Can't live without your snacks but want...and need...to lose
weight? There is a definite connection between the wrong kind of
snacking and obesity. On the other hand, getting all of your calories in
large meals with no in-between snacks has also been shown to increase
the incidence of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. What's a guy or
gal to do? Here are a few suggestions:
• If you eat meals at a regular time, take a portion of the meal and save it for a snack a few hours later. Eating it all at one time is not in your best interest, weight wise, for at least three reasons:
1. You will probably be hungry again in a few hours, no matter what you eat, so you will have a snack. These are extra calories. If you have saved part of your lunch to be eaten later as a snack when you are hungry, these will be essentially "free" calories.
2. Overeating at a single seating in effect stretches the stomach. The avoidance of large meals may have the effect of "teaching" the stomach that the extra space is never needed...thus, "shrinking" the amount of food the stomach can hold at one time.
3. If you eat a snack that is in addition to your regular meal, you are more likely to choose something that is high in fat and calories, thus adding to your total daily calorie load.
• Never skip breakfast. Many overweight people tend to eliminate this important meal. They probably do this in an effort to get a "good start to the day" insofar as dieting is concerned. However, studies have shown that this habit is counterproductive. It is very likely that breakfast-deprived individuals will overeat at lunch (or at the mid-morning office donut-fest) than if they had provided their body with the starting fuel of breakfast.
• Excessive eating at one time tends to rev-up the insulin supply. Insulin is needed to process calories that have been consumed. If you load your stomach to the brim, insulin will be over-secreted to meet the challenge. Once the calories are burned up, the insulin levels will remain high for a period of time which will, in turn, cause feelings of hunger.
So, what's the bottom line? Simple:
1. Eat breakfast.
2. Eat regularly in small amounts throughout the day.
3. Eliminate meals that are excessive in amount at any one time.
4. Have healthful snacks prepared so that you don't get overly hungry and raid the refrigerator of anything that doesn't move.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sue_Bristol
• If you eat meals at a regular time, take a portion of the meal and save it for a snack a few hours later. Eating it all at one time is not in your best interest, weight wise, for at least three reasons:
1. You will probably be hungry again in a few hours, no matter what you eat, so you will have a snack. These are extra calories. If you have saved part of your lunch to be eaten later as a snack when you are hungry, these will be essentially "free" calories.
2. Overeating at a single seating in effect stretches the stomach. The avoidance of large meals may have the effect of "teaching" the stomach that the extra space is never needed...thus, "shrinking" the amount of food the stomach can hold at one time.
3. If you eat a snack that is in addition to your regular meal, you are more likely to choose something that is high in fat and calories, thus adding to your total daily calorie load.
• Never skip breakfast. Many overweight people tend to eliminate this important meal. They probably do this in an effort to get a "good start to the day" insofar as dieting is concerned. However, studies have shown that this habit is counterproductive. It is very likely that breakfast-deprived individuals will overeat at lunch (or at the mid-morning office donut-fest) than if they had provided their body with the starting fuel of breakfast.
• Excessive eating at one time tends to rev-up the insulin supply. Insulin is needed to process calories that have been consumed. If you load your stomach to the brim, insulin will be over-secreted to meet the challenge. Once the calories are burned up, the insulin levels will remain high for a period of time which will, in turn, cause feelings of hunger.
So, what's the bottom line? Simple:
1. Eat breakfast.
2. Eat regularly in small amounts throughout the day.
3. Eliminate meals that are excessive in amount at any one time.
4. Have healthful snacks prepared so that you don't get overly hungry and raid the refrigerator of anything that doesn't move.