Stoking the Metabolic Fire

Have you ever connected the frequency of your meals to your hunger levels? Most of us, if we looked back would see that when we went too long without eating, we inevitably ate more than we wanted to. A recent study conducted by the USDA outlined the 3 main factors that keep people from staying on track with their structured, healthy eating plan.
1. Long gaps between meals
2. Eating away from home more often
3. Working longer hours (stress)

The researches also pointed to a new trend in "hunger management" vs. "dieting". Industry is taking note of this shift and starting to formulate new products that increase our feelings and delay our onset of hunger. You can do this already by eating more fiber and water (i.e. the volumetrics strategies we talked about earlier).

This study was able to tease out how many extra calories were consumed in relation to how many additional hours the eaters went between eating occasions. If one was to go 5 hours instead of 4 hours between meals they would take in an additional 52 calories. If one was to go 6 hours instead of 4 hours, they would take in an additional 91 calories. Not only would the person consume more calories, but the quality of the foods taken in would decline as well.

So how long should you go between eating occasions? Our general guidelines are to encourage people to consume food every 3-4 hours in order to stoke the metabolic fire or keep the "engine running". When you go too long between meals your body starts to slow it's engine down and works to conserve energy, not burn it. You want to be just the opposite, a burning machine!
By the time you realize you are hungry, symptoms like headaches, stomach growling, fatigue have already manifested. You want to stay one step ahead of your hunger and become a "hunger management" expert.

• Set your outlook calendar or watch to chime when 3-4 hours has gone by.
• Plan to have a set schedule that connects with things you do daily. Before the shower, eat breakfast. After the daily meeting, eat lunch. After picking up the kids from school, have a snack.
• Set your snacks out on the kitchen table or your work desk. If they are tucked away, you lose out on the reminder to eat them.
• Use "hunger management" strategies we have talked about in the past--add volume to your food choices: fiber, water content add volume (choose grapes over raisins for example, or whole grains vs. processed grains).

7-Day Goals: Don't know how long you go between meals? Keep a little journal of the times you eat for 3 days (2 weekday and 1 weekend). Notice any trends?