Personal Training Secret: Eat Every 3-4 Hours for Weight Loss
· Eat every 3-4 hours. Why every 3-4 hours? This span is debatable based on you. Your calorie intake, energy expenditure, and a list of many other factors influence your need to refuel. Your goal is to keep our body at sea level-not at a deficit-to work most efficiently. Otherwise, your body may resort to compensatory measures to overcome its deficits-which may hold your body back from losing weight (and may cause weight gain).
With this being said, physical assessments including blood sugar level or hormonal tests are needed to truly determine your need. Is it realistic to check these physical levels every hour? No. Instead, you should rely on physical cues-lightheadedness, hunger, etc. Unfortunately, most of my Chicago personal training clients don’t listen to these cues as well as their dogs (Does your dog nudge you for food at the same time every day?) and usually distract themselves instead (more work).
In hopes of minimizing a nutritional and energy deficiency, I suggest a calorie restricted meal every 3-4 hours. During that time, you’re allowing your body to efficiently digest the last meal while utilizing it and storing it for energy (and running around for your boss).
When you are near the 3-4 hour mark, determine your need for food. You may find that some meals are smaller than others depending on your activity level. This habit will help establish a frequent eating routine, minimize your tendency to overeat calories, and maintain a homeostatic balance throughout the day. Always keep your eating routine in mind when approaching your personal training sessions in Chicago.
