You just started your weight loss journey and although you are feeling energized, motivated, and ready to go; you may be wondering how you are possibly going to fit all that food into your day. Maybe you’ve been wondering if it matters if you skip your snacks since they are small or you aren’t feeling very hungry for a snack so you are choosing to skip them. If you are thinking one of these two things-you are definitely not alone! These are common thoughts when beginning a weight loss journey and learning how to navigate your meal plan. We’re here to tell you that snacks play a big role in your weight loss journey and here’s why.
Helps Keep Your Metabolism in Check
Ideally, you should aim to eat at least something every 3-3.5 hours. Doing this helps keep your metabolism working as efficiently as possible and sends a signal to your body letting it know that food is coming. This in turn allows your body to be okay with letting your additional fat stores go, burning excess fat. Snacks help us accomplish this by being that in-between when we are waiting for our next meal. Without snacks, we may otherwise go many hours without eating. Getting into the pattern of eating a snack between meals will allow your body to begin to adjust to the increase in food. It will also help keep your blood sugar stable so your metabolism doesn’t begin to slow during the middle of the day.
Prevents That Afternoon Slump
Have you ever had a very large meal for lunch or dinner that left you feeling heavy, sluggish, and tired? That is a feeling you definitely don’t want to experience in the middle of your work day or at night when you have things you need to get done. A good way to prevent this from happening is to avoid eating very large, bulky meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and eat two to three snacks throughout your day. Having a snack will also give you the extra boost of energy that you need in the late afternoon to end your day on a positive and productive note. When we aren’t eating frequently enough, your blood sugar begins to naturally drop which causes our energy to decrease. The snacks help keep both your blood sugars and your energy stable throughout the day.
Skipping Snacks May Lead to Cravings
Many people may experience cravings for sweets or carbohydrates. If you are experiencing these cravings often it may mean you are not eating enough calories or carbohydrates to sustain your normal day-to-day processes. Having a snack or two throughout your day, even when you are not feeling very hungry, will help you reach your daily intake goal to ensure you are eating enough throughout the day. When you go into our next meal feeling ravenously hungry from under eating, it may cause you to overeat or experience these cravings. Under eating may lead you to indulging in cravings where you may end up feeling fatigued and not satiated from your meal.
Although you may look at your snacks as a small part of your overall daily intake, they do play a big role in your journey. Snacks will help you stay on track, allow your metabolism to do the best job it can, and prevent you from having those strong cravings.