Are your dinner choices putting the brakes on your weight loss?
By Teralee Trommeshauser
Eating a big dinner might be sabotaging your weight loss efforts in more ways than you think! Here are just somepossible ways:
- You’re not active enough in the evening to justify making dinner your largest meal (most people aren’t!). Why do we eat food? No, it’s not just because it tastes good. We eat for energy! Chances are you’re either relaxing, or sleeping, after dinner – not doing a bootcamp intensive workout – so cut back, not only on the potion sizes, but your food choices. Things high in carbohydrates will supply your body with excess sugars that will unfortunately be stored as fat if unused!
- Big dinners can promotes late night snacking! I suppose this would all depend on what you’re eating for dinner – but the average person is filling up on things like pasta, rices, potatoes, etc. These types of foods, especially if they are white, and/or processed, spike your blood sugar levels, signaling your body to produce insulin. Ever notice how after your gorge on things like potato chips, pasta, chinese food, etc, you find yourself looking for more food about an hour later? That’s because your body wants more sugars to pair up with the excess insulin floating around in your system! Not to mention that you might not being giving your body the nutrients it needs, and filling up on empty calories, so your system is still hungry for nutrition! Lean, healthy proteins, lots of greens, and green vegetables, is a great way to plan your dinners. Try to curb any cravings that will happen, out of habit, with a hot cup of tea.
- Are you eating a large dinner because by the time you get home from work, or by the time the evening rolls around, you’re just starving? You might not be eating big enough, and nutritious enough, breakfasts and lunches (you aren’t skipping meals though – right? That is, unless you want to slow down your metabolism!). If you fill up on nutrient dense foods for your first few meals, you’re body wont be craving so much in the evening! As for things like bagels – they are just dense, not nutrient dense! Get some whole grains in earlier in the day, and lots of fresh veggies and fruits. You also might not be getting enough protein with your meals. Protein helps keep us fuller, for longer, so make sure to include healthy and lean protein options with all your meals.
Teralee Trommeshauser is a BCRPA certified fitness trainer, and owner of West-Kootenay based business, Natural Edge Health & Fitness Coaching. This article originally appeared on her blog.
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