Friday, 25 February 2011

Skipping meals does not result in weight loss

Is skipping meals good for weight loss?

No!!!!!!!

Skipping meals does not help weight loss or dieting!

Many people think that by skipping a meal, they will be eating less food and therefore lose weight Skipping meals is not a good way to lose weight because it create craving you'll simply overeat at the next meal.


How Metabolism Works

Your metabolism is the process that is responsible for burning fuel, and keeping the body in proper working order. When your body gets food, it typically digests it rapidly. This time is coveted by many people who are trying to lose weight, because the body is using fat stores to burn the food that has been digested. However, after the food has been digested, the metabolism goes into a kind of "sleep mode." This means that the body is not burning as many calories. The longer you wait between meals, the more time your body will be in this sleep mode, and the fewer calories you will burn. You then tend to overeat at the next meal Often, skipping a meal and then eating too much at the next one means that you have a higher total caloric intake than if you just ate more frequently throughout the day. A better approach is to eat smaller frequent healthy meals and snacks to keep your blood sugar balanced.


How Your Body Reacts to Skipping Meals

Any time you skip a meal, your body goes into “fasting mode”. During this fasting, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are all used for energy. Carbohydrates are the number one source of fuel, followed by protein and then fat. As the fasting continues, the following steps will occur:
  • The glycogen storage deposits found in the liver and muscle become depleted.
  • As the glucose levels drop, the body looks for other sources of fuel. Since the brain and nerves prefer energy from glucose, protein tissues (muscle and liver) are broken down.
  • In efforts to preserve the remaining protein, the body starts to metabolize fat for energy in the form of ketone bodies (acetoacetic acid).

The process of using ketone bodies as fuel is called ketosis. This process can cause the following negative effects on the body:
  • Nausea
  • Fatigue
  • Constipation
  • Lowered blood pressure
  • Elevated uric acid (kidney disease)
  • Stale taste in mouth
  • Fetal harm/stillbirth in pregnant women
As the body switches to the use of ketone bodies, it begins to reduce energy output in an effort to protect both fat and lean tissue. In addition, as the lean tissues begin to shrink, they become weaker and perform less metabolic work, reducing energy expenditure even more. Hormones also slow down the metabolism to conserve lean body tissue.


This is also known as “starvation mode”. This mechanism is thought to have evolved as a defense against starvation.  The body uses its calories efficiently in order to protect its fat stores, using lean tissue and muscle instead. A lowered metabolic rate is a direct result of muscle loss. Accordingly, fewer calories are needed and weight loss slows down.



How Weight Loss Works


In order to lose one pound (i.e. 0.454 kg) of weight, you must eliminate 3,500 calories. This can be done a variety of ways, the most common of which is by dieting. If you want to lose one pound a week, you must cut 500 calories from your diet every day. 500 calories is a lot of calories! Most of us only eat between 1,500 and 2,500 calories per day. However, by skipping meals, many women are so hungry by the time that dinner rolls around that they eat everything they can get their hands on! This not only prevents weight loss, but can in fact lead to weight gain. Women are so starved that they mindlessly eat whatever is placed in front of them, and end up eating more calories by the end of the day than if they had not skipped one of the meals to begin with.


Effects of Skipping Meals

·         Decreased energy expenditure
·         Weight gain
·         Decreased metabolic rate
·         Increased preference of fat in the diet
·         Decreased strength
·         Increased injury rates
·         Decreased bone density
·         Impaired Thermal regulation
·         Decreased body temperature
·         Mood swings
·         Decreased performance
·         Menstrual dysfunction
·         Decreased resistance to disease
·         Decreased Testosterone level
·         Renal regulation and Electrolyte imbalance


To summarize :- Skipping meals leads to low blood sugar. This can cause sudden hunger pangs which can cause bingeing and/or food cravings. Either way, it's bad for weight loss.For example, diet-research indicates that people who skip breakfast are more likely to be overweight than those who eat a proper breakfast.


A good way of dieting, is to eat 4-5 smaller meals rather than 2 or 3 big ones. Why? It helps stabilize blood sugar and helps control your appetite