Eat all day, lose weight and be happy!
An article by Sarah
Posted February 24, 2009 
Yes it is true, and has been the recommendation of doctors for years; eating little and often is more beneficial than letting your body feel hungry.
Even the A-list Hollywood stars have come to realise that fad diets damage their bodies, ultimately making them gain the weight they lost, just like us normal folks.
Now things have changed for the good, those in the know have given up on the starvation-and-deprivation diets and waved goodbye to the complicated, percentage-based or calorie counting eating plans.
Carbs are back in favour and, surprisingly, so is eating. In fact, now the most popular way to stay in shape in Hollywood and elsewhere is to eat all day long. Some of the high-profile A-listers who have opted out of dieting hell include Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez, Penélope Cruz, Lucy Liu, Kate Beckinsale, Jennifer Garner, Uma Thurman, Cindy Crawford, Jessica Biel, Halle Berry, and many more.
For once I think the stars have got it right, especially since fad dieting is a system that is so difficult to stick to. The new way to slim down is to never to get hungry, i.e. snack between meals, and enjoy the foods we have previously been denied and therefore craved.
Basically, it is all about speeding up your metabolism, explains Dan Benardot, PhD, professor of nutrition, kinesiology and health at Georgia State University.
“Blood sugar fluxes every three hours, so if you don’t eat something to raise the blood sugar, metabolic rate can slow down,” he says. “By eating every three hours, you’re never hungry and constantly reset your metabolism.”
“One of the stimulants to hunger is low blood sugar,” he says. “If you let yourself get really hungry and find a bag of unpeeled carrots and a ready-to-eat cake in the refrigerator, which would you choose?”
We are programmed to eat for energy – but if we don’t listen to that programming, we can easily upset the natural balance of our bodies. Our body thinks it is in starvation mode and automatically slows down your metabolism, which leads to a vicious cycle of binge/starve and weight gain.
On top of all that, our moods will suffer, making us even more prone to pigging out on the wrong foods.
“By eating every three hours, you’re never hungry and constantly reset your metabolism,” confirms Jorge Cruise, fitness guru and author of The 3-Hour Diet. “My three-hour diet is about uncovering the buried concept of timing – the fact that when we eat is critical to weight loss.”
Jorge believes that a little of what you fancy also does you good. “I never advocate deprivation,” he says. “If you want something sweet, you’ve got to indulge or you’ll just end up bingeing and regretting it. You can be smart about how you enjoy dessert. There are no bad foods, just bad portions.”
“But it’s not rocket science,” he quickly adds. “Forget the fad diets and pills. The most potent weight-management drug on the market is in your market – it’s food!”
The golden rules
Eat six times a day 3 meals and 3 snacks a day.
Start every day with a healthy protein breakfast.
Include around 90g of protein in your diet each day.
Include around 30g of fibre each day.
Do not eat any concentrated sugars.
Any bread, pasta or rice should be wholegrain.
Avoid alcohol and caffeine.
Sample menu
Breakfast: A boiled egg with wholemeal toast and a piece of fruit.
Snack: Two slices of lean ham and a piece of fruit.
Lunch: Chicken breast and salad.
Snack: Low-fat yoghurt with handful of unsalted nuts such as almonds, or fruit.
Dinner: Lean roast lamb, with green vegies, carrots and ½ a jacket potato.
Snack: Wholewheat crispbreads with tuna and tomato. Or a glass of skimmed milk and a banana.
Tip
You can easily turn your normal three meals into six by dividing them in half, and eating the second half three hours after the first. As long as you keep the portions smaller than you would have if you’d lumped it all together in three meals, then you won’t overload your system and will keep your metabolism revved up. This will improve energy, help you lose weight and give you a much better mood.
