The standard number of meals per day is three. And that's if you're lucky. Some mistakenly believe that if they stop eating altogether or limit meals to once a day, they will lose weight twice as fast. But usually such experiments lead to nothing but stress and health problems.
It is advisable to eat every 3-4 hours. This allows you to improve fat burning, prevents the release of an excess of insulin into the blood, allows leptin (a hormone that regulates energy exchange) to work its magic and control appetite and metabolism. And also keeps under control the balance of cortisol production — the stress hormone.
Don't skip breakfast! Our grandmothers were right when they said that the day should start with a good hearty breakfast. This gives energy to start a long fruitful day. If you skip breakfast, very soon the feeling of hunger takes you by surprise and you start interrupting the feeling of hunger with everything that comes to hand. And in offices, sweets and cookies usually come to hand.
Do not eat three hours before bedtime. Eating before going to bed increases body temperature, increases the sugar and insulin content in the blood, reduces the production of melatonin and growth hormone. All these factors affect sleep and the natural fat burning that occurs when we sleep. In addition, poor sleep leads to the fact that we can overeat the next day.
If it so happens that you have time to eat before going to bed, it is advisable to eat light food with a low content of fats and carbohydrates and a high content of protein.
Start the day with proteins. To improve appetite control, it is better to eat proteins at breakfast, and leave carbohydrates for lunch or dinner. Omelet with tomatoes is a great quick breakfast!
Never start strength training on an empty stomach. For such activities, your body needs energy to get optimal results. But cardio training can be done 30 minutes before meals.
This does not mean that you need to eat right before training. Just don't start classes if you haven't eaten anything for a long time and you have a feeling of hunger. Before the workout itself, you can have a snack with bananas, nuts or dried fruits — high in calories, quickly absorbed, gives the necessary energy and relieves hunger.
Focus on the food. While eating, it is undesirable to be distracted by something that does not concern your lunch. Focus on the main activity, feel all the shades of taste, relax, finally, and relax. Your lunch is an island of peace and quiet amid the stormy ocean of the working day.
The squirrels come first. While eating, eat protein foods first, and then everything else. Proteins send a signal to your brain that the body is full. This way you will eat exactly as much as you need.
Take alcohol after meals. If you decide to have a little wine or any other drink at dinner, it is better to do it after you have eaten, and not during. Alcohol after a meal increases the production of hormones that control appetite and digestion.
And if you decide to drink white wine in the evening, keep in mind that it increases your appetite and the chance that you will want to have a snack is very high.
