Saturday, January 23, 2010

You Have to Eat to Lose...

When losing weight, you will hit those weeks where the losses will not be as good as they may have been in week one. This is natural - don't get discouraged. One common reaction by people is to assume, "I'm not losing as fast - I need to eat less." Don't give into the temptation to do that, and here's why. If you reduce the amount of food your body is used to eating, you will cross a line where your body will stop losing weight, and it will go into preservation mode. It assumes no more food is coming any time soon, and your hypothalamus will shut your metabolism down. You will begin feeling weak, and maybe even light-headed. You will convince yourself that this is the cost of dieting that you must endure, but your weight loss will be better if you eat more, and keep your metabolism going.
 
Most diet plans are well-defined into breakfast, lunch, supper, and maybe a snack or two. But instead of eating at those three or four times, try spreading your calories out throughout the day. Try eating something about every two and a half hours - this will keep your metabolism burning all day long, instead of the stopping and starting that occurs when you eat at 7 AM, noon, and 6 PM.
 
There is no secret formula, because everyone is different. But just be aware that the times you eat are just as important as what you eat, and it may take some careful experimenting on your part to find your optimal eating pattern for weight loss.
 
 
 

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