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I
eat three meals a day but I keep hearing about eating more frequently.
If I'm trying to lose weight, how will eating smaller meals more
frequently benefit me?
................................................................................
 Michael Collins: There are several reasons for eating
several smaller meals throughout the day
Smaller meals keep your blood
sugar stable- When you're only eating 3 times
per day, you're obviously going about 5-6 hours between each meal. This
is too long. Waiting that long between meals will trigger hunger and
fatigue- not a good combo on a diet. Waiting 5 or 6 hours between meals
is even worse if you're working out regularly, being that your
metabolism will be cranked up begging to be fed.
Smaller meals help digestion-
Smaller meals are ideal for optimal digestion. Eating less food per meal
allows the body to do its work more efficiently- breaking down and
partitioning nutrients. You will feel less sluggish after smaller meals,
as well as keep the pipes clean.
Consistent nutrient uptake-
A constant flow of nutrients to the muscles and brain keep you
energized, alert and keep your metabolism running hot. When you eat
protein, it's broken down into amino acids. Those amino acids flood the
blood stream and head where they're needed.
If you're working out
properly, they will go to the muscles that need repair. The
repair
process burns calories- good for fat loss. The amino acids will also
serve to keep you out of the mid day slump, as they counteract serotonin
(the “sleepy” hormone) levels that are common after meals.
Smaller meals condition your body
for.... Smaller meals-
This may be one of the most important effects of eating
smaller meals throughout the day. If you consistently eat smaller meals,
your re- conditioning your body to only want smaller meals. Your body
gets used to the smaller meals and in fact, after about 14- 21 days
won't even want big meals anymore.
And of
course, less overall calories = weight loss
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