A key component of weight loss programs is eating until you’re satisfied. This may seem obvious but unfortunately is not the norm.
We’ve become use to restaurant-size portions, and these are far from “normal.”
In an effort to provide value to customers, restaurants pile up our plates with food, and offer appetizers that would feed most villages in third-world countries.
We repeat this with large portion sizes at home and eat until the plate is clear – this is a habit we learned from our parents and pass on to our kids.
And if you eat until you’re “full” then this can be too much as we may not receive the signal from the brain we’re “full” until we’re really “stuffed” and feel uncomfortable.
There was a time when the message eat 3 meals a day was considered best practice – breakfast, lunch and dinner and don’t skip any.
But then in the 50’s we were exposed to the “eat five or six small meals a day” concept and it lingers around today. The theory of “six small meals” is based on the idea your body actually uses some calories digesting food, and digestion is a metabolic process, so every time you eat a meal it theoretically “raises” your metabolism. By eating small meals frequently, the thinking goes; you constantly keep your metabolism elevated.
Unfortunately, we now know eating more frequently may actually work against you, and can play havoc with your blood sugar level, to the point where you never reach into your stores of fat to find energy to burn as there’s a constant supply of sugar from the bloodstream.
My weight loss programs advocate eating 3 meals a day with no snacks. If you eat until satisfied then there is no need to snack in between. The snacking has become part of our culture and habit rather than satisfying any hunger requirements. Snacking isn’t necessary, and in some cases, may be counterproductive. For some people, keeping insulin low for most of the day sets up a favorable metabolic environment and may also keep cravings at bay.
In addition, frequent snacking (or the “grazing” way of eating) causes you to think about food all the time, produces cravings, and results in overeating.
Eating 3 meals a day is not only perfectly feasible but essential if you want to break into those fat stores you are carrying around. In going back to 3 meals a day ensure your portion size is to keep you satisfied only – you’ll discover what is right for you but be careful not to let the portion size be distorted by routine restaurant eating habits.
Eat 3 meals a day and nothing in between and stop when you feel satisfied, and you’ll find your weight loss goals easier to achieve regardless what diet plan you use in your program.
If you’re ready to make drastic changes to get to your right size but feel you need professional help then check out my weight loss hypnosis service.
Erika Slater, CH
Director
Free At Last Hypnosis