Control Your Cravings
Silly as it sounds, eating regularly is not an easy feat to accomplish. The current standard is 3 meals per day but if you want to jump start your diet then you will most definitely want to consider upping your food intake to 6 meals per day. I know we have touched on this subject before and the whole concept seems out of whack, eat more often to lose more weight, yeah right! This is why I’m writing this new blog to further detail the benefits of eating every 3 hours.
After just 4 hours of not eating, your blood sugar level will drop and your cravings will be on the rise. So your next move is to the fridge to load up on whatever sugar and starch you can get your hands on. Why sugar and starch? Because people with low blood sugar will crave this the most and because you are absorbing all these carbohydrates, your blood sugar level will receive a quick boost. The only problem is that quickly rising blood sugar will cause your body to react and release a flood of insulin which not only tries to lower your blood sugar but will store anything you eat as fat, no matter what you are eating.
Are you ready for the scary part? Insulin tends to overshoot which means you will be experiencing low blood sugar again. That means another trip to the fridge to continue this vicious cycle. The only way to curtail this is to avoid the carbs which means avoiding soda, ice cream, chips, cookies or any other foods with added sugar. In the starch category you will want to limit your intake of pasta, bread and any other flour-based foods.
From this, you can see why breakfast is the most important meal of the day. By the time you wake up in the morning, you will have gone at least 7 hours without food. Do not let your body wait until lunch to get what it needs.
Below are some tips on how to control your cravings.
EAT REGULARLY
If you try to eat every 3 hours, this will keep your blood sugar levels consisten throughout the day and allow you to eat smaller meals without becoming hungry.
EAT PROTEIN
This will slow down the digestion of carbohydrates and help to prevent spikes in your blood sugar level. In other words, no cravings and no flood of insulin released from your pancreas.
EAT WHOLE GRAIN
If you eat carbs, then make sure it is 100% whole grain. Whole grains contain fiber which reduces the carbohydrate effect on your blood sugar.