There is a common misconception that eating less=losing weight. If you eat two double doubles and a Neopolitan shake from In N Out religiously, then yeah, you should cut back on the caloric consumption. But girls who think that eating less that 1,200 calories (or whatever random number) a day will lead to a model’s body are in for a rude awakening.
The timing of your meals matters way more than your calorie count. If you go 12 hours or more without at least a snack, your body enters the dreaded “starvation mode”. Starvation mode is a response left over from the days when cave woman had to rely on men to catch their meals, or else forage for some meager and likely poisonous berries. Your body freaks out that you won’t be eating again for a long, long time and burns calories at a snail’s pace to conserve energy, which makes you lazy, bloated, and worst of all gives you cravings.
If you work out, you especially need to be eating ALL THE DAMN TIME. Hours of cardio, when you don’t have the calories to burn, actually depletes the muscle mass you are trying to build up–that’s why dudes who want to bulk up make those creepy protein and raw egg shakes, because proteins are high calorie as fuck. Don’t fool yourself into believing working out on an empty stomach will make you win the race to fitness.
Eating a snack every couple of hours is the way to go. Don’t be one of those crazy “five small meals a day” people–that’s psychotic and nobody has the time. I used to religiously keep a banana in my bag for snack time, until I realized the bananas were getting crushed and all of my crap was covered in banana guts. The easiest and healthiest things to keep on hand are apples and Reece’s cups. Also, they are the most delicious, but do you. Just remember, eat early, eat often, and lose the weight!
