Eat less more often--a dieting "secret"

I read a book by Larry North not too long ago, and in it, he recommends eating 4 small meals a day.

He also recommends cutting out fried foods and replacing things like french fries with rice and mashed potatoes--"starchy carbs". There's something most people don't realize about french fries--each one has 2 to 7 grams of fat.

Each meal should have a lean protein, a starchy carb, and a vegetable.

I've been trying to do this program now for about 6 months, and it's been working. I was on the very last notch on my belt when I started this program. Now, I'm down to the very 1st. Cool!!

The philosophy behind the 4 small meals a day program is pretty simple--when someone is eating only 2 big meals a day, which is pretty common, their metabolism slows down. In other words, the body thinks "food is scarce" and tries to save fuel.

In my case, I have a problem with low blood sugar. 2 meals a day always had me feeling tired because I wasn't getting enough food. I would get up in the morning and drink coffee and that would be breakfast. At lunch, I would have a big meal and try to eat as much as possible, and I usually felt like I ate too much. Then, I would wait until about 5 or 6 and have a dinner. By this time I felt like I was starving, but I would feel guilty about eating too much again. By the time I went to bed I would be hungry again, which made it difficult to fall asleep. It's a weird way to live.

Nowadays, I get up around 8:00 and eat something. I don't stick to the plan perfectly--I usually only have a bowl of oatmeal. Oatmeal is good because it never spoils, it's good for you, and it's easy to make--all you need is some hot water. I buy a variety box with 55 packages at SAM's for $10 bucks--it will last about 3 months. Another good thing about oatmeal, you never get tired of eating it, but sometimes I'll have a bowl of cereal or a breakfast sandwich. I still feel hungry afterwards, but I also don't feel like I'm starving either.

The thing about eating this way is this, after I eat a meal I'm noticeably still hungry, but it doesn't really concern me too much because I don't feel starved. I just feel like I can wait a few more hours before I eat again. In other words, the "eating to excess" part of my diet is removed. It's 4 small healthy meals a day, period.

When lunch rolls around, I usually eat a lot, but I don't feel like I need to gorge because another meal is right around the corner around 4 or 5 6 o'clock. Lunch is the one meal that I usually try and stick to the lean protein, starchy carb, and vegetable.

Diner is the same as lunch, usually, but not always. Healthy Choice makes some great soup that has protein, starchy carbs, and vegetables. Lean Cuisine has similar items. They taste good, and they're super easy to make.

Then, before bed, I usually have something again. It varies, but most of the time it's a bowl of cereal or a can of soup.

I've only had about 6 Cokes in the last 6 months. It used to be a weakness. Before this "diet", I think I was substituting a Coke for a meal. Now, Instead of drinking a Coke, I'll eat something something small and drink water. One of the things the book stresses, It's important to stay away from foods where the 1st ingredient is sugar--I think every diet book pretty much says that though.

Something else I heard, which makes a lot of sense, animal protein takes longer to digest than vegatable protein. It can take up to 2 days to digest a steak. Whereas, it only takes 12 hours to digest vegatable protein. It only makes sense to try and limit one's intake of things that take a long time digest if one is trying to lose weight. Also, you just feel better after a vegetarian meal.

Happy New Year!!