Since time immemorial starvation and weight loss are considered inseparably intertwined. But do skipping meals and crash diets really help you achieve that long craved oomph figure?Not exactly… find out why.
First of all, we need to change our perception of weight loss and dieting. Eating less or not eating at all automatically slows down body’s metabolism and it begins to build up fat as a means of an adaptive mechanism. Your body develops an illusion that it may be starved in the future as well, so it starts accumulating fat in different zones of the body. Moreover, food deprivation also devoid us of the nutrients particularly B complex vitamins that are imperative for carbohydrate, fat and protein breakdown and utilization.
When you deprive yourself of required calories, you tend to lose muscles. In fact, by losing muscles you are actually losing a factor that could have helped you to burn more calories.
What’s worse? Too much gap in between the meals makes us prone to binge eating i.e consumption of too many calories at a meal thereby suffocating the stomach. A stuffed stomach is not able to digest food properly, converting the extra calories into fat. This particularly increases the visceral fat i.e your tummy fat.
Logical, right? So what is the correct way of losing weight? Eating right food at right time and in the right proportion is the key to shape up your body. Eating small meals at regular intervals keeps hunger pranks at bay thereby reducing the quantity of food consumed at each meal. The body is continuously busy in the digestion of food and thereby burning calories. Heard it right, food digestion also consumes energy.
Eating is a way of showing your body that you love it and care for it. When you start feeding your body, it no longer feels the need to store fat. Now, what to feed your body so many times a day is a big question… but not very complicated. Our three main meals i.e breakfast, lunch, and dinner should be well balanced in terms of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. The mid meals should be basically protein-rich and high in satiety value. The options include nuts, roasted chana, yoghurt, paneer cubes, a slice of cheese, sprouts, egg whites, buttermilk, fruits, nuts, etc. Never rely on tea or coffee as a means of suppressing hunger as it does more harm than good by hindering the nutrition absorption. No one can deny the fact that we all work to feed our bellies, but we never bother to listen to the signals of our insecure, growling, hungry stomach.
The funda is simple, eating is a new way to shed those kilos. Still sceptical? Try it and believe it!