Breakfast is probably the easiest meal to skip, and it reduces the amount of calories consumed during the day. Many dieters believe this is a benefit in losing weight. However, skipping meals is the beginning of binge eating, lowered metabolism, and ultimately the consequence of weight gain. According to Northwestern Health Sciences University, people who make it a habit of skipping meals like breakfast or lunch have a tendency to be heavier.
Starvation and the Metabolism
The body requires food for energy. As food is constantly consumed, the body expects the energy molecules to be available, so it burns fat through metabolic pathways throughout the day. However, when starvation is introduced from extreme dieting for weight loss, the body shuts down metabolism. According the research at Vanderbilt University, after approximately 72 hours, the body shuts down calorie burning and begins to store fat. In clinical studies, after approximately 1 week, healthy women were seen to lose 16% of resting energy expenditure. This means that the women burned calories 16% less than when they ate normal meals. Therefore, starvation led to fat stores and a slower metabolism, which ultimately means the patient gains weight from even normal eating after the diet stops.
Starvation and Overeating
There is a correlation between a person who starves and skips meals throughout the day and overeating habits. Overeating habits can be controlled, but they are difficult to avoid when a patient goes several days without eating. Although people who starve during diet plans cut out hundreds of calories during the day, research has shown that they tend to eat more at night to compensate for the extreme hunger. Furthermore, the poor eating habits slow the metabolism, so the calories made up at lunch or dinner are stored as fat rather than burned for energy.
The Better Way to Lose Weight
Weight loss is a process that requires patients to change eating habits, and starvation is not the answer. Eating small meals a few times a day keeps the body’s metabolism working, and the patient isn’t tempted to overeat at the end of the day. It’s also more rewarding to eat fruits and vegetables, which burn quickly into energy rather than eat high energy foods like fats and sugars.
Maintaining a healthy weight does not mean starvation as a requirement. Eat a large breakfast and taper the meals throughout the day. The smallest meal should be the last meal of the day. Follow these few tips for a healthier way to lose weight.
References:
Northwestern Health Sciences University
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