Can you lose weight by skipping meals?

Skip meals to lose weight?

I often get this question from women who try to lose weight and mistakenly think that the less they eat the faster they will drop the pounds. This is in fact a big misconception and unfortunately one with many victims. The idea that you can lose weight by skipping meals, can only bring you far away from your goal.

The fact is, if you eat 2 meals a day the only thing you will achieve is being hungry (and will later overeat at the next meal). You slow your metabolic rate, which will make you burn even less calories and lose muscle mass. Muscle is active tissue that needs energy (i.e. calories) to survive.

If you don't eat enough your body is ''eating'' its muscle in order to survive and get energy. Of course you lose some weight at the beginning, but this is mainly muscle and water. This will cause you to hit a weight loss plateau, where you don't lose any weight for a long time. And over time you will gain back the weight back that you initially lost.

How to do it

If you want to lose weight then make sure you do it the right way. Cut out about 150-200 calories from the number you consume now. Otherwise the weight loss will not be sustainable. Eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Always eat breakfast and try to eat protein with every meal like poultry and fish. Choose fresh and cooked vegetables over pasta, white bread, white rice and potatoes. Limit those kinds of things to 1/2 cup per day. Also avoid having them in the evening.

Don’t forget to exercise

Start by doing any kind of exercise that you don't do at the moment. Walking around the house for 20 min is a good start. Jogging, biking, rope skipping are all excellent fat burning cardio activities. Try to add some as well. Begin with small dumbbells or resistance bands and gradually increase the intensity. Women can lift weights, especially if you're eating a healthy diet with lots of protein. This way you'll lose weight by increasing your metabolism, which will help you to lose weight faster. This is the healthiest way to lose weight without gaining it all back.