Some weight loss advice is valuable, based on good science and strong nutrition. Other weight loss advice comes from urban legends, or from programs based more on marketing principles than good health practices. It might seem like the idea of eating more often for weight loss is one of the latter, but if done right it can produce powerful results.
Weight Loss Basics
Natural weight loss comes from establishing a calorie deficit. If you burn more calories through activity that you take in through eating, your body must make up the difference. It does this by accessing energy it previously stored as fat. As it accesses that energy, it burns off the fat it was stored in - and you lose weight. Real weight loss only comes if you establish that deficit regularly over an extended period of time.
Blood Glucose
Eating more frequently for weight loss works because of your levels of blood glucose. When you eat, the calories from your food are broken down and enter your body as blood glucose. Your body burns that blood glucose to provide fuel for activity. When your body burns through most of the blood glucose, you begin to experience hunger cravings. If you eat only two or three meals per day, you will experience peaks and valleys in your blood glucose -- and a resulting increase in hunger between meals. By eating more frequently, up to eight meals per day, you will even out your blood glucose levels. This means fewer hunger cravings, and a more comfortable time sticking with your diet.
Amount to Eat
Eating more often will not work for weight loss if you eat regular-sized meals extra times each day. Instead, this plan works by dividing your allotted daily calories over several smaller meals. For example, a three-meal diet of 1,200 calories daily might include a 600 calorie breakfast, 250 calorie lunch and 350 calorie dinner. The restricted calories will make it hard to avoid cheating in between meals, especially during the evening. A six-meal plan of 200 calories each would let you have a small meal every 2 to 3 hours, keeping you on track throughout the day.
What to Eat
As with any other diet plan, what you eat is as important as how much you eat. Although you could theoretically lose weight eating anything, so long as you stuck to a calorie budget, your health demands that you make the most out of what calories you do take in. It's best to eliminate high-calorie foods with low nutritive value, such as refined grains and sweets. Vegetables make a good choice in this diet plan, because their nutrition value and bulk are high compared to the calories they contain. Lean meats, refined grains and plant oils are other good choices on this kind of diet. Harvard-based health writer Walter Willett recommends a multivitamin for anybody on a diet, to help fill nutritional holes left by the reduced calorie intake.
References
- "Body For Life"; Bill Philips; 2006
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy"; Walter Willett; 2004
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