So how do I do it? Simple: eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day.
How does that give me more energy? When we eat a big breakfast, then wait a few (4+) hours, we experience a huge spike in blood sugar followed by a huge drop in blood sugar levels. The result: a big spike in energy followed by a big drop in energy. The same thing happens a few hours later when we eat a big lunch. Ever have that afternoon lull in energy that the “energy shot” drink commercials always talk about? That is one of the reasons for this. Needless to say, it will happen again if you wait another couple of hours after lunch to eat a big dinner before going to bed. So instead of having these huge spikes and deficits of blood sugar that affect our energy levels throughout the day, wouldn’t it be nice to keep our blood sugar/energy levels more even so we can get through the day without wanting to take a nap at 2 p.m.? Eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day is how we accomplish this.
How does this apply to weight loss? When we take those long breaks from eating, our metabolisms actually slow down. This means that rather than burn up all the calories we’ve eaten, utilizing most of the nutrients right away, your metabolism will instead store as much of it as it can; mostly, in adipose tissue, where fat is stored. This is because the number one source of energy for the body in a resting state is fat. That is why we all need some fat in our body. However, I don’t need to tell anyone the myriad of health problems that can come from having too much fat, so back to the point of weight loss. If we eat a smaller meal, then another one 2-3 hours later, then another one 2-3 hours later, etc, our body will be getting a constant flow of nutrients. Because of this, our metabolisms will speed up, and constantly be burning calories throughout the day. Consequently, since our body’s number one fuel source at rest is fat, our metabolisms will be burning that fat up all day, helping in the processes of either weight loss OR maintaining a healthy weight.
Well, all that science is just super-duper, but how do I actually go about eating smaller meals more frequently? Rather than bore/confuse you with caloric expenditure numbers, I’ll give you some simple tips on how to do it. It won’t be as exact as actually calculating the number of calories you actually need and dividing it up throughout the day, but it will be much simpler.
• Plan your meals and snacks. What times of the day can you eat full meals? What times of the day do you have to eat a snack? If you know exactly when you can or want to eat, it will be easier to fit a meal or snack in at that time. Try to eat either a small meal or a snack every 2-3 hours. You can go for longer if you need to fit in an exercise session, but be sure to have a small meal or snack right after! (FYI: 1% or skim chocolate milk is a great post workout drink!)
• Divide, separate, and conquer. Think about how big your meals usually are. Now, cut those in half, and eat some of the food later than you normally would. Do you usually eat a bagel for breakfast? Eat half of it at your normal breakfast time, and the other half two hours later. Do you usually have a salad for lunch? Eat half of it at normal lunch time and half three hours later. Or, buy a smaller salad for lunch, and have a healthy snack (like a banana, nuts, peanut butter and crackers, granola bar) two or three hours later. Even if dinner is always a full family meal, that’s still 5 meals through the day now instead of three, and a more evenly distributed food intake.
• Get creative. Think outside the box for small meals and/or snacks. One example is peanut butter between two Nutri-grain bars. Right there you have healthy fat, protein, and good carbs all in an easy to make and quick to eat snack. A blender is also a great tool. You can make a drink, keep it in a bottle or thermos, and take a few gulps halfway in between meals. One of my favorites is skim milk, strawberries, peanut butter, and a scoop of protein powder all mixed together in a blender. The possibilities are endless.
It will take some trial and error to figure out exactly how big each meal or snack should be. It can also take a few days to a few weeks for your metabolism to get used to the smaller meals and/or the higher frequency of food intake. Nevertheless, once your body is used to it, you will notice a change in your energy levels throughout the day, and your metabolism will be revving all the time so that you can minimize the amount of excess fat your adipose tissue stores, and attain or maintain that healthy weight.
"The fat just walks away!"
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