eating habits

[pinkandblack2115]

i think i might have a problem. not a problem but routine. i got to school from 8:45-4:00. i wake up at 7:30 but i have NO BREAKFAST. my lunch is at 12:45 but i have NO LUNCH. i go home at about 5:30 or 6:00 and i have a BIG DINNER. ( maybe some buffalo wings and a salad with a coke) Then i would normally have a cup of ice cream. even though i've been losing weight its really fast before i gain it back. what am i doing to my body by not eating and then scarfing down food at night? how can i be skinnier the fastest way i can and get fast results without starving!!!!

p.s does walk away the pounds work?

[Dayna]

I'm not an expert but I've done a lot of research on diets and eating so this is what I know. Me personally I need to eat every 3-4 hours. What happens to your body by not eating for so long is that it goes into a starvation mode thinking "I'm not getting any fuel so I better hang on to what I have" and will conserve energy. By eating on a regular basis it keeps your metabolism going and keeps your blood sugar at an even level which will help you lose weight. Now, I have heard back and forth between the subject of eating late. I don't know if it's technically "bad" for you but I know when I try to lose weight I do better if I don't eat after 7-8pm. You also didn't mention whether you are drinking any water or anything during the day? Water is very important to everything your body does, so make sure you are drinking plenty of water. You are busy like me and planned meals are hard sometimes but the best thing to do is to get easy to fix, grab and go stuff that is healthy like protien bars or drinks, string cheese, yogurt, fruit and veggies, deli meat stuff that you can eat on the run. I bet Lara will have some other good advice for you too. I hope that helped a little.

[Lara]

Excellent response, Dayna! You were right on the money! Pinkandblack2115 your metabolism has slowed down because you aren't eating enough and often enough. Therefore, when you do start eating more and more often, your body will store it for energy for later use in the form of fat. In order to lose weight and keep it off, you need to eat the right amount of calories so that your body doesn't think it is starving, but also an amount that will allow you to lose weight. You will also need to divide those calories into 5-6 equal meals spaced out about 3 hours apart. This will fire up your metabolism like you wouldn't believe. Get on a better eating program, i.e, DON'T SKIP BREAKFAST AND LUNCH, and you can get your metabolism back on track. PM me if you would like some extra help.

As far as eating later in the day, as long as you aren't eating more calories than you need, weight gain shouldn't be an issue. :)

[Irishgirl]

Oooh! Great advice! I have the same issue as Pink does; I am just not hungry in the a.m. and have realized that I am one of those people that needs smaller more frequent meals. I just need to re-train my brain to start eating like that again!!! Thanks Lara~



Excellent response, Dayna! You were right on the money! Pinkandblack2115 your metabolism has slowed down because you aren't eating enough and often enough. Therefore, when you do start eating more and more often, your body will store it for energy for later use in the form of fat. In order to lose weight and keep it off, you need to eat the right amount of calories so that your body doesn't think it is starving, but also an amount that will allow you to lose weight. You will also need to divide those calories into 5-6 equal meals spaced out about 3 hours apart. This will fire up your metabolism like you wouldn't believe. Get on a better eating program, i.e, DON'T SKIP BREAKFAST AND LUNCH, and you can get your metabolism back on track. PM me if you would like some extra help.

As far as eating later in the day, as long as you aren't eating more calories than you need, weight gain shouldn't be an issue. :)

[summer]

From someone who have a very small amount of free time, and an erratic work schedule, I personally find it hard to plan my meals. My lunch or dinner depends if my work is finished and that all my patients are behaving!! I agree with all the others about not skipping breakfast. I personally can't survive the day without it. I find that when I do I sorta work on adrenaline from 11 onwards, and become really de-energized my 3 or 4, even though I have eaten some lunch. I think a body needs a constant supply of energy to keep it going adn keep your metabolism up. I stop eating maybe after 7-8 pm, because food takes about 4 hours to digest and your metabolic rate goes down when you sleep, so you won't need that high of calorie requirement. It also explains why I get hngry after 3-4 hours.

It was trial and error for me, but my best 'routine' is to have pre-packed healthy food brought with me to work, so all I need to do is to heat it up in the microwave or much some fruits or crackers or whatever. I work 13 hour shifts, so I have 3-4 packs with me. 2 packs contains, what I consider, less calorie amounts (I don't really count calories) and are easier and faster to eat, whereas the other two are heated meals. So if I have a shorter amount of time to eat, I eat pack one, if I have a longer break, pack two! The grocery store here have a great selection of healthy food, so I don't even have to prepare them if I don't want to, which is great for me.

Your school seem to plan the meals around the 4 hour digestive process which is really lucky, so I would say thyat you just need to retrain your eating habits like the others suggested.

And yes, I agree walking is good for you, unless you're talking about a specific walking video or whatever, then, I haven't got a clue!!!