Hello again! I hope everyone enjoyed their feasts and took the opportunity to indulge in the tips from my last post while pigging out! I definitely did. So Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families:) Today I want to talk about something that's as backwards as baseball caps in the 90's: not eating breakfast. It's like using jumper cables every time you start your car. It's like filling the bathtub with individual pots of water. Like carrying sacks of pennies instead of bills. Um, no thanks, right? If you had a choice, why would you do that? Both options get the job done, but one is clearly more efficient. Well, when you don't eat breakfast, it's sort of like picking the harder one - the longer route. Your body has to do all kinds of rearranging to feed itself, and the damage it causes is not worth it. This one small step is actually the biggest leap you can take in becoming healthier.
My best friend asked me the other day, "Sarah," she said, "Why am I not hungry in the morning if I don't binge on snacks late at night... but if I do eat late, I wake up starving?" It does seem like the opposite should be true, but it's actually your body playing tricks on you. When it's been 10+ hours since a meal the body starts to think you're starving. So it shuts off the receptors in the brain that trigger hunger sensations and goes about using other resources for energy to function. A lot of times people think excess fat with be used for fuel and you'll lose weight from not eating breakfast. Negative. The real place your body targets first for food? Your muscles! Yep. Your body eats it own muscles. And without going into too much detail I'll say your muscles are a huge factor in having a good, high metabolism. So when my sweet best friend doesn't feel hungry, it's because her body has already gone into starvation mode. **
Anyway, this is one of the only times you should eat even if you don't feel hungry. It's also the perfect time to not feel guilty for having that extra whatever, because your body needs it and it's got all day to burn those extra calories off. Chances are, if you eat a big breakfast you won't go crazy at lunch when normally your hunger pangs have come back and made you ravenous from going without. Remember to still eat good stuff though! Eggs, anything whole grain, turkey bacon/sausage (flavored with something - it tastes, well, not savory), grapefruit, nuts, yogurt, granola, etc.... and not empty, sugary calories. But seriously, something is better than nothing here. And yes, you can make the time! My favorite morning treat is whole grain toast, two slices, one with honey and raisins, and the other with either peanut butter or red pepper hummus. So let me encourage you to find a favorite of your own:) Keep your body running smooth, take this small step, eat breakfast! More later...
~ Sar
** Don't believe me about the muscles thing? Here's a couple articles that go more in-depth on the process. Don't worry, they're reader-friendly!
Always very useful information!!! I tell my girlfriend she needs to eat breakfast instead of strictly consuming coffee.
ReplyDelete5 egg white frittatas, 1 cup cereal, 1/4 almonds,1/4 walnuts,1/4 raisin. 2 cups coffee, cup of OJ. Thats My breakfast!! I have to have the Almighty Breakfast in the morning or even after my morning work out (after 2 protein shakes and a half a peanut butter sandwich).
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