How Does Eating Several Small Meals Help You Lose Weight?

Some people think that they have to practically starve themselves to lose weight fast, but the opposite is actually true.  When you stop eating the calories that your body needs, it goes into starvation mode.  Your body has no idea how much food it’s going to get, so it starts to store up as much fat as it can get.  This is definitely not what you want to do if you’re trying to lose weight.  Sure, this approach will allow you to lose weight eventually, but you’ll have zero energy and you’ll lose a lot of muscle, which decreases your metabolism.

The best way to lose weight fast is to eat several small meals per day.  You want to eat every 2-3 hours, even if you’re not hungry.  Now this may not seem like what you should do on a diet, but it will really jump start your body into fat burning mode.  Here are all of the benefits to eating several small meals per day as opposed to 3 large meals.

• Higher metabolism.  When you eat several meals a day, your metabolism will increase.  This is important because the higher your metabolism is, the more calories you’ll burn, even when you’re just sitting.  Also, you’ll have much more energy to work out.

• Fewer cravings.  Eating every few hours will help your blood sugar stabilize.  When you only eat 3 times per day, your blood sugar will go up and down.  When this happens, you’ll have more cravings and be more likely to reach for junk food.  If you have a couple of snacks during the day, you’ll be less likely to overeat at your meals or grab whatever you can out of the vending machine.

• Better performance.  Your body will be able to perform much better if you eat several small meals.  It will be much more efficient at processing the vitamins and minerals in your food, which makes you healthier.  Smaller meals also promote better digestion.  Fats in your food will have less time to be stored in your body, so proper digestion is essential for weight loss.       

• Increased muscle.  Eating this way, your body becomes better at storing glycogen.  Glycogen is important for your muscles.  It prevents your body from using muscle tissue for energy, so you don’t lose muscle as you lose weight.  It also helps your muscles recover after working out, which is important in building muscle.  Muscle burns a lot more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have the more calories you’ll burn.

These are just a few of the benefits you’ll notice.  Of course the biggest benefit is the pounds you’ll see melting off of you.  The most important thing to keep in mind is that these meals are supposed to be small.  You don’t need to eat 6 regular size meals.  A container of yogurt and some fruit will be just fine.  Eat this way for a while, and you’re sure to see amazing results from your weight loss efforts.