Fasting Fears – How Your Body Reacts to Skipping Meals

When it comes to weight loss the temptation to skip a meal or two is always there. It can seem harmless, just cutting out breakfast or even a lunch now and then. While it may look like a good way to cut out some extra calories or lose some excess weight, it can cause immeasurable harm to your body and is unsustainable in the long term.

Your nutrition matters.

Vitamins, minerals, and nutrients – these are what keep our bodies functioning at their healthiest. If you aren’t eating at regular intervals, there is no possible way to get everything you need to have a strong and well-functioning system. When your body is starved of these essential ingredients, it will not run the way it should. Iron deficiency, for example, can be disastrous to your energy levels or a low intake of vitamin C can affect everything from your bones to the brightness of your skin.

If you want to insure you are getting the right fuel for you body, there are many options, but try to stick to a meal plan that is scientifically balanced. If you aren’t a wiz in the kitchen or forget to eat breakfast, try meal replacement shakes. They offer an instant and easy way get many of the nutrients you need.

What happens when you skip a meal.

When you don’t eat enough food, or miss a meal, your body goes into survival mode and you hang onto every last calorie. Not satiating yourself or listening to your natural hunger signals can lead to overindulging later that day, which means consuming more calories than before.

When you don’t eat, you’re missing out on the fuel that keeps you going all day long. Slow cognitive function, lethargy and irritation have all been linked to under consumption of carbohydrates and low blood sugar. To make it worse, when you do overindulge later, you can eat too quickly, which has been known to cause, Bloating, constipation or even nausea.

Some research shows the intermittent fasting can yield results, however more often than not people fasting can skip eating at the worst possible time. Some doctors say that skipping breakfast is the worst thing that you do. Eating something small every three hours or so, is the best way to make sure you have the fuel you need to get through the day. Ensure that you consult a doctor before you undertake any form of diet or exercise plan, to make sure that it is a healthy choice for you.

Meal skipping dangers.

By skipping meals, you are opening yourself up to many unwanted side effects. High blood pressure, heart issues and diabetes have all been linked to skipping meals. While none of these are imminiant health risks, every meal you skip could contribute to any one of them.

Rather, a slow and sustained weight loss program is the best way to make a good change in your life. By eating a balanced diet, you can not only get to your goal weight, but also in some cases actually improve your life expectancy.

While changing your diet and how you eat can be hugely beneficial, skipping meals is not the way to lose weight.  The best way to make committed strides towards long term weight loss is to talk to your doctor or a nutritionist. They can assess the best way for you you to lose weight according to your goal, lifestyle and current level of fitness. Don’t fall into the temptation of skipping meals to avoid consuming a few extra calories. It can do much more harm than good.