Should You Skip Meals to Lose Weight?

Skipping meals may seem like an easy solution to losing weight since the concept is basically burn more calories than you're taking in, but even missing one meal can do your body much more harm than good. To answer the question briefly, you should definitely not skip meals to lose weight. We've detailed some reasons on why this is a highly detrimental move.

It lowers your blood sugar

Lowering sugar? That may sound wonderful but low blood sugar means you'll have no energy. Food is the fuel for your body and when you skip a meal, your body runs out of gas. Your blood sugar begins to compromise within four to six hours of your last meal or snack, so sometimes three meals a day is not enough. Snacking does not have to be unhealthy and it is recommended in order to keep your body functioning properly. A prolonged dip in blood sugar level not only impacts your body physically, but also lowers concentration levels and impairs memory.

You will have no energy

If you're planning to lose some weight, you probably have a great workout routine planned out. That will be all for nothing if you skip meals though since you won't have the energy to even start exercising. Even if you do manage to start your exercise, you won't have the energy to complete it with the necessary intensity for weight loss. Exercise is not only great for burning calories directly; it also creates lean muscles which are great at burning fat. The more you exercise, the more your metabolism improves allowing you to lose weight more easily.

It slows down your metabolism

You'll feel the impact on your body even if you only skip one meal. You will feel tired and unwell. If you go too long without eating your body will think that you are in starvation mode and try to conserve energy, slowing down your metabolism. As you probably already know, slowing down metabolism will make it that much more difficult to lose weight. Your body will burn the calories you do eat less efficiently and the calories that aren't burned are converted to fat. It does not take long to slow down your metabolism so steer clear from skipping any meals for any reason.

You will become unpleasant?

Have you heard of the term "hangry"? It is the combination of hungry and angry and it is a real thing. When you're deprived of nutrients, your intellectual and emotional functions begin to change. Your perceptions will become blurry and you will get moody and irritable.

You will be more prone to binge eating
When you skip meals, you'll feel hungry. When you feel hungry, you'll want to eat. The hungrier you feel the more you will want to eat. When skipping meals, you will begin to feel an intense hunger and during those periods, people are more prone to grabbing whatever they find instead of the healthier and more nutritious option. You will also tend to eat more because it takes around 20 minutes after eating to feel full.

What should you do?

For starters, don't even think of skipping meals. Eating smaller, healthier meals throughout the day will also benefit you greatly. Look for foods that are rich in nutrients and high in lean protein. Eating snacks will also help stave off cravings and the likelihood of you eating bigger meals. Getting fit isn't too complicated. Eat well, eat often and work out to your heart's content!

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How to Make Your Meals Exciting by Engaging Your Senses

It’s mid-January, and you're likely fatigued from all the New Year’s resolution talk. So instead of putting more focus on deprivation and lofty goal setting, why not take the opportunity to stop, breathe and celebrate? It's so easy to get caught up in the “should's” that you may forget to glorify the little things that make your life rich on a day-to-day basis. For many, food evokes a negative response – when in fact it's a positive and crucial part of our lives. You can change your relationship with food, and it starts with appreciation and choosing to be present. Slow down and engage all of your senses the next time you shop for, cook or eat a meal, and the result will be a transcendent, extraordinary experience.

The first step in engaging your senses is taking time to experience the moment. Once you find the space to breathe and be present, you'll be amazed at the joy your food has to offer you. When you engage all your senses, the brain releases feel-good chemicals, which elevate your mood and evoke feelings of trust, enjoyment and relaxation. The result is that you'll enjoy your food in a new and exciting way.

Take in what you see. There's a well-known adage, “We eat with our eyes first,” yet we rarely take the time to truly experience this. Open your refrigerator, and simply take in the sites (without judgment, of course). What you see will likely evoke emotion, and you may even associate what you see with flavors your love or hate. From vibrantly colorful produce stacked at the market to a beautifully plated meal, our eyes act as a gateway to appreciating the food we eat. This is a great time to consider where your food came from and how it was grown, and if you're eating a meal, you can reflect on the work that went into preparing it. Appreciating the beauty of food and its journey to your plate is a wonderful way to celebrate your plate.

Get your hands dirty. Ditch your fancy kitchen gadgets, and feel your food. You touch food all of the time, but when's the last time you really paused to think about the sensuality of the experience? Pick up an apple, and pause to feel its weight. Explore the texture of a carrot and its leaves. Immerse yourself in the tactile sensations you experience in the kitchen, from holding a knife to peeling garlic, chopping an onion or juicing a lemon. Get your hands dirty and play with your food, then slow down enough to really enjoy the experience. As you eat, think about the way a food feels in your mouth, which will in turn slow down your eating and engage you in the flavor of the meal.

Savor each bite. We often choose the foods we want to eat based on the way they taste and the flavors we enjoy, but we rarely take the time to revel in it. Challenge yourself to take a bite and taste your food before you even starting chewing it. Chew mindfully; challenge yourself to chew your food at least 10 times, and pay attention to each chomp and the way the flavor and texture of your food changes. By savoring each bite, you can enjoy less of a food – and still feel satisfied.

Relish the aroma. There's something so inviting about the smell of your home when you cook, as well as the aromas at your favorite restaurant. Scents evoke memories and emotions, which you can use to your advantage. How a food smells is directly related to your perception of how that food tastes. Try eating one of your favorite foods while you're holding your nose. You'll have a very different experience than you would if you could smell the aroma. Conversely, take a food such as cauliflower or Brussels sprouts – which have a strong aroma that makes them unappealing to many. Use this knowledge to your benefit, and season your food with beautifully fragrant herbs and spices that enhance the aroma and, therefore, taste. Take a moment before each bite to inhale and enjoy the way your food smells, which in turn gets you excited to mindfully eat it.

Soundtrack your life. Though our sense of hearing seems abstract to our relationship with food, it isn’t. When you take an active approach to listening to the world around you, it can deepen your overall experience of life, including your relationship with food. Listen to the sounds created when you cut into a potato, or the sizzle as you sauté some vegetables in a pan. Be attentive to the sound of chewing your food, and delight in the melody of voices as you share a healthy meal with friends and family.

You may give this a go once in a while or incorporate a few of these tips on a daily basis, but either way, the act of engaging yourself in all that your food is offering will allow you to celebrate your plate in a way that takes the emphasis off deprivation.

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