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As someone who snacks about every three hours, with slightly larger snacks around breakfast and lunch, missing meals isn’t something I often do. My body is used to having small, constant amounts of food coming in to refuel it—so a late lunch is pretty miserable for me. But others don’t have the same routine as I do—my boss regularly waits until after three to eat and even then it’s just a bowl of ramen noodles (sodium and carbs). For those or you who find yourselves relating to her, I wanted to discuss the implications of eating late.
3 p.m. lunch may bee too long of a wait. Image: Shutterstock |
Numerous studies have been done over the years on the effect of meal times and sizes. Some suggest that the biggest meal should be breakfast, and meals should gradually decline in size, making dinner the smallest. Other studies say that eating every three hours is best for our bodies, as it keeps meals small and generally lighter than a heaping platter. But none of these studies have definitively nailed down the single best pattern. And that includes this one.
When reading into studies, make sure to keep in mind all the
variable factors. One such factor to consider is how much time the participants
were going between meals. This study doesn’t chart that, but it’s an important
consideration to make. One thing we do know about meal times is that when we go
too long in between meals, it can affect the metabolism, slowing it and
hindering weight loss.
A cute lunch box is essential in life! |
Participants also likely had other different behaviors,
including the comparison between calories consumed and burned. Not getting
enough sleep has also been linked to higher rates of obesity and lower success
in weight loss. The researchers themselves have recognized that these findings
are preliminary and require further research to determine how much meal-timing
influences weight loss.
Certainly, it’s not a bad idea to space your meals out
equally and keep your body from going into “starvation” mode. But how much of
an impact it actually has remains to be seen. Eating right and exercising
regularly are still kings of the weight-loss world.
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