You’ve been on a strict diet to lose weight, but the results have not been felt? It could be that what is wrong is not the type of food, but the time to eat for your diet.
According to experts, losing weight is not just reducing the portion of food. You also have to pay attention to the right time to eat so that your weight becomes more under control.
The importance of set meal times for a successful diet
No matter how healthy the food you eat, an eating schedule that doesn’t follow your body’s biological clock can mess up your metabolism.
Metabolism is a variety of chemical reactions in body cells that convert food into energy.
One of the effects of disrupted metabolism is an increase in blood sugar. This interferes with the production of the hormone insulin, which is responsible for storing fat in the body.
Instead of being burned into energy, fat in the body actually accumulates.
The right time to eat can help the success of the diet while protecting you from the risk of disease.
It was researched by Dr. Jonathan Johnston from the University of Surrey in the UK in the Journal of Nutritional Science (2018) which divided the participants into two groups.
The first group was asked to have breakfast 90 minutes later than their usual schedule and dinner 90 minutes earlier.
There is no limit in the type of food. After 10 weeks of observation, he took blood samples from the participants.
Apparently, people who changed the time of breakfast and dinner can lose body fat twice as much as people who ate as usual (group two).
Dr. Johnston also found that the first group ate less than the second group.
The participants stated that they ate less because their appetite was more controlled. They also don’t snack much at night.
In addition to losing weight, Dr. Johnston added that these changes could prevent obesity and related diseases. The reason, the amount of body fat has been reduced from before.
Guide to eating the right time for diet
You are wrong if you think that a healthy diet only eats once a day. When losing weight, you don’t need to hold back hunger or fast all day.
Instead of losing weight, you are more prone to hypertension and other health problems.
So, you should still eat as usual with the following diet eating schedule.
Breakfast at 6 – 9.45 am
A study in the journal Obesity (2015) revealed that eating a high-protein breakfast at 6-9:45 am most effective at preventing fat accumulation.
Breakfast at this time can also prevent the emergence of false hunger throughout the day.
Nutritionist and spokesman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in the US, Jim White, also agrees.
According to White, eating one hour after waking up is the best time to eat a diet. Don’t wait until 10 am to have breakfast.
Morning snack 2 – 4 hours after breakfast
If you’re used to eating very early in the morning and can’t wait for lunch, a healthy snack can be the solution.
To make sure your snacks don’t turn into fat that just accumulates, make sure you snack 2-4 hours after breakfast.
That’s the time of snacking on a diet that is needed for the digestive system to process your food at breakfast.
That way, when you eat a snack, your body is ready to process the incoming food.
Lunch 11 – 12 noon
Citing the Northwestern Medicine page, the right time to eat a lunch diet is 4-5 hours after breakfast. If you have breakfast at 7 am, you should eat lunch at 11 – 12 noon.
However, if there are activities that prevent you from eating lunch until 2 pm, prepare a healthy snack to eat between breakfast and lunch.
Snacks that are dense in fiber and protein can keep you full longer.
Lunch 2 – 4 hours after lunch
Like a morning snack, snacking in the afternoon or evening can also help block your stomach so you don’t overeat.
The key is to choose a snack time during the right diet, which is 2-4 hours after lunch.
Also, don’t forget to choose snacks that are high in fiber and filling. Choose fruit, vegetables, or nuts.
You can also add low-fat milk, soy milk, and tea or coffee without sugar.
Dinner 4-5 pm
Some people tend to overeat at night because they don’t eat enough during the day.
Like breakfast and lunch, dinner time should be regular and not too late.
You should eat dinner early between 4-5 hours after lunch, i.e. between 4-5 pm. This is indeed difficult if you are not used to it.
To prevent hunger, you can eat a diet snack at night.