The Power of Three

By Janis Jibrin, R.D., Best Life lead nutritionist

Years ago, an actress came to see me. She wasn't interested in losing weight, but was hoping I'd be able to help her find out why she was feeling faint and tired. In fact, she could barely make it through a long scene; immediately afterwards, she'd rush backstage to stuff her face. Her diet record was a "who's who" of health: Broccoli, carrots, apples, whole-grain crackers and skim milk. Her problem? She'd nibble on these healthy foods all day, but never sit down to a complete meal.

Another client, a dietitian of all people, had a nearly identical food record—lots of vegetables, no real meals. But she was 20 pounds overweight. I gave both women the same advice: Eat three complete meals with sufficient fat and protein and a healthy snack or two each day. Soon after, the actress got her energy back and the dietitian lost 15 pounds.

You've heard this advice before: Eat three square meals. But it's tempting to ignore this rule when you want to lose weight. Skipping a meal or eating only a small salad may seem like an easy way to cut 500 or more calories, but this approach always comes back to bite you. As research shows, skimping on calories triggers a series of physical reactions that actually encourages weight gain. An eating schedule of three squares and a snack or two can help you drop pounds because it:

Quells appetite. Having a light meal, like plain toast and coffee or a green salad with low-fat dressing, or skipping it altogether may seem virtuous. But later, your hunger will come roaring to life and suddenly you'll devour everything in sight. Eating a complete breakfast (about 400 calories), an adequate lunch (at least 450 calories) and complete dinner (500 calories or more) about four hours apart prevents that dangerous hunger attack. And when between-meal cravings mount, a healthy snack does the trick.

Increases insulin sensitivity. Eating triggers the release of the hormone insulin, which aids in both burning and storing carbs, protein and fat. People who are insulin-sensitive require only moderate amounts of the hormone. However, overweight and obese individuals often have lower insulin sensitivity, which basically means that the body must produce more insulin to do its job. In a series of studies at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, both obese and lean women went the three-squares-two-snacks route for several weeks and then tried a more erratic meal pattern. The first approach improved insulin sensitivity and lowered levels of harmful blood fats, while the erratic approach made things worse.

Speeds up metabolism. The Nottingham Study also found the three-squares-two-snacks schedule revved up the rate of calorie-burning after a meal. This "thermic effect" of food as it's called, burns up about 10 percent of a meal's calories.

Of course, you still have to watch what you eat for those three meals and snacks. Studies show that obese people snack more than slimmer people, and that common snacks include cookies, cakes and candies. (Not hard to figure out why that's not working.) Keep your meals and snacks in check by following these simple rules:

1. Eat only when you're hungry and serve yourself reasonable portions. Have no more than 1 cup of rice, pasta or potatoes (about the size of two tennis balls). Keep meat, poultry and fish to about 3 to 5 ounces; salad dressing to about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons; and candy, chips and other treats to about 150 to 200 calories. You can also control calories by using the Hunger Scale, a tool that helps you gauge your hunger levels and prevent overeating. For more details on the Hunger Scale, buy The Best Life Diet or join www.TheBestLife.com.

2. Wait 20 minutes after eating to decide whether you want more. That's how long it takes the brain to register fullness.

3. Use snacks only when you're actually hungry between meals. And when you do snack, keep it light. For a list of nutritious nibbles, read Snack Time or check out our meal plans.