Boost Your Metabolism

Fresh on the heels of the discussion on calories, it's also helpful to note that eating frequently throughout the day can be very good for boosting metabolism.  There are a couple of reasons for this.

The first reason is that people who tend to eat throughout the day do considerably less snacking.  As a result, they tend to avoid the potato chips or candy bars that they might otherwise consume if they suddenly felt hungry. 

People who eat throughout the day don't tend to experience severe hunger pangs, because they don't reach that stage.

The second reason, and the one that you can probably guess based on your understanding of metabolism, is that by eating throughout the day, you are constantly keeping your metabolism in motion. 

It's kind of like having a generator run all the time; it will simply use more electricity than if you powered it on 3 times a day.  

Now, it goes without saying (but we should say it anyway just in case!) that just because it's good for metabolism-boosting to eat frequently, this doesn't mean that you can eat junk all day long! 

Rather, if you choose to eat more frequently, then you'll certainly need to be very aware of what you eat; because you can easily exceed your required amount of daily calories if you don't keep an eye on this.

That's why, if your plan is to follow the eat-more-to-burn-more approach, then you should keep a food journal that notes what you eat (and drink of course) throughout the day. 

You should not merely know the calorie levels of what you eat, but you should know the overall nutritional values, too. 

For example, if you're on target to eat 50 grams of protein per day, then you want to make sure you reach this target and not exceed it (or come in below it). 

In other words, merely focusing on calories is only half of the job.  You will need to ensure that you're eating enough protein, carbohydrates, fats (the good unsaturated kind!), and the other vitamins and minerals that your body needs in order to function at optimal levels.