Thoughts on a low carb diet.

If you’ve seen a nutritionist, had an appointment with a registered dietitian (best choice) or stumbled upon a diet book, chances are they told you to eat five to six small meals per day… or that eating three large meals can harm your digestion, increase your chances of overeating and slow down your metabolism. Studio SWEAT’s Cat Kom, Bethany, and Studio SWEAT’s registered dietitian, Miriam, refute the frequent feeding model for its lack of scientific validation, and list out their daily eating schedule.

The reality is each individual body is different. The majority of the time, it doesn’t care how many meals you eat; it cares about overall how much you’re eating, along with what you’re eating. The thermic effect of food, also known as thermogenesis, directly correlates with the caloric intake per day. If calories accumulate to the same amount at the end of the day, it won’t matter whether you’re eating six meals or three.

The best dietary approach is one that suits your lifestyle and is sustainable for your body. In regards to energy, if you’re constantly craving food, can’t survive three hours without it and become aggressive or moody, pack light meals on the go and increase your frequency of intake. As long as the composition of what you’re eating is healthy and calorically thought out, then eating more regularly won’t be a cause for concern.

Although the frequent feeding model fits and works for some people, eating less often could be a better choice for you. From the perspective of satiety, eating more frequently is less beneficial since the more often you eat, the hungrier you get which can lead to higher caloric intake and eventual weight gain. With larger meals, you feel more satisfied, you eat until you’re full and you have the energy to go on with your day until your next meal.

Another solution for mindful eating is to listen to your natural body cues instead of pre scheduling your every meal and picking up on visual cues. The Hunger Scale recognizes your personal hunger, satiety levels and alerts when the best time to eat for you is. The scale ranges from 1 – 10 and indicates the perfect time for your body to intake food, prevents you from overindulging and manages self control.

Your hunger should avoid landing on a 1-3 since the lower the number, the higher the chance of overeating. While 1-3 is directly proportional to ravenous hunger, 7-10 enter the satiety zone that can cause poking around in the fridge or light snacking that can turn into a full fledged and an unnecessary meal. 4-6 on the scale means time to eat and is the best area to practice healthy eating!

In summation, worry more about what you’re eating than when or how often you’re intaking food. The more you remove these perceived and perpetual myths of the “need” for fixed meals, the more you will feel in control and self empowered to eat in a way that is healthy for your well being.

Watch the full video to discover whether a low carb diet is right for you! For more trainer tip videos, check out https://www.studiosweatondemand.com/.