Irregular Meal Patterns Can Affect Metabolism, Appetite, Body Fat, and Diabetes

Are you a regular 3-square-meals-a-day person? Or, do you eat at different times, depending on your schedule or how you feel? New research has found that your answer to these questions can change the rate at which your body burns calories (metabolism), your appetite, and even your blood sugar levels, all of which affect the amount of calories you eat and your ability to maintain or lose body fat.

The study, published in this month's American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, gave two groups of women either a regular meal pattern or an irregular meal pattern, then reversed the conditions for each group. What they found confirmed what I have observed over my 25-plus years of clinical practice: A regular meal pattern, ie, three meals and 3 snacks per day, increased metabolism, lowered appetite, and even reduced blood sugar levels after meals.

As I've said for many years, planning and eating regular meals is one of the most important factors contributing to weight loss success. Conversely, undereating and poor planning are major causes of overeating. Eating on a whim - or catch-as-catch-can - sets you up for failure in so many ways. And now, according to this study, it's official and not just my own observation!

Learn how to fix your disorganized eating in my book, Diet Simple: 195 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations