Weight Loss in 5 small meals a day

Having five small meals a day is more effective for weight loss than three regular meals a day

Ever wondered how that perpetually snacking colleague of yours stays so thin? A report published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who are six smaller meals a day had a faster resting metabolic rate than those who just ate three meals a day.

"When you eat every three or four hours, you'll have less cravings than people who only eat two or three meals a day. So you'll be less likely to give in to that piece of cake," says Julie Howden, a nutrition consultant. She explains that with a shorter duration in between meals, your blood sugar levels remain constant. This helps to stave off your hunger, since dips in blood sugar make you famished. You'll also be less likely to binge during the next meal.

Just the act of eating helps you to burn calories. Julie says: "When you eat, you actually burn calories to digest the food. Eating regular small meals means the body needs to work regularly to burn off the food, so you raise your metabolic rate while eating."

But before you get set to tackle that bag of chips, learn to choose your snacks wisely. The trick to this many-meals-a-day technique is to choose low-calorie snacks. Julie suggests breaking up a diet of 2,000 calories a day (the average required amount for women aged 18 to 35) into three meals at 600 calories each and two snacks at 100 calories each. A 100-calorie snack could be a cup of low-fat milk or one small roll of popiah.

Source: Her World