Although skipping meals may cause short-term weight loss, it often results in weight gain in the long term. For best results, dietitians recommend eating three large meals and one snack each day, or eating smaller meals every few hours. Discuss your eating habits with your doctor if you are concerned about overeating and weight gain.
Effects on Blood Sugar
When you skip meals, your blood sugar falls, which may make you feel more hungry later. This can result in a temporary hypoglycemic condition, which may cause dizziness, weakness, confusion, fatigue and quickened heart rate. To compensate for the meal you missed, you may experience increased hunger at your next meal, which can cause you to overeat. You should be especially careful to avoid skipping meals if you are diabetic or have chronic hypoglycemia.
Overeating
Not only does skipping meals cause you to overeat at later meals, but it may also affect the quality of the food you eat. Many people crave sugary, high-carbohydrate foods after they skip a meal. If you must miss a meal, avoid the urge to eat these unhealthy foods and opt for complex carbohydrates, such as whole wheat bread or crackers. Junk food provides little nutritional value, and foods that contain high amounts of sugar may cause a dramatic fluctuation in blood sugar that leaves it even lower than before.
Breakfast Benefits
Although it is the most important meal of the day, breakfast is often the most commonly skipped meal. If you sleep for eight hours a night, you are essentially fasting for half a day if you do not eat breakfast. This causes the metabolism to slow down and go into "starvation" mode, which means that it reduces fat burning. Because of these effects, you should be especially sure to eat breakfast if you want to lose weight.
Regulating Your Metabolism
To keep your metabolism going and your blood sugar balanced, practice healthy eating habits. If you find that you are frequently hungry throughout the day, consider eating regular small meals instead of three large meals, but make sure that they are low in fat and sugar. For example, you could start out the day early with a bowl of whole-grain cereal, followed by a breakfast burrito in the late morning. A few hours later, eat a small tray of vegetables and your favorite low-calorie dip, followed by a larger lunch in the mid- to late afternoon. Eat a light snack of whole wheat crackers and fruit a few hours before dinner, and finish off the day with a good source of lean protein and leafy green vegetables, as well as a side of complex carbs, like brown rice, quinoa or bulgur.
