I am so frustrated, I have been trying to loose weight. I going to to the gym or walking on my lunch break and skipping lunch. I usually just have coffee for breakfast and am only eating one meal at night... and I am gaining weight! Isn't it supposed to be going the other way? I have to eat something... I only eat when I feel super hungry. What do I need to do to loose weight?

Coolguy98402,

Please do not get frustrated. I know when people try to lose weight they tend to think that eating less is better, but you need to eat! Skipping meals to lose weight is not a good idea! It's a common mis-belief that skipping meals will create weight loss because you are eating less. In fact, exactly the opposite is true. Skipping meals can lead to food cravings, binge eating and weight gain. This is because you are more likely to overeat and choose high calorie and high fat foods when you are very hungry.

Studies actually show that people who skip breakfast and eat fewer times during the day are heavier than those who eat breakfast and four to five small meals a day. It's best to eat a lot of small meals throughout the day (and never skip breakfast!) rather than to eat one large meal and skip all the rest. Eating regularly helps you maintain a higher metabolic rate so that you burn more calories, and it helps control your appetite.

Another thing that happens to your body when you skip meals is that it goes into starvation mode and your metabolism slows down to preserve energy. This means that your body will compensate for the inadequate calories by burning fewer calories than it normally would. Once you do eat, your body will store those calories, rather than use them, because it expects you to starve it again.

Please do not skip meals!!

I agree with Marie... well said too!

I know from personal experience that eating is important... Your metabolism gets a jumpstart in the morning when you eat. I follow a specific eating habit now... I don't always eat healthy food but when I do I follow a pattern:

Eat like King for breakfast
Eat like a Queen for lunch
Eat like a popper for dinner

Also I snack on healthy stuff throughout the day... It really does work and you feel like you have more energy throughout the day.

One other thing to thing about is that your brain and stomach are not always on the same page... your stomach tells your brain it's full about 5 minutes after it is actually full... when you're really hungry, how much can you eat in 5 minutes? Eating throughout the day helps curb your appetite and lets you eat until you're not hungry... not eat until your full!

I am just not hungry for breakfast... I thought you were not supposed to eat when you are are not hungry???

Generally it is a good idea to NOT eat when you are NOT hungry. However, breakfast is such an important meal that you may want to try to switch your eating habits around and introduce your body to being hungry at breakfast time. You may have to force it at first a little bit. Just start out small... have a piece of fruit, a handful of nuts, a bar, or an egg. It will become normal after a few weeks/months, and you will actually be hungry for it in the morning. Give it a try!

Health is a good investment. There are so many fad diets that we could really enjoy. Junk foods in any sense of the word is really a crap.