• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

Diets Don’t Work: 3 Things You Can Start TODAY to Change Your Metabolism    Get the Guide »

Katie Vigesaa RD

Online Nutrition Course to Restart Your Metabolism

  • About
    • Meet Katie
    • Work With Me
  • Best You Plan
    • Best You Plan: 2021
    • Best You Plan: Men’s Beta
  • Blog
  • Favorite Things
  • Contact
  • My Account
    • Login
    • Best You Plan
    • Holiday Thrive Challenge
    • Inner Circle
  • My Account
    • Best You Plan
    • Inner Circle
    • Login
  • About
    • Meet Katie
    • Work With Me
  • Best You Plan
    • Best You Plan: 2021
    • Best You Plan: Men’s Beta
  • Blog
  • Favorite Things
  • Contact

Why eating every 2-3 hours isn’t helping your metabolism

December 27, 2017 //  by Katie Vigesaa, RD//  Leave a Comment

It’s interesting — around 50 years ago there was a general understanding that snacking wasn’t good for us and if you were snacking all the time it would ruin your appetite for your next meal. It was also believed that snacking all day made you gain weight; 50 years ago we didn’t have a national problem with obesity.

Of course a lot has changed. We are eating more sugar and processed foods than we did back then, but we are also told that we need to be eating right away in the morning and every 2-3 hours after that. We are told that we need to be eating at least 6 times a day to “keep our metabolism up.” We are told we can’t ever skip a meal because if we do we will go into “starvation mode” – I mean, really? We think we are going into starvation mode because we haven’t eaten for a couple hours? Probably not.

Eating every 2-3 hours does something metabolically in our body, it increases our insulin levels. When our insulin levels are elevated over a period of time we start to develop insulin resistance. Insulin resistance creates an inability for your body to burn body fat effectively. It’s basically like a lock on your metabolism. But maybe we don’t know any better so we keep snacking, keep eating, never taking a break – eating late night snacks, waking up eating right away in the morning. We keep those habits going for years because we think it’s what we are supposed to do, all the while we could be building up insulin resistance.

If you can’t go more than a couple hours without eating it’s likely because of one of 2 things

  1. You are insulin resistant and have blood sugar issues that are driving your hunger
  2. You aren’t eating enough at your meals – either enough food or actually enough fats or proteins to balance your blood sugars and create satiety. A little low fat yogurt and popcorn at lunch isn’t enough to fuel you, you’ll crash mid-afternoon and need a pick-me-up. Egg whites and some steamed veggies for a meal? No wonder people are hungry 2 hours later.

My general recommendations for you right now would be

  1. Stop snacking – stop eating all the time. It’s ok to go a few hours.
  2. Eat more at your meals so you can go longer stretches without eating
  3. Reduce all your sugar and junky processed carbs like chips, cereals and desserts because those are actually causing some of this insulin resistance and desire to snack
  4. Consider implementing intermittent fasting. If you missed my discussion on intermittent fasting, sign up for my e-mail list here and I’ll send you my thoughts.

If this sounds interesting to you and you’d like to learn more about nutritional concepts and methods to help you break down some of this insulin resistance and  help your body start releasing body fat, sign-up for my 7 week online nutrition program that launches on January 8th. Read more about it here.

—Katie Vigesaa, RD

Share
Pin
Tweet

Category: Everyone Should Read This, Metabolism

Previous Post: « Back to School! How to Support your Child’s Immune System with Nutrition
Next Post: Why Simply “Eating Clean” isn’t Powerful Enough to Fix Your Metabolism »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

Weight & Hunger: Not a Willpower Problem

Protein Hot Chocolate + Peppermint Whipped Cream

Is lack of planning creating a frozen pizza habit?

Savory (or Sweet) Breakfast Waffles

I need to get something off my chest…

Diets Don’t Work: 3 Things You Can Start TODAY to Change Your Metabolism    Get the Guide »

Hey there! My name is Katie Vigesaa.

I get what it’s like to struggle with your metabolism. You see, I’m not one of those naturally thin nutritionists. The ones that tell you to eat how they eat because well, they are thin, and the assumption is if you eat like they do, then you too, will be thin. Looking back, though, I think my stubborn metabolism has been a blessing!

I’d love to get to know you better! Read more »

 

Site Footer

Instagram Inspiration

Follow Katie on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 Katie Vigesaa, RD · All Rights Reserved    |   Privacy   |   Terms

Website & Course Portal by Imperative Co.

There is hope for your  health! I know that you can lose weight and inches, and experience a transformed mindset and metabolism.

Get your free guide: “Diets Don’t Work: 3 things you can start doing TODAY to change your metabolism.”

  • Hidden

By submitting this form you are agreeing to receive emails from Katie Vigesaa, according to our Privacy Policy and Terms. You’ll receive a few emails a month with marketing information about upcoming courses, and educational health info. No spam!


Introduce Yourself! 3

We’re looking forward to the call coming up! Submit your question below and we might be able to cover it during the live session.

  • Hidden