Why It’s Important to get this right.
There’re several things that are important to both weight loss and weight gain that have absolutely nothing to do with what you’re eating. Throughout this chapter we’ll go through just some of the reasons why our body reacts certain ways to both when and how we eat our food as well as give you a few things to think about during your next meal time.
Lets start with WHEN. Why is it that we can eat the exact same meals through the course of the day yet still see a variance in energy levels, bloated feeling and even sleep? By now we probably know that if Energy in is GREATER than Energy out your body gains weight on the other hand if Energy in is LESS than Energy out our body loses weight, this is known as the Law of Thermodynamics and there’s no way around it.
There’re plenty of myths and helpful hints going around the place when it comes to the fitness industry and it can sometimes be hard to decipher the good from the bad but have you ever heard someone say “Don’t eat just before you go to bed”?. There’s a reason for this so lets put this one in the Helpful Hints section. Think of our body as a self thinking oven or coal powered train if you would., always one step ahead, to the point where if you’re thinking about putting on a roast or some more coal, it’s working out how to cook it. By cooking it we mean working out how to break it down to best deliver the nutrients to help keep you tied over until the next meal. If you have too much food we know that you’ll gain weight and you’ll do so in the way of fat. So when you eat an hour or so before you go to bed, you’re risking going to bed with a full stomach and a slower metabolism because “The Body is Always One Step Ahead” and it now knows that there’s no need to fuel the body for sleep, thus the remaining energy is stored as body fat. In this case it’s quite simple, just give yourself a little more time between eating and going to bed and you should notice some improvements in energy levels and body composition over the following weeks.
Growing up we had a lot of family time and this used to be mainly at meal times in the days where mobile phones were a luxury. Fast forward to today, dinner at the table is quite rare and the distractions are far greater. Mobile phones are owned by 12yo, Televisions are in the dining area and we haven’t had time to catch up on the days news so the newspaper is sitting in the middle of the table. All of these things distract us from connecting with our food. Yes, a little bit weird but we need to look at food as a relationship. In any relationship you need to pay attention, get to know them, their likes, dislikes and the list goes on. This is no different to food and just like any normal relationship, if you don’t put in the ground work, it won’t be a good relationship. As discussed in a previous chapter, we spoke about the connection between the brain and the stomach. This connection doesn’t work as efficiently if the brain isn’t connecting with the food so much as it is the latest Kardashian gossip. This means that by the time the stomach sends the message to the brain that it’s full, it’s a little too late and we’ve now overeaten. Too much food = too many calories and we go back to the Law of Thermodynamics, “Unless you can burn them, don’t consume them”! So next time you sit down for a meal, think about these two things.
When am I eating and is this giving my body enough time to digest?
Am I eating without distractions?
These 2 very basic but extremely important tips will go a long way to improving your lifestyle and relationship with food.
Hope you enjoyed the read.
Justin Beard Pn1