Skipping meals is one of the biggest reasons people have high body fat levels. If losing body fat is the goal, the method to obtaining that goal should be to maintain blood sugar levels through the consumption of small, frequent meals. Skipping a meal and going several hours without food will cause excess production of insulin the next time a meal is consumed, which will produce more fat than if one was to eat more frequently. This can be a difficult concept to understand at first. The stomach will actually shrink which will stop you from wanting to overeat at any one sitting. And because the body can only effectively utilize a certain amount of calories at one sitting, when one overeats, all excess calories are stored away and eventually turned to fat. By providing the body with a small and consistent supply of nutrients through the day, it can utilize everything it is given. When several hours have gone by without food the metabolism slows down and primes the body to store fat. Aim to eat 4-6 small meals a day. Tip: the best way to stick to this for the long run (and so you don’t spend half your day cooking) is by preparing several meals at once so they are ready for you to eat and go.
