Developing a Proper Eating Plan

by: Mary Watson

Skipping meals doesn’t help weight loss

Many people begin a diet plan without knowing the proper way to eat. They may eat the right foods, but the way they eat those foods can have a positive or negate impact on weight loss. If you think you can skip meals and enhance weight loss, you will be quite disappointed with the results.

Develop an Eating Schedule

One of the key items to consistent weight loss is having a set schedule to eat your meals. Although sometimes this is difficult with the work schedules and lifestyles we lead, it’s an essential part of weight loss. In fact, the schedules that most of us keep today are likely to be contributing factors to overweight—as much if not more so than the type of foods we eat. It is unnatural to expect the body to go for hours on end without food. We began life as babies eating every 3-4 hours, and it’s only natural that the body should continue to expect that.

How Your Eating Schedule Affects Weight Loss

Although it is natural to think that if we eat less food we will be able to lose more weight, that is not always the case. If we eat less food, we must also eat on a regular schedule. Attempting to lose weight by eating one or two meals a day is not going to work. In fact, you will probably gain weight because your body will revert to starvation mode thus slowing down your metabolism. That means you can eat one meal a day of under 1,000 calories and still not lose weight! On the other hand, you can consume 1,200-1,500 calories per day in 3-6 meals and lose weight easily.

Many people claim if they eat breakfast or eat three meals a day they will gain weight, but it’s not in the fact that they are eating three meals per day but in the food they are eating during those meals. Nothing says you have to eat three course meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but you do need to eat at least three meals daily. Even if you eat some fruit and whole grain cereal with skim milk for breakfast and a garden salad with low calorie dressing for lunch, you are eating healthy while staying on schedule.

Avoid Eating on the Run

Our fast lifestyles today are forcing many of us to grab something quick and eat at our desks or in the car. In many cases that means we are not eating meals that are healthy nor are we allowing ourselves to take the time to sit down and enjoy a leisurely meal. Eating a piece a fruit while in the car may not hurt too much but that piece of fruit will eventually turn into a high calorie pastry for breakfast and a fast food trip for lunch to save time. We have to slow down and take the time to eat our food so that the body can digest it properly. If your schedule is so hectic that you don’t have time for breakfast and lunch, it’s time to slow down before it takes a toll on your health in ways other than those that affect your waistline.

Do Not Eat Too Close to Bedtime

Another mistake many of us make with our fast-paced lifestyles is eating a complete dinner late at night. There may be occasions when it can not be avoided, but for the most part, you want to have your evening meal at least four hours before you retire for the night. If you work late, you may want to reverse your eating schedule so that you have your heavy meal for lunch and eat a light dinner.