No one needs to fuss up to not eating until 2pm, but STOP IT!!

It may seem counter intuitive that eating more throughout the day will actually help you lose weight, but it’s true and there is science to back it up.

Increasing the frequency of meals causes your metabolism to be stimulated while preventing you from those awful hunger pangs.  Think about how often a baby eats…every 2-3 hours….These intervals not only keep the baby properly nourished and content, but the regular and consistent nourishment ensures that all metabolic processes are running efficiently.

It is natural for us to require sustenance every 2-3 hours, even in adulthood.  Keep in mind that just because you should be eating every few hours does not mean you have permission to eat everything in sight!  Make your portions smaller and with the right kinds of nutrient dense foods.

An Ideal Eating Schedule would look something like this:

7am

10am

1pm

4pm

7pm

10pm

That means you will be eating 2190 meals a year. With so many meals, you would think we would learn to get it right! Each one is essential to your health, critical to your happiness and will lead to your success! 2190 meals seems like a lot to plan for, but if you break it down day by day and prepare your meals its a lot easier than you may think!

Ok so we know WHEN to eat, how about WHAT you can eat…

Your diet should be comprised of 55% complex carbs, 27% lean protein, 18% healthy fats. (This is just a guideline, but you can download calorie counters on your phone that will give you the break down of what you are eating just in case you are really out of whack).

Water is crucial for cellular function at every level, from regulating body temp, to keeping joints mobile and and maintaining tissue health.  Try to drink about 10 cups of water a day to keep your systems running at an optimal level.

You should eat 6 servings of protein a day, 2-4 servings of complex carbs, 4-6 servings of fresh produce, and 2-3 servings of healthy fats.

Examples of good lean proteins:

Beans of all kinds

Bison

Beef Tenderloin

Chicken Breast

Chickpeas

Eggs

Lean Ground Turkey

Low Fat Cottage Cheese

Tofu

Complex Carbs:

Brown Rice

Cream of Wheat

Oatmeal

Quinoa

Wheat Germ

Sweet Potatoes

Lentils

Yams

Healthy Fats:

Almonds

Cashews

Flaxseed

Nut Butters

Olive Oil

Pecans

Safflower Oil

Walnuts

Following the schedule above, here is a sample menu of clean healthy foods all throughout the day (most of which you can prepare at the beginning of the week or the night before):

7am Breakfast:

10am Mid Morning:

1pm Lunch:

4pm Mid-afternoon:

7pm Dinner:

9:30pm Evening:

This meal is optional, you can include it if you are still hungry or chose to skip it.

It is not always possible to eat this many meals throughout the day, but a good start would be to at least make sure you eat SOMETHING for breakfast!

You should always make sure to eat a lean protein with a complex carb so other breakfast ideas would be a protein shake with shake with strawberries or eggs whites with spinach and tomato.

Thanks to Tosca Reno for these Concepts and Kati Heifner for writing up the blog!!!