Lose Weight By Skipping a Meal…

We are often advised to eat 3 meals per day in order to stay healthy, and to lose weight. There’s some advice floating around saying you should eat 6 meals per day to lose weight. Is this really good advice? Can you lose weight by skipping a meal?

100 years ago

Around the turn of the 20th century people were encouraged to eat 3 meals a day to stay healthy. Work and domestic life was more physical.

Many people worked long hours labouring, and had more physical lives. Labour saving devices such as washing machines, dish washers and cars were far less common. People generally burned more calories than today.

Food was also more expensive for the average person. It was a challenge to afford to eat enough. So people generally needed to be reminded to eat more to remain healthy. Here’s an example of how different the times were…

In the early days of the Mars bar, their adverts showed off how many calories they contained. People were attracted to MORE calories! Buying a Mars bar was a considered purchase, and people often skipped lunch to afford one. So they needed to feel full when eating it.

The Mars selling point was that it contained lots of calories. Today most chocolate bars boast how few calories they contain. This shows a BIG shift in attitudes.

Modern living

Today, most people in developed countries can afford to eat as much as they want. Even the poorest people can afford to eat more than enough. And lives are far less physically demanding.

We’re now in a position where most people don’t need to be encouraged to eat more. If anything they need to be encouraged to eat less. More people now have non-physical jobs and don’t burn as many calories. They don’t need to be reminded to eat 3 meals per day. But we have persisted with this advice. It’s been passed down the generations, without an update!

Is it bad for your metabolism?

It ‘s a myth that eating fewer meals makes a person put on weight. There has been no scientific research to conclusively back this up. Most research shows there is no relationship between meal frequency and time, and gaining weight. These are usually the claims of the weight loss industry who don’t really want people to lose weight. The weight loss industry like to make the concept of weight loss more complicated than it really is. This breeds confusion, and confused people need help. Help comes from buying their products!

The only way someone gains weight is by consuming more calories than they burn. It doesn’t matter how many times a day you consume them, or when. If you burn 2500 calories over the course of a day, and eat a big 2000 calorie meal in the evening, then you will still lose weight. This makes total logical sense. How can you store calories you haven’t eaten?

Lose Weight By Skipping a Meal

If you want to lose weight, and are in good health, then why not skip a meal? There is absolutely wrong with skipping a meal, unless you have a really physical lifestyle, or have health problems such as diabetes.

Breakfast is usually the most beneficial meal to skip. Most people eat things such as cereal or toast, which give you lots of calories without providing you with much nutrition. When first skipping breakfast you will feel hungry for the first 2 or 3 days. But you will quickly get used to this routine, and it will become normal. You body knows when you usually eat, and will feel hungry in preparation. After a few days of skipping breakfast you should no longer feel hungry at breakfast time.

By making this one change you could save around 500 calories per day, depending on what you used to eat for breakfast. That is around 3500 calories per week. This is about the same amount of calories that it takes to make one pound of body fat.

So if you skip breakfast, you could lose a pound of fat every week, assuming your weight was stable before. That’s a massive 26 pounds over 6 months. All you need to do is live the same as before, except for making that one change. Just be careful that you don’t “make up” for missing a meal by eating more throughout the rest of the day.

Final thoughts

Unless you have specific health problems, there’s nothing wrong with skipping breakfast and saving those calories. It’s difficult to lose weight when you are eating 3 meals every single day. This is especially true if you don’t burn a lot off with work or exercise.

Try skipping a meal every now and then, and see what results you enjoy!