Angelique Johnson is a wellness counselor and nutritionist that runs mindbodygreen.com that Angelique Johnson is a wellness counselor and nutritionist who has recently caught the attention of the public because of her advice that eating more can help you lose weight.
She is well-aware that each of us has heard the phrase – energy in, energy out – but do we know what this phrase means? We can use a car as an example. If you put more gas than the gas tank’s capacity, the gas tank will start leaking. So, try to compare your body to a car and replace the gas with food – if you eat more than you should, the “leaks” will come in the form of excess fat on the stomach.
This Is How Eating More Can Help You Lose Weight
However, it is also true that the car can’t work only on fumes.
Those who eat less food than needed will soon notice that the body will begin to adjust and start using the food it gets in the best way. It starts using the fat deposits and after that, it starts using the muscle mass in order to get enough energy because it doesn’t get enough energy through food.
The loss of muscle mass leads to a slower metabolism. This is quite logical because if you have more muscle mass, the body will be able to burn more fat when it is resting (even when you watch TV!). But, this is not all. A recent study has confirmed that the limitation of food intake can also change your mood – you will feel anxious, irritable, and to put it simply – hungry. This high level of stress leads to increased production of cortisol which ultimately leads to an increased amount of visceral fat cells in areas on the body that are most exposed – like the belly. As you can see the final results are nothing like we have expected and tried to achieve.
That’s why, if you are tempted to follow the latest trend of sporadic fasting – try to avoid it because you will make your situation even worse.
Fasting is a short-term lifestyle change. In addition to the fact that you will lack all the important nutrients, you will also feel cranky and irritated. Losing weight is making natural progress, not a form of punishment. This process should show you the benefits of practicing a better diet and having a healthier life. Practicing a healthy method to lose weight will make you feel better instead of feeling miserable which happens quite often when people are fasting.
If you are determined to lose weight and maintain your weight for a long period of time, simply eat more, not less. These are some tips that can help you in your quest.
- Have a big breakfast and a small snack about 3 hours later. A piece of fruit or whole wheat crackers will do the job.
- Have lunch at the same time every day and take some time to grab a snack about three hours later. You can try a combination of carrot sticks and hummus.
- Remember that the dinner should not be bigger or even the same as your lunch. A good tip is to eat half a plate of vegetables and a small amount of pasta or rice.
- If you feel hungry before bedtime, you can have a small snack. Forget about the cookies and potato chips and eat some whole grains.
- Don’t forget to listen to your body’s signals – if you feel hungry, go to the kitchen and eat.
If you start feeling seriously hungry, there is a great chance that you will eat more than you are supposed to. If you notice that your stomach needs food at an odd hour, have a glass of water. If you don’t feel hungry after 10 minutes then you were just dehydrated. If you still feel hungry, try to determine if you are really hungry or you just don’t have anything else to do. If you are bored, start doing something that will keep your attention away. You should notice that the hunger is gone after a while. If you are really hungry, start eating something. Your body will certainly be thankful!