Eat Shrink And Be Merry

If you’re battling the bulge, or trying with all your might to simply maintain your weight (and who isn’t?), here’s a tip that I think might tip the scales in your favour: Eat smaller meals more often!

Sure, you might have heard it over and over again, and it’s so simple you’re likely to roll your eyes and ignore it, but honestly, it works. And research has been confirming it. Studies show that exceeding 500 calories at any meal makes it much easier for your body to store the excess as fat. Eating large meals (even if it’s all good-for-you stuff), raises your levels of the hormone insulin, and this shifts your body into fat storage mode. Eeek! To avoid this, go grazey! Aim for smaller, more frequent meals–250 to 500 calories per meal, every 3.5 hours or so. (Not during the middle of the night, wishful thinker you!) Obviously, some men would need a little more in the calorie department than women, and it all depends on the individual and his/her unique biochemistry, but in general, this is what you should be shooting for to maintain your ideal weight.

Incidentally, a Burger King Whopper has 670 calories (without fries or soda–Yikes!). Three slices of regular pepperoni pizza have 600 calories. A typical restaurant serving of spaghetti and meatballs can add 900 cals to your potbelly. Polishing off the entire box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (prepared as directed) while watching Seinfeld re-runs will set you back roughly 1000 calories. You can see why millions and millions of North Americans are simultaneously punching new holes into their belts!

I wouldn’t want you to be obsessed with the numbers, but it’s good to get a handle on just how much you’re putting in your body. Get used to reading nutrition labels or even asking restaurants and fast food joints for their nutritionals. And if you’ve just gotta have those fries, opt for a small versus a large. Just say no to the combo. Share an entree with a friend. Ask for a doggie bag at a restaurant. Dying for dessert? Go splits with a pal. Halve your cake and eat it, too!

Try gassing up every three hours or so, and make it a high-octane blend of good fats, good carbs, lean protein and fiber (ie. chicken breast, vegetables, brown rice, and salad with olive oil dressing.) That 400- to 500-calorie meal will keep your blood sugar steady and prevent that dreaded fat storage hormone from doing its dirty work. Smaller meals also keep your metabolism stoked–sort of like putting kindling on a fire to keep it burning. Throwing a huge truckload of wood on the fire can dampen and stifle it.

If you eat small, eat often and eat smart, you won’t end up with a wider chassis. Whatever you do, do not exceed the FEED limit!