STRATEGERY (part 3)

I read or heard somewhere that as the day progresses, our metabolism slows down. As I've stated before, I'm not a dietitian or physician, but that statement made sense to me so I incorporated it into my plan. So my thinking has been to eat my higher calorie meals for breakfast and lunch, when my metabolism is strongest and eat my lighter meals, like salads, fruits and vegetables, and cereals for dinner when my metabolism is slowing down. This works great for me because I do my workouts at night, and I don't like working out when I feel full. Again, I'm just throwing out ideas here, you can arrange your day however suits you best. If you workout in the morning, try working out before you eat. I also hear that if you exercise before a meal, that your metabolism will burn those calories more efficiently. Again, I'm not an expert.

When I look down at my calorie journal, I notice that my highest calorie meal is consistently lunch. I didn't plan it that way, it just turned out that way. For lunch, I also eat lean protein and fruit. On days that I'm hungry, I'll have a bigger piece of lean protein than days when I am not.

Sometimes we get hungry in between meals. So I like to have snacks to carry me to my next meal. On this plan, that's not only acceptable, but encouraged. Sometimes I'll have some mixed nuts, sometimes a piece of fruit. Just depends how hungry I am and what my body is asking for.

Now, don't be too rigid or too hard on yourself  on a daily basis. Sometimes I sleep in and miss breakfast, or  I'm busy and don't have time for lunch. Snacks are a good way to make up those calories. As long as you're eating enough calories as not to slow down your metabolism (remember your built in defense system) or eat too many calories all at once where you'll overwhelm your metabolism, you'll be just fine.

I was watching a late night talk show a couple years back and Ray Liotta was promoting a film he had just done. For the part,  he gained a substantial amount of weight, but on the talk show he was his normal weight. The host asked him how he dropped the extra pounds, and he said "he cut out carbs and didn't eat anything after 6pm". So I incorporated the 6pm deadline into my plan. I'll only drink water after 6pm (except on movie night where I allow myself to eat after 6pm). This has worked wonderfully for me. Again, you don't have to do this, it's hard to do at first. But I do recommend trying to not eat anything at least a couple of hours before bedtime (you know, when our metabolism is slowed way down preparing us for sleep).