If you’re trying to lose weight, you’re already aware that it’s calories in versus calories out, right? So with that equation in mind, it might seem tempting from time to time to try to get ahead of the math by skipping a meal or two during a week. Maybe you ate too many calories for lunch, and skipping dinner is the only way to hit your calorie goal. Or maybe after an entire of day overindulging, a long fast seems most reasonable. Before you skip that next meal, you should be aware of what skipping even one meal can do to your body and your weight loss goals.
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Skipping meals increases your risks of eating too much during your next meal. Your body is pretty good at convincing you of what it needs. When you skip meals, your body begins to crave easy, quick energyso it can function in the short-term. When it’s your body making the decisions, it may not be looking at your long-term goals, and instead demanding vending machine or drive-thru junk just to operate in the short-term. Think of those messages from your body like you would the messages you’d get from a hungry toddler. The hungry toddler doesn’t care that complex carbohydrates and lean proteins will improve long-term health, it wants the sugar-coated junk right now to make the hunger go away. A little bit of junk food is never enough to make you feel full and satisfied. By eating healthy foods more frequently, you can avoid that nagging toddler voice that demands quick satisfaction without considering your long term goals.
Skipping meals leads to less energy for your daily activities. Even one skipped meal can impact your blood sugar. You might notice that you feel more tired than usual, or have a general sense of feeling unwell. The drop in blood sugar impacts your brain and you might have trouble staying focused, you might feel irritable and foggy and your metabolism immediately slows down to preserve what fuel it has available. Instead of losing weight, you're now in survival mode, feeling unwell and not at all motivated to complete your daily activities, let alone make it to your favorite group exercise class.
There are health risks associated with skipping meals. A long-term pattern of skipping meals can have dire health consequences. What may start as fatigue, dizziness, or irritabilitycan become increased bone loss, decreased immunity, and impaired muscle growth. If losing weight and living a healthier life are your main goals, skipping meals absolutely will not get you to your goals. Instead, eat frequent, healthier meals, of reasonable portions. The consistency may mean it takes time to get to your goals, but it is absolutely essential to long-term success.
How do you keep yourself fueled all day long to avoid the crash of missing a meal?
