Is Eating my Dinner Making me Fat?
Almost everyone looks back with warmth at memories of some family dinner. Dinners are ideally associated with relaxation, laughter and talk.
The process of laughing and talking over food should technically stretch the meal, giving our brain ample time to send satiety signals. Were this the reality, we would hardly worry about gaining weight from overeating at dinner. Taking in less calories helps the body burn fat fast.
The reality, however, is different. In today’s hurried worlds, we rush home from work to errands, events or even kids homework.
Most of the time our calories are already piling up before we’ve even taken that first bite of dinner. The hurried mindset usually means cutting corners in dinner preparation.
Our lack of focus leads us to make unhealthy choices in food preparation, choices like adding unhealthy fats and processed foods to our meal. We may even have skipped meals during the day, and get so hungry that we munch on a snack while waiting for dinner to get to the table.
By the time dinner is served, the average meal has doubled or tripled in calories.
In addition, many people are eating their evening meal later and later in the day, making it more difficult for the body to digest. Calories the body doesn’t burn are stored as more fat. Being able to burn off extra calories helps you lose weight fast.
Welcome to the land of pear-shaped people!
So what can you do to prevent dinner from destroying your weight loss or weight maintenance plan? Some tips are:
Switch meals – Eat a large breakfast to reduce your cravings throughout the day and increase your metabolism. A big breakfast will help kick start your energy which in turn will keep your weight loss a success!
Plan Ahead – Making this choice means you will need to do a little advance preparation with menu planning. Choosing foods that are lower in calories will help you lose weight fast.
Enjoy with Company – Socializing is also a boon as studies have shown people who are actively engaged in conversation during mealtime, often have a reduced intake of calories.
Conversation around the table also means there is more time for your brain to signal, “I’m Full”.