IS STARVING THE BODY ALL DAY
AND FEASTING AT NIGHT HEALTHY?
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Consult a general practitioner before attempting this exercise |
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This depends on how often and how much time you plan to spend on following this
restrictive dietary lifestyle.
There is nothing wrong with under-eating and over-eating at times; our bodies
are good at adapting. However, if fasting becomes the norm and occurs
frequently, then we are depriving our bodies and minds of what they need to
function properly. Possible results of skipping meals:
" Skipping meals can result in over-eating, bingeing, or
night eating.
" Your body's metabolism will slow down.
" You could lose muscle mass because your body will resort to using muscle as
an alternate energy source.
" Your feelings of hunger will also become more and more infrequent.
" Furthermore, you will lack the energy you need to get through the day if you
fast until nighttime.
" By not getting enough energy (in the form of calories from food) at the
beginning of the day, you will feel more tired and less focused, and possibly
even sluggish, light headed, dizzy, and/or faint. Therefore, your mind and body
will have to work harder if they don't get their required fill of energy.
It's important for you to listen to your body's signals of internal hunger and
not ignore them because you think you should. You need to be more aware of how
much food you (your body and mind) need. You also need to eat enough until you
are satisfied, depriving yourself will leave you aching for more.
If your reason for only eating at night includes or involves weight, I
recommend that you eat several small meals throughout the day. This will
provide you with a more constant and consistent source of energy in a form that
makes it easier for your body to metabolise and burn calories.
Skipping meals does not equate to a good dieting strategy because you will
likely overeat at mealtime, in addition to slowing down your metabolic rate. In
particular, try not to skip breakfast, which is considered the most important
meal of the day. Eating breakfast is important because it gives you an
immediate source of glucose. Furthermore, research has shown that people who
skip breakfast tend to be heavier than those who do not.
Your first meal of the day needs to be consumed
within 2 - 3 hours of waking. In addition, avoid overeating at your last meal
of the day. Not only will this help aid proper digestion but, if you are
usually inactive (in general, not just between mealtime and bedtime), fewer
calories are likely to be stored as a temporary source of fuel (as glycogen),
or as reserve energy (as fat). Your last meal needs to be consumed within 2 - 3
hours of bedtime.
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