Tuesday, April 11, 2023

How Many Times a Day do You Eat?

Have you ever wondered why you seem to get hungry every couple of hours?  I have friends who go off the deep end with their emotions if they cut out snacking.  Frequent eating may be the result of all those brain signals your brain sends out when the sugar supply is running on empty.  If this sounds like you, I have an idea that may help.  

Before we go too deep, keep in mind that your brain is already getting defensive with you while you're reading this.  The brain senses change and it's going to fight you, distract you, or even threaten to shut you down and make you sick unless you keep feeding it.  You need two tools to fight back and win.  The first is a food journal.  You make an entry every time you eat and you note the time.  Also, record your weight at the same time of day, once a day.  

The first week you do this, keep track of your regular food habits.  Week two is when the real fun begins.  Focus on one change, like cutting out one snack per day out of your routine.    Keep this up until all snacks are out of your life.  Slow progress is best because you are in this to win and this type of change is more like a marathon than a sprint.

If you are having trouble eliminating snacks, try cutting out sugar.  Once your body understands that you aren't going to starve without sugar in your life, you may experience less resistance.  By now you are only eating three times a day.  Take a look at your weight loss progress and decide what's next.  This is the point where I decided to try intermittent fasting.  It's easy because you set your own rules.  You can do this any time and it can be as simple as skipping a meal every once in a while or as often as daily.  I'm feeling amazing at two meals a day.  

Use your food journal to see what foods work best for your body.  If this is working for you, keep up with the journal and make this a way of life.  Have a great day.

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