Sometimes, it feels like the easiest way to lose weight is just to skip meals.
It feels like the occasional skipping of breakfast, lunch or dinner can do no harm. This is not true.
Whether you need to lose weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle, having a regular, consistent meal schedule is important.
A lot of things happen to your body when you skip meals and here are some of them:
1. You’re missing out on the nutrition you need
Eating is not just about filling yourself with food to satisfy your hunger. When you eat, you also give your body viral protein, carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins, minerals, and every other nutrient it needs for a healthy lifestyle. Skipping meals simply mean you’re missing out on these nutrients and it can have negative effects on your general body function.
2. You tend to overeat your next meal
Skipping a meal makes you feel extremely tired and hungry. You lack the energy to function properly and you will most likely overeat at your next meal to fill the void you have created earlier.
3. Your metabolism slows down
Skipping meals can have the opposite effect on your weight loss plan. When you skip meals, your body doesn’t act as efficiently as it should and your metabolism slows down. So what was intended as a weight-loss plan might not be effective as you want. When you eat regularly, your body has the energy it needs for a faster metabolism, which can result in a healthy weight loss.
4. You have an increased risk of diabetes
Instead of losing weight, what you get from skipping meals is diabetes. Going without lunch daily can increase the risk of developing diabetes due to the surge in blood glucose levels.
5. It can cause hormonal changes
When you don’t eat meals regularly, the level of cortisol- the stress hormone- increases in the body because your body starts to think you’re starving. This can have adverse effects on your health because an increase in the level of cortisol can cause weight gain, impaired immune function, increased disease risk, and blood sugar imbalances.
6. It messes with your mood and concentration
Your brain needs glucose to function properly. When you don’t get that, you might get moody and have a hard time concentrating on simple tasks.
7. It makes you feel tired and sluggish
Food is literally what fuels the body and gives us energy. Without it, you can’t function properly and you will feel exhausted no matter how much you sleep.
