I grab a snack before my morning run, usually peanut butter and bread, then proceed to eat breakfast immediately when I return. I usually go with cereal or oatmeal, an egg, plus fruit. Snacking begins soon after that.
I eat lunch, and follow that with more snacking. If I get in another workout, I am usually famished, so whip up something for dinner, then proceed to snack on popcorn before bed. The bottom line is I selom go hungry for very long.
Contrast my eating routine with someone who eats only once or twice a day, and you might be surprised by the number of people say that is exactly what they do.
At least one scientist, Dan Benardot, a PhD at Georgia State University, believes that not eating enough during the day actually promotes the storage of body fat, even on athletes. According to Dr. Bernardot, body fat percentage can actually be predicted simply by the degree of the energy deficit accumulated during an average day.
Bernardot reached this conclusion after studying the diet and exercise habits of female gymnasts and runners. Surprisingly, the athletes who consistently burned more calories than they ate carried more body fat than the ones who stayed in close caloric balance.
He believes the body becomes better at conserving energy when required to go long periods without calories. Eat just one large meal a day and presto, more calories get stored as fat than if you had spread your food intake throughout the day.
There is another problem with not eating enough during the day. When you take in less than you need where does the energy come from? Muscle breakdown.
This theory does not give you the green light to eat from a buffet line all day long. My snacks are small and my meals are not huge. Overeat and you will gain weight. The trick is to match your intake with your level of physical activity, never straying too far from an even balance.
The way to do this by being active and eating smaller, more frequent meals and snacks. Always eat a light carbohydrate protein snack before and after your workouts, and definitely eat when you are hungry.
