How To Lose Weight With Frequent Eating
This is a guest post on behalf of www.dietdebate.co.uk
Ah, snacking – that old chestnut. Although it may have long been associated with poor eating habits, it seems that eating little and often can be the best way to meeting nutritional needs. Did you know that for instance, by eating five meals a day you can shed up to 5lb in just five days? You can almost bid adieu to the days when three square meals a day’ was the answer to sensible eating. Now it seems that by eating more regularly – albeit smaller portions – you can also avoid the feeling of bloatedness and tiredness which can stem from gorging at one sitting. In short, little and often eating – ‘often-grazing’ – can help you lose weight, control your hunger and stay healthier.
Often-grazing stabilises your blood sugar, controls energy levels and curbs the dips in concentration and energy you may experience when you,re hungry. Hunger pains can find us reaching for the biscuit tin, but eating the little and often way keeps hunger at bay along with an urge to overeat.
It is important to understand the effect of low blood sugar levels on the body, and the food craving it causes. Keeping a food diary may help to highlight when you binge, and the types of food you are eating that trigger a rapid and false sense of hunger.
Eating food that is low in sugar will provide a slow and sustained energy release throughout the day. Eating little and often, and including complex carbohydrates to fill you up will also help. Cutting out alcohol, caffeine, and sugary foods will prevent the yo-yo effect on the body’s blood sugar levels. The regulation of blood sugar is controlled within our body by the hormone insulin and a sudden large rise in blood sugar promotes its production. Insulin is associated with the storage of fat.
Researchers have also found that eating more often can reduce cholesterol levels. When 14,000 men and women aged 45-75 years were quizzed about their eating habits, the finding highlighted that we need to consider not just what we eat, but how often we eat. A high level of cholesterol in the blood is one of the major causes of heart disease, with the fatty substance clogging up the arteries, placing more strain on the heart. Each person was then separated into one of five groups depending on how often they ate. A blood sample from each person was then tested for fat levels.
Cholesterol concentrations were approximately 5% lower in men and women who ate six or more times a day compared with those who ate once or twice a day. This was despite higher intakes of energy – including fat – in people who reported eating more regularly. The effect held good when other possible factors, such as alcohol consumption and physical activity, were taken into consideration. Although not large, this difference in cholesterol concentration is comparable to that achieved in studies involving alteration of intake of dietary fat or cholesterol.
There is of course a downside to eating little and often. It is easy to eat either too much or too little if you don’t keep an eye on what you’re consuming over the course of the whole day. On the other hand, this should not pose too much of a problem once the daily routine starts to kick in.
If you’ve decided to try this out for size, below is a plan based on having five or six small meals a day depending on how much weight you need to lose. If you want to lose one to three stones, choose the 1,300-calorie diet plan for a period of four to six weeks.
If you have more than three stones to lose, choose the 1,550-calorie diet plan for a period of four to six weeks. This diet plan is designed to be flexible, so you can select and opt whichever meal/snack you fancy. Examples of meals and snacks and their calories are given below, and you can expect to lose around two to three pounds a week.
Before you undertake a diet plan you should always seek help from a medical professional. Some eating regimes may not be suitable for people with health conditions, so it is always important to check first.
How the plan works
Calorie breakdown
Breakfast
150 calories
Lunch
300 calories
Dinner
400 calories
Snacks
1 x 200 calories;1 x 250 calories
Breakfast
150 calories
Lunch
300 calories
Dinner
400 calories
Snacks
1 x 200 calories; 2 x 250 calories
The diet plan
Daily allowance
Calorie/fat content
Half pint semi-skimmed milk for
tea and coffee
115cals, 4g fat
Unlimited fruit and vegetables as
snacks or accompaniments to
meals
2-3 litres of mineral or tap water
Weekly allowance
2 small glasses of wine
93cals, 0g fat
48g chocolate bar
milk chocolate: 250cals,15g fat
plain chocolate: 245cals, 13g fat
2 packets of low fat crisps
30g pack: 137cals, 6g fat
Written by Claire Brown, a content writer for www.dietdebate.co.uk, an amazing
website that includes a variety of weight loss plans, helpful unbiased information,
useful resources and a weight loss tracker, supporting you in your journey to
acquiring a healthy new body.
Fiber content and water content of foods is something to keep in mind when losing weight. Oatmeal is excellent in both !
Kat
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