When to Eat for Weight Loss
When to Eat for Weight Loss
Does the timing of our eating make a difference in our success at weight loss? Yes, it can. Check out these guidelines.
1. Eat some protein for breakfast within 30 minutes of waking. Doesn’t have to be a huge meal, but make sure to include protein, fat and some vegetable or fruit carbs.
2. Eat before you get famished. Don’t wait for several hours between eating until all of a sudden you feel starving. You are sure to overeat after that. In other words, don’t skip breakfast or lunch. Some people need multiple snacks as well as the 3 regular meals. You may be one of those people.
3. Eat before exercise. Eat a small snack, preferably protein, 30 minutes before exercise.
4. Eat after exercise. Eat some protein or a full meal about 30 minutes after exercise.
5. Have a healthy snack or full meal before attending a party or other get-together where there will be lots of unhealthy food around.
6. Eat before you go to the movies so that you won’t be tempted to buy the theater’s overpriced unhealthy food.
7. Eat before you go anywhere you know there will be lots of tempting fattening food around.
When not to eat
1. Do not eat within 2 hours of going to bed (unless it’s a small protein snack).
2. Do not eat right before taking a nap. If you regularly eat right before sleeping, whether that’s at night or a nap, you are sure to pack on the pounds. Picture a sumo wrestler in your head. Do you want to look like them? Eating right before sleeping is one of their key tactics to gain fat.
3. Do not eat when you are already full or right after you already had a meal. This would be overeating.
4. Do not eat when you are deliberately fasting from food.
5. Do not eat when you are extremely upset or in extreme grief. Strong emotions like these tend to shut down your digestive system.
6. Do not eat when you are so sick that you’ve lost your appetite. It takes energy to digest food. Give your digestive system a short break. (If it’s more than a couple of days of sickness, go ahead and try to eat some light foods.)