Why eating 5-7 times a day benefits you:

eat-5-7x-day

When I was on Paleo (not anymore), I pounded back the largest most nutritious packed salads in the biggest Tupperware containers I could find. I always heard comments like — you’re not going to be able to finish that, or you’re going to gain not lose weight eating THAT much food. When in reality I was quickly transforming my body into a fat-burning machine. Why? How?

Eating 5-7 times a day benefits you:

  • By giving yourself more energy
  • You reduce your food cravings since you’re already full all the time.
  • Eating frequently (and healthy) reduces body fat
  • It maintains and increases muscle mass
  • Controls your blood sugar levels
  • You’re less hungry

Sure it takes a lot of preparation and planning, and a crazy amount of self control to get into the habit of eating this frequently. I sure don’t follow it to a tee. But to keep it simple I just make extra foods in the evening. Instead of cooking for just the Boyf and I, I cook for 4-6 people so we have tons of leftovers for a day or two for lunch.

To make things easier, I designate a day on the weekend to cut up and prep meals for the following week. I make sure that there is protein or fiber in every snack or meal. Eating a reasonable portion — I use my hands to measure the portion size.

Easy way to measure  portion sizes. Let your hands guide you (source: Canadian Living)

Here’s how to estimate the amount you should eat.

  • The palm of your hand: one serving (75 g/2.5 oz) of chicken, meat, fishor seafood
  • A closed fist: one serving (1 cup/250 mL) of salad
  • A cupped hand: one serving (1/2 cup/125 mL) of vegetables or grains, such as pasta or rice
  • A thumb tip: 1 tsp (5 mL) of added fat, such as oil, butter or margarine
  • An entire thumb: 1 tbsp (15 mL) of salad dressing

 Wash all of your veg and fruit before hand. So it’s easy to grab in the fridge when you’re looking for a snack.

cut-up-foodI chop up all of my celery, carrots, bell peppers, broccoli and cauliflower and store them in airtight containers with some water. That way it’s easy to grab and throw in a frying pan for a stir fry or muck-up of some sort.

You’ll see some amazing changes in yourself if you get into the habit of prepping your meals in advance and eating healthy food every few hours.

  1. Skipping meals is hard on your body.
  2. Your metabolism slows down.
  3. Feeling cranky or light headed? It’s because your blood sugar dropped.
  4. Plus, you over eat at your next meal, trying to compensate for the dip in blood sugar.

Do I eat this way all the time? Heck no, it’s most definitely time consuiming and takes a lot of prep work. It definitely helps me in the long run through the week days when I do take time to manage everything. I really need to get back on track. Because if I don’t plan ahead, I make the not so nutritious meals for us.

What are some of your favorite foods?

How often do you eat?

Do you prep your meals ahead of time?

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