1. Experience sugar or carbohydrate cravings.
2. Consume too many calories.
3. Send your body into "fat storing" mode.

What does this look like from your body's point of view?

When your blood sugar dips, your body sends a message to your brain to, "get more fuel now! Preferably something quick-burning (aka sugar and simple carbs), please!" Those quick-burning carbs will temporarily send your blood sugar back up but, like throwing paper on a fire, they burn up quickly and leave you sluggish and craving sugary foods again. When you finally sit down to eat, you are likely to eat a large meal because you're really hungry. It takes about 20 minutes for you to begin to experience the feeling of being full. If you are eating quickly, you can easily eat too much before your body can say "whoa!". Those excess calories and more will be stored as fat- your body is planning ahead for the next long period without food.

How often should you eat?

I usually eat something every 2 to 4 hours. I never skip breakfast- it is very important to literally "break" your "fast" after several hours of not eating. My average day looks something like this:

7:30am Breakfast
10:00am Snack
12:30pm Lunch
3:30pm Snack
7:00pm Dinner

Not sure what to eat? Here are some breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack ideas.

Something cool from Slim Fast:

The Slim Fast company has started an online magazine in the United Kingdom to provide their customers with access to articles on healthy eating, fitness, weight loss, and more. I am so happy to see that this information is being made available to those looking for help in these areas. I'm also honored that some of my blog posts are being included! Thank you Slim Fast team!

Green melon smoothie
Serves about 2
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup ice
1 cup honeydew (or cantaloupe) chunks
1/2 an orange, peeled and chopped
2 pitted dates
1-2 cups raw spinach

Optional add-ins:
1 serving protein powder (I use Vega Smoothie Infusion or Shake & Go Smoothie)
2 tsp hemp seed oil or EFA oil blend (for omega 3s)
1 tsp chlorella powder (for post-exercise muscle recovery)
1 tsp maca powder (for stamina and hormone balance)

Rice with greens and pecans
~4 cups cooked rice (a mix of brown and wild rice is excellent here)
2 inch piece of kombu (optional)
1 block of tofu (not silken), cubed
Olive oil
1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large bunch of chard (or other greens), washed and chopped
~2-3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
Fresh cracked black pepper
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup toasted pecans
Sesame oil to taste

1. Cook the rice first. I added a 2 inch piece of kombu to mine while it was cooking to add flavor and nutrients. When the rice was done, I finely chopped the kombu and stirred it back in.
2. Heat about 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet and add the tofu cubes. Stir fry until browned. Just before removing from the heat, season with soy sauce or your favorite sauce (I used a teriyaki sauce from Trader Joe's). Cook a minute more and set aside.
3. Heat another tablespoon or so of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the mushrooms until they are starting to soften. Add the garlic and cook until mushrooms are beginning to brown.
4. Add the chard and cook until it is bright green and wilted. Add about 2-3 Tbsp of soy sauce and stir in the rice. Add lots of pepper and cook for a few minutes.
5. Stir in the green onions and pecans and cook for a minute or two more. Add the tofu cubes and drizzle with sesame oil to taste (~2 tsp). Taste and add more sesame oil, pepper, or soy sauce if needed.