Skipping Meals and Its Effects

Posted by juna

For a lot of people attempting to lose weight the first thing that comes to their mind is eating less. Instead of eating smaller meals they usually eat less meals. If you want your body to become heavier and have a higher fat percentage this is the quickest way to achieve it.

At first this looks like an extremely effective method of losing weight, but it is very short lived. What you lose at first is water weight and muscle mass. It’s the loss of your muscle mass that is the start of you getting heavier, it just takes a little time to start showing on your body.

Breakfast is the first meal that most dieters give up first. They think that skipping breakfast after waking up hungry will cause their body to start burning fat. Your metabolic rate slows down when you skip your breakfast. Your body will then go into starvation mode to protect itself. Your body will start using your muscles as fuel, and start storing fat instead of burning it off.
Skipping meals and restricting calories will create cravings. Rapid high blood sugar occurs when you give into these cravings. As a result, your body creates a high amount of triglycerides, which convert to fat-storage. In addition, the depleted glycogen causes low energy levels because blood sugar is not being replaced. Unfortunately, the weight that is lost is mostly water (glycogen is made up of mostly water) and muscle.
The slowed metabolism will also have a tough time digesting your food, if you cram in all your meals at one time. This is also commonly seen in people who skip meals. They get so hungry they eat more then one meals worth at one sitting. The already slowed metabolism is going to take a lot longer to work the oversized meal throughout your body. Once again, resulting in weight gain.
Effects of skipping meals
• Decreased energy expenditure
• Decreased metabolic rate
• Weight gain
• Increased preference of fat in the diet
• Decrease strength
• Increased injury rates
• Decreased bone density
• Decreased body temperature
• Decreased performance
• Decreased resistance to disease
• Renal regulation and Electrolyte imbalance
• Impaired Thermal regulation
• Decreased Testosterone level
• Mood swings
• Menstrual dysfunction