Weight loss is a big concern for a lot of people. Everyone dreams of a perfect body, and they do many things to achieve it. Exercising daily, making a diet plan and in most cases, people starve themselves to lose weight.
But does starving work that way? Is it a safe and healthy method to lose weight? Let's find out!
People think that if they skip meals regularly, they're cutting out a certain number of calories which will make them lose weight. Logically it makes sense, but scientifically it is not true.
When you skip your dinner and go to bed empty stomach what tends to happen is that you get overly hungry for your next meal and most likely will end up eating more than needed.
It is just a myth people believe in. They skip dinner to decrease the calorie intake as it is assumed that dinner is the most substantial meal of the day. But the truth is that skipping meals is not a good idea at all. It slows down the metabolism level which makes it even more difficult to lose weight.
What happens when you skip your dinner?
Our body is designed in such a way that it requires fuel in form of proteins and carbohydrates time to time throughout the day to give us the energy to work and for the organs to function correctly. Skipping dinner means you are depriving your body as well as your mind out of the essential fuel it needs to perform and makes you feel tired and sluggish more often.
When you are tired, your body starts craving for the wrong, unhealthy and less-nutritious foods. Also, when you skip dinner at night, your body goes into fasting, and instead of burning fats it starts burning the muscle mass to gain energy and stores the fats to burn later.
Instead of starving yourself, a better way to lose weight and to keep your mental and physical energy levels up is to have regular healthy and nutritious dinner.
What should be included in the dinner?
Increase Protein Intake: A lot of people think that protein is only for bodybuilding. But protein is also a tremendous tool for losing weight. Protein cuts down the sugar craving in the body and keeps you full which makes you feel less hungry. Lentils, yogurt, green peas, kidney beans, etc. are great options to include in your dinner
Include green vegetables in your daily diet: Green vegetables are extremely low in calories and contain a lot of water and proteins. Other than proteins they are a great source of carbohydrate and fiber. You can cook these vegetables or even eat them raw as salads. Some of the best green vegetables for weight loss are cucumber, broccoli, spinach, beans, etc.
Curd or Buttermilk: You can take buttermilk or curd with any food. Just add a pinch of cumin powder without any table salt, and it will do wonders for your weight loss. It also helps your digestive system stay healthy, boosts your immune system, controls blood pressure, lowers bad cholesterol and fight yeast infection
Is overeating at dinner bad?
Dinner is the most crucial meal of the day, and it is essential for you to keep track of what and how much you're eating at the dinnertime. A lot of time people end up overeating at night as a result of anxiety and stress due to the whole weight loss process.
The average human stomach can handle between one and a half litres of food before getting the urge to throw it back up but can also stretch to accommodate four times that much. When a person constantly overeats, the body cannot use all the extra calories and starts storing them which ultimately turn into fats.
And this certainly doesn’t help in losing any weight at all!
So, it turns out that if you choose your food carefully, you can lose weight without skipping any of your meals. Also, if you want to add anything in the above information, do let us know in the comments section below.
Looking for personalised diet consultations for weight loss? Feel free to connect with Dt. Ankita Gupta Sehgal at +919873974659.