but sugar include any refined-grain products such as white bread and white pasta. Sugar, our No.1 additive culprit, is added to almost everything! Just one daily 12-ounce can of soda (160 calories) can add up to 16 pounds over the course of a year.

Protein.  Getting enough protein helps preserve muscle mass which also helps to encourage fat burning while keeping you feeling full. So be sure to include healthy protein sources, like yogurt, cheese, nuts, or beans, at meals and snacks. Or try a protein shake! My favorite protein is by Jay Robb.  He has 5 flavors, all which are very tastey.  You can just mix them with water or milk or even almond milk.  Get creative, throw half a banana in it, or a scoop or peanut butter.  You can find his protein powder at Whole Foods or Vitamin Shoppe.

I sometimes feel like I am beating a dead horse when i talk about diet.  But, I just know from experience upon myself, my clients, and my studies, that dieting is just as, if not MORE important than your actual workouts.  That is why i put so much emphasis on it with the people I work with because it is such an intricate part of reaching your goal.  I can’t watch everything you put in your mouth, and I can’t go to the grocery store with you every Sunday afternoon, or fix all your meals for you and package them up, but I can give you the tools to make you one step closer to your goals and making you a success.