Is Eating my Dinner Making me Fat?

Almost everyone looks back with warmth at memories of some family dinner. It is a time for families to gather and discuss the events of the day.

The process of laughing and talking over food should technically stretch the meal, giving our brain ample time to send satiety signals. Were this the reality, we would hardly worry about gaining weight from overeating at dinner. Taking in less calories helps the body burn fat fast.

The reality, however, is different. We are a nation of people in a rush.

Most of the time our calories are already piling up before we’ve even taken that first bite of dinner. The hurried mindset usually means cutting corners in dinner preparation.

Our lack of focus leads us to make unhealthy choices in food preparation, choices like adding unhealthy fats and processed foods to our meal. Those of us who skipped meals during the day, now grab a quick bite before dinner to ease our hunger pains.

By the time dinner is served, the average meal has doubled or tripled in calories.

As a society, we are also consuming dinner later in the evenings, which means we are not giving our bodies enough time to digest and assimilate the meal. That adds to an automatic increase in fatty stores. Being able to burn off extra calories helps you lose weight fast.

Welcome to the land of pear-shaped people!

You might ask yourself what can you do to change this? Some tips are:

Switch meals – Eat a large breakfast to reduce your cravings throughout the day and increase your metabolism. A big breakfast will help kick start your energy which in turn will keep your weight loss a success!

Plan Ahead – Making this choice means you will need to do a little advance preparation with menu planning. Choosing foods that are lower in calories will help you lose weight fast.

Enjoy with Company – Socializing is also a boon as studies have shown people who are actively engaged in conversation during mealtime, often have a reduced intake of calories.

Conversation around the table also means there is more time for your brain to signal, “I’m Full”.