Do you REALLY believe that when you hear people say, eat more often to lose weight, that it’s true? Or do you think, “Well, for other people, but not MY body. I’ll gain weight if I actually eat!”
I struggled with this for the greater part of my adult life. Always challenged with eating too much, and gaining weight. When I wanted to lose weight, I was always successful when I barely ate anything or ate many “filler” foods like sugar free jello and salads! But ballooning back up as soon as I ate food again was just around the corner. I have always been into fitness and always had to battle with “looking the part.” Being a mesomorph, I would naturally have a stronger more muscular build, but I additionally would hold/gain fat easily if I wasn’t too careful.
It has taken me years to figure out how my body works, but mostly in general, how to have my body work for me. I struggled with the concept of eating more often because I didn’t understand how to plan my meals and the right amount of protein, carbs, fats and calories I should eat to reach my goals.
I still don’t count these grams and ratios exactly but now just match up what I know I should be eating and stay within a calorie range.
You may find some arguments on the myth of eating multiple small mini-meals a day as opposed to the traditional eating three meals a day concept. In my studies and experience, eating 5-6 small meals a day works for most people in achieving their desired body fat goals. Many reasons why this works to be true:
1. You are eating more often so you mentally feel “fuller” and not starving for the next meal
2. Your body is processing food more frequently throughout the day, thus making it “work, thus burning more calories
BUT- BEWARE!!
Some people think of eating 5-6 mini meals a day, but fail to plan and prepare! You can easily fall into the bad trap of eating TOO MUCH each time you eat!
Here are my suggestions to ensure you meet your weight loss goals instead of defeating yourself and going back to the, “scared to eat” problem:
1. Be as planned and prepared as you can to eat 5-6 small meals a day. If you like variety, plan each mini meal to have 2-3 options to choose from each day. Some people prefer the same thing everyday (that’s me). It decreases me having to think of what to eat, preparing food, and shopping is easier!
2. Know what your daily caloric intake should be for your body fat goal. For your goal, be sure to know what your maintenance caloric needs are, and then work on decreasing your caloric intake to lose weight up to no more than 2 lbs a week.
3. Start Simple! Avoid being too creative and “fancy” with the preparation of your food, especially if you are just starting out on trying to eat better and to eat more often.
4. Be sure to get enough protein! It’s easy to think of fruit, vegetables, and carbs when planning your meals. Each “meal” should involve a protein source
5. Supplement! You don’t always have to sit down for a plated meal. Using meal replacement or protein bars or shakes are a great way to “pop” food in so you are fueling the fire in your belly!
More importantly, this isn’t a diet, this is a lifestyle. Never “go on a diet”, because “going” is an action of forward process where a destination should be reached. Eating to work with your body to tweak out where you want to create and define it is where you may tighten up on your daily diet, but it is just that, a daily nutritional diet.
Exercise is highly critical in developing a strong body as you work to define it, but that’s a whole other topic! =)