One of the most common questions asked related to nutrition is “how often should I eat?” The question is a very good one and the answer is one that often gets misconstrued. The first thing to remember is that food should be used as fuel for our body.
Food should energize us, replace nutrients that have been lost and fill up our proverbial “tanks”. The old phrase “eat when you’re hungry; stop when you’re full” is one that holds a lot of truth. Our bodies, in their simplest form, do tell us when to eat and when to stop. The problem is, so many outside factors influence our natural hunger signals. For instance, stress, sleep, anxiety, depression, medications, hormones, habit and even boredom- all effect our desire to eat.
Intuitive eating, or the practice of listening to our bodies’ signals, is a great concept and one that works for many people. It can, however, cause problems when used for weight loss. When we eat for weight loss, we often restrict certain foods from our diet.
The removal of these foods can trigger cravings, hormonal responses and even physiological symptoms. For that reason, our natural signals may get skewed and we may be more hungry than usual. Since weight loss is largely about moderation and portion control, we must create a schedule and stick to it.
Eating on a schedule provides so many benefits to our body. Our metabolism runs well, our bodies are able to maintain a steady blood sugar level, energy levels stay stable, hunger is staved off, cravings are reduced, and satiety is increased! Eating on a schedule isn’t always easy and doesn’t always happen overnight. Just like any other lifestyle change, we have to work at it and hammer away until it becomes a habit and a way of life.
Now that we know how important scheduled eating is, let’s talk about how to create such a schedule.
When to Start Eating
There are some key times in our day that we should be eating. The first is, of course, within an hour of waking up.
The reason for this is that we want to jump-start our metabolism as early in the day as possible. Our first meal, or lack thereof, indicates the level at which our metabolism will run for the remainder of the day.
If we skip breakfast, like so many of us do, we tell our metabolism that food will be scarce throughout the day. In turn, our metabolism slows in order to be efficient, and we end up burning less calories. Pile on a large lunch later in the day and you have a recipe for storing fat.
How Often to Eat
Typical adults without any blood sugar issues should be eating every 4-5 hours. These can be meals or snacks, but food should be consumed in those intervals to avoid blood sugar drops. When blood sugar drops, we crave the quickest and most easily used energy source: simple carbohydrates. To avoid this, it is best to eat in regular intervals. Most adults consume 3 meals per day and 2 snacks.
An appropriate schedule may look like this:
Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Dinner
When to Stop Eating
Now that we’ve gone over when to start eating and how often to eat, it is imperative that eating concludes at a decent time. This is less about a time on the clock and more about a time relative to when you go to sleep. If you go to sleep at 9:00pm, it would be beneficial to stop eating by 7:00pm. There are exceptions to this, but a general rule is to stop eating 2 hours before going to sleep.
Other Times to Eat
Another time to ensure that you are eating is before and after a workout. This does not mean that we add more food to our plans. We simply utilize our meals and snacks to fuel our workout beforehand and recover from our workout afterwards.
Note: we are not working out on an empty stomach or neglecting proper nutrition following a workout. It may require moving around meal and snacks to ensure that the post-workout meal is large enough to provide recovery and refueling.
For morning exercisers, an appropriate schedule may look like this:
Snack
Workout
Breakfast
Lunch
Snack
Dinner
For mid-day exercisers, an appropriate schedule may look like this:
Breakfast
Snack
Workout
Lunch
Snack
Dinner
For post-work exercisers, an appropriate schedule may look like this:
Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Workout
Dinner
As you can see, scheduled eating can be complex at first. However, once you have established this habit, it will ultimately become a way of life. Your body will thank you for it and your weight loss goals will be more attainable! Remember, nothing is perfect and your schedule may require you to bend a little. Stick to the main guidelines and you will stay on the right track. J
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