The Benefits of Eating Six Small Meals Each Day

Starving yourself is not a healthy way to restrict how many calories you consume.
Research now shows that eating 6 smaller meals a day can help you achieve your
summer weight loss goals, as opposed to the traditional thinking that 3 complete
meals a day is best. You can seriously put your health at risk if you limit your
calorie consumption too drastically.

More and more people are victims of a "roller coaster diet" while trying to lose
weight. Diet plans that restrict your calories decrease your body's metabolism, and
as a result your body will experience starvation. When this occurs, your body
doesn't use a lot of calories, and that leads to extreme hunger.

To increase your body's metabolic rate, you should eat 5 or 6 smaller meals each
day. Your metabolism will increase, and thus burn more calories all day long. You
can further increase your metabolism by eating foods high in protein during your 6
meals.

Eating regularly will boost your metabolism due to the thermic effect of food.

You need a lot of calories to digest and absorb food, creating the thermic effect.

Different foods have different percentages of thermic effect, ranging from 3 to 30

percent. High protein foods have a 30 percent thermic effect. Some examples are
turkey, salmon, and tuna. By simply digesting, 30 percent of the calories in these
foods are burned. 20 percent of the calories found in fibrous and complex
carbohydrates are burned during digestion. Some examples of these foods are corn,
broccoli, green beans, and spinach. Foods with a very low thermic effect include
refined carbohydrates and fats. This is the reason why dietary fat is stored so
easily.

Your level of hunger will diminish while your energy level rises when you eat 5-6
smaller meals each day. You will also be able to maintain balanced blood sugar
levels, which will help prevent hunger.

You can develop muscle to increase your metabolism. By eating regularly, you can
maintain insulin levels which produce amino acids into your muscle's cells, thus
promoting muscle growth. Eating every 3 hours will yield a steady output of
insulin. This is good for muscle growth and storing glycogen. As a result of eating
healthy foods regularly, your summer weight loss goals will be easier to
accomplish, and your body will be able to process vitamins and minerals more
effectively.

The trick is to make sure you have a constant eating schedule. It might be
difficult at first, but planning your meals will be well worth it. To prevent
cravings and hunger, it's good habit to feed your body foods that are rich in
nutrients. A summer weight loss plan including a diet of healthy fats, vegetables,
fruit, and lean protein is the best way to go. Eating such a diet with 5-6 meals
each day can accelerate your muscle growth. It can increase your energy level,
increase your metabolism, and you'll burn half of the calories by eating regularly,
and store very little fat.

Combine your diet with strength training and cardiovascular exercise to make it
even more effective! Using these three methods, you'll be on the fast track to
burning fat and accomplishing your summer weight loss goals.