When is the best time to eat?

However, the best time to consume energy is when the body is at its most active, a time when the metabolism is elevated or when there is a need for extra nutrition. Perhaps the first instance should be in the morning, starting with a good breakfast. Remember while asleep the body has had no nutritional supply for up to ten hours so cells are ready to effectively use up the energy from food. Also, the body needs it’s supply of essential nutrients in the morning, especially protein, because excess or circulating proteins have been used up to help recover muscles, hair, skin, nails or to create millions of antibodies to defend against bacteria which may have entered the body during sleep. This means extra energy will be used to help replace the protein lost. Reduce your calorie intake as the day passes by. Better still divide your daily calorie intake into 5 meals a day- breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner (after every 3 hrs). Try avoid eating big meal after 9 pm.

Another good time to eat is after exercise. Have a big meal about 30-45 minutes after a weight training session. During this time enzymes responsible for energy production are most active and energy-storing hormones within the blood are suppressed. This means there will be less chance energy will be stored as fat. Carbohydrates will be immediately taken up to replenish the low glycogen stores caused through exercising, the protein will be needed to aid recovery and growth of new calorie-burning muscle tissue and most of the fat from the meal will be needed to fuel many of these reactions. After a good workout most meals are likely to be utilized completely for recovery.

Habits, lifestyle and weight loss

I suggest that before you dive head first into your next weight loss program it is worth taking a habit check. When we talk about habit we usually think about eating, drinking and smoking too much and make the mistake of trying to change the behavior without changing ourselves – see How to break a habit and see why we should not be too hard on ourselves if we find it difficult.
What you eat is usually closely related to what you are doing. What do you grab from the fridge when you get home from work? Do you always buy a coffee and a danish before you get on the train, arrive at work or meet up with friends? Are you really hungry when you buy this food or is it just because you always do it? If yes, then you are like the majority of people who are habitual eaters. Think about it. When you go shopping it is easier to buy the usual food because you know where it is in the store and this saves time. It’s less effort, you don’t have to think too hard when your tired after a tough day and just want to get home.Habits play a huge role in our lives but we are barely conscious of it. Try the short experiments in our Fitness test and you will recognize the power of habit. So the first step in starting a successful weight loss program is to appreciate just how many of your decisions are automatic habitual actions that you did not consciously choose to do.The next time you are about to get on the train see if your legs start taking you towards the coffee vendor by themselves.