It happens; in a hurry to go to work, you skip breakfast, down a quick coffee and then fall in to a hectic office day without noticing that you’ve not had breakfast. By lunch time, you are so ravenous that you have eaten a doughnut, a bagel, a cheeseburger and even an ice cream. In fact, when you really think about it, you’ve probably eaten more than 5000 calories in a single meal which are going to accumulate on your hips and thighs with ruthless efficiency!
Unexpected ways Skipping Meals Harms Your Body
But skipping meals should make me lose weight, right? Wrong, skipping meals just send the body the message that a famine is round the corner. To deal with the shortage, the body starts stockpiling consumed food. This results in body cells actively collecting fat in and around the belly and hips resulting in a surprising amount of weight gain. Moreover, the starving body cells start sending messages to the brain to over-indulge in food resulting in the person eating much more than normal at the next meal. Apart from the hunger pangs, skipping meals also affects blood sugar levels in the body. The pancreas is accustomed to releasing a certain amount of insulin per day to deal with consumed food. However, skipping meals intentionally or unintentionally can mess with the insulin balance inside the body. According to Harvard Medical School research, skipping meals can affect overall health causing obesity and chronic health problems.
So what do I do?
Researchers have noted that most people who skip meals are already eating an unhealthy diet. For such people, the first step starts with a complete analysis of their diet pattern. A specifically tailored diet plan consisting of a healthy breakfast, moderate lunch and a light dinner created by a nutritionist is highly recommended. The aim is to consume healthy food spread out over the day within a set calorie limit to help in weight loss. Eating healthily and regularly could be the best to ensure good health as well as an ideal body weight.
