To Lose Weight... Eat!

By Ana C. López, Nutrition Counselor, MyDiet™ Team
Publicado:

"I don’t understand why I gain weight. I only eat one or two times a day…” Does this sound familiar to you? Have you considered maybe that’s exactly why you’ve been gaining weight so easily? Read on and find out why. 

In the midst of our daily routine, meal times often don’t seem too important. Perhaps we eat one or two meals a day,but, for some strange reason, we realize that we unexpectedly start to gain weight. 

You may think that fastingis an easy way of losing weight, but that can be misleading. 

When you spend a long time without eating (like when you skip meals), your body gets a “wrong” message. We can see it as a defense mechanism,in which the body tries to "protect" itself from food deprivation… so what happens? Your body tries to make the most from the little food it gets and therefore becomes "thrifty". The result? A slow  metabolism, which facilitates weight gain. 

When we skip meals, our appetite increases, as well as  anxiety to eat, and this can affect our food choices. We might not be so careful when selecting our snacks (perhaps we’ll crave chocolate  cookies instead of  yogurt and fruits) and when deciding how much to eat. In the end, the result is the opposite of what we were looking for. 


We want to know your opinion

How do you rate the content you just read/watched?

How much does it motivate me to live healthy?

I am...

Provider
Representative of a Company
Insured
Agent
None of the above


In addition, prolonged fasting can have other negative consequences for your health: 

  • Dizziness.
  • Muscle cramps.
  • Tiredness, lack of energy.
  • Hypoglycemia (a significant decrease in blood sugar levels), which can put your health at risk.
  • Fainting.

To  lose weight in a healthy way, you don’t need to skip meals and starve.  Nutrition professionals recommend having at least three meals a day and, better yet, adding one to three  light snacks.

The conclusion? If you want to lose weight, eat! Consult a dietitian about a healthy diet plan for you, so you can reach your weight  goal...  by eating.