People often get frustrated when they don’t lose weight despite eating like a bird. Some people report eating only one or two meals a day, yet nothing is coming off. We always talk about how the body can go into panic mode and hold onto the calories it does get, since it doesn’t know when the next meal is coming. I think of it as the body being less efficient.
An article I read today discusses weight loss and weight maintenance and the relationship to how often a person eats. Another tip often discussed in my office is the importance of not letting too much time go by in between meals. People who skip meals and let more than five hours go by before eating have a tendency to overeat. It really makes sense that if we haven’t eaten in six or ten hours that we will be “famished” and then chow down on whatever is available. Maybe we’re even subconsciously gearing up for the next six or ten hours!
Besides the value of eating smaller, more frequent meals, the other take-home message in the article is the importance of exercise in maintaining weight loss. For a long time I have believed, for a variety of reasons, that exercise is more important than meal planning in terms of weight loss. I am now convinced that eating choices are more important for losing weight and exercise plays an important role in maintaining weight. What tipped the scale (no pun intended) for me was hearing this at a conference (although I’ve heard it from health care professionals before, but always kind of thought it was a matter of opinion), reading articles about it, and most convincing of all…experiencing it!!
I know that over the past several months I’ve slipped in terms of eating more calories than I used to. My exercise, however, not only stayed the same but increased (I went from walking four days per week to walking at least five and often six days)! I found myself putting on weight, and the exercise was not enough to take it off. I am consciously consuming fewer calories by being aware of the types of foods I’m choosing to eat, and taking smaller portions.
It is not necessary to eat six times a day, although this works for some people. However, three evenly spaced meals with a healthy snack or two in between turns out to be an effective way to lose and/or maintain weight.