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There are many reasons why we skip meals during the day. A popular reason is an on-the-go lifestyle, which leaves us little time to eat a complete, balanced meal. Another common reason is that many of us believe that the fewer calories we eat during the day, the more weight we will lose. Unfortunately, following this theory may actually be the reason you are gaining weight instead of losing it!

By denying our bodies food throughout the day, we are running the risk of actually gaining weight. Not only will our metabolisms slow down, our bodies will go into survival mode. Our bodies’ will start hanging on to any fat we consume instead of allowing us to burn it off. Also, if we do not consume enough protein on a daily basis, our bodies will start to take protein from our muscles. You may think that skipping meals will allow you to lose fat quicker, but in reality you are losing muscle first. When we burn muscle and not fat, our bodies will not look toned or healthy. Instead, we will appear soft, undefined and unfit!

Luckily, it is not too late for us to start structuring a healthy eating routine. Penciling in our meals as part of our daily agenda will help structure our eating habits. Along with structuring a meal plan, simply preparing a healthy salad or sandwich the night before will help keep you on track. It is important to plan your meals and your eating schedule ahead of time so you can limit your chances of skipping a meal. By following a plan we can start to gain control over our eating habits.

It is important to set aside time strictly to eat. No more rushing to the drive through window of a fast food chain or substituting food with coffee. Let’s make it a priority to eat three complete meals a day, even if it means getting up 15 minutes early to do so. Snacking on high fiber foods and eating small snacks like a bag of almonds or carrot sticks, between meals will also help keep us satisfied longer. Eating consistently throughout the day will also lower our chances of binge eating at night.

It is also important to listen to our bodies when they tell us we are hunger or full. Keep a record of how long it takes your body to feel hungry between meals and make it a priority to eat when your body signals it is hunger. Ideally, a person should eat every three hours to keep our metabolisms functioning properly.

Skipping meals is an unhealthy habit that will do more harm than good. Remember it is not about eating less, it is about eating healthier!

If you have any comments or suggestions about today’s topic or any fun health, diet or fitness tips please feel free to email me at ladydietpodcast@diet.com. This is Lady Diet signing off!