When people have very low blood sugar, they tend to go for very fatty or sugary foods because their body starts to crave it. If you think skipping a meal is a smart way to maintain weight loss, think again. Yo-yo dieting can mess with your resting metabolism , which is the way your body burns calories in order to function.
Because your meal times are so unpredictable, your body will keep what it can and won't burn calories efficiently. Your body might produce less leptin—the hunger hormone that decreases appetite—making it harder for you to discern when you're already full. Sure, skipping meals can happen from time to time, but doing it consistently can negatively impact your health and lead to nutritional deficiencies. If you have trouble making time for meals because you have a busy schedule, consider these tips:.
Stay updated on the latest science-backed health, fitness, and nutrition news by signing up for the Prevention. For added fun, follow us on Instagram. Weight Loss. Researchers from the University of Hohenheim in Germany tested 17 healthy adults on three separate days: once when they skipped breakfast, once when they had three regular meals and once when they skipped dinner. Despite the change in scheduling, the calorie content and breakdown of carbohydrates, fat and protein were the same on all three days.
On days with a skipped meal, the other two meals had extra calories to make up for it. Each day, blood samples were collected frequently from 7 a. They found that people burned more calories over a hour period when they extended their overnight fast by skipping either lunch 41 more calories or dinner 91 more calories , compared with the three-meals-a-day schedule.
These findings are in line with other studies on time-restricted eating. They found no difference in hour glucose levels, insulin secretion or total physical activity between the three days. But glucose concentrations and markers of inflammation and insulin resistance were higher after lunch on breakfast-skipping days.
People also oxidized more fat, meaning their bodies broke down more of their stored fat reserves, on days when they skipped breakfast. That may sound like a good thing, but the researchers say it could have a downside. Courtney Peterson, assistant professor of nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama Birmingham, says that more research is needed in order to know the bottom line on breakfast.
She led the study mentioned above, which found that eating an early dinner can boost calorie burn. The study also suggests that skipping breakfast or dinner might help people lose weight, since they burned more calories on those days. Make a schedule for the week to avoid over booking yourself or falling behind.
Set an alarm to ring at lunchtime if you are going to be running around all day. Related Stories. Drawings with Doctors: Episode 5. View all related stories. Share this story. Download the app today! Living Better. Physician's Name.
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