But I’m Not Hungry!

Posted June 3, 2008 at 05:20 PM by Donnell Peavy

Section: His Health, Physical Health, Lifestyle Health, His Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Diets

Having casual conversation with a friend last night, I asked her what she ate for dinner. “Nothing,” she replied, “I wasn’t hungry.” This is something I see and hear a lot of - people skipping a meal or two during the day. On the surface, it doesn’t seem so bad, I mean less calories means more weight loss, right? Wrong. Inadequate nutrition can actually have the opposite effect on weight loss. I am sure you’ve seen people who went on a diet and gained weight rather than lost it.

The reason for this is simple enough; when the body is not fed, it assumes that it is being starved and switches itself into conservation mode. As a result of this conservation mode, metabolism is slowed and the fat cells actually split; your body is preparing itself for a period of starvation. In addition to the slowed metabolism and splitting of the fat cells, the body will jettison unnecessary muscle tissue; it takes extra calories to sustain muscle – calories that your body is assuming it will not have.

The way to keep this from happening is simple enough – eat. Healthy eating keeps the metabolism high. It is for that reason that many nutrition programs today recommend eating 5 – 6 times per day. Quite naturally, you don’t want to pig out at each meal. The idea is to consume several small meals per day, keeping your body nourished and your metabolic fire blazing. Proper nutrition – high in protein and complex carbs and low in fat – combined with exercise is a sure fire way to keep you burning calories around the clock.