Tue
Nov
29
2011

Are Morning Snacks Ruining Your Weight Loss Efforts?

weight loss efforts

With so many individuals, from adolescents to the elderly, either overweight or obese in today’s society, it’s no wonder that there is no shortage of “so called” expert advise on how to safely and effectively lose excess body weight.

With so many approaches being touted as the latest and greatest way to lose weight, how is an individual to determine what they believe to be the best approach?

For example, there is a difference in weight loss approach where some individuals recommend regularly consuming three square meals per day, while others say that you will better stabilize your blood sugar level, feel less hungry and ultimately lose more weight by grazing, defined as consistently eating six smaller meals throughout the day.

Additional examples include differences in what types of foods should be consumed when trying to lose weight and should individuals looking to lose weight eat breakfast – and to top it off, now there is a new study that is suggesting that healthy morning snacks may reduce the effectiveness of your weight loss efforts.

The Nature of the Weight Loss Study

The study, published online a few days ago in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, focused on women actively attempting to lose weight. Those who did not snack between breakfast and lunch lost about 11% of their total body weight, while those who did eat healthy morning snacks lost around 7%.

According to Anne McTiernan, a researcher involved in the study at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, said that midmorning snacking may be a sign of mindless or recreational eating habits, which are based on the enjoyment of food or the distraction it provides rather than the satiation of actual hunger. A midmorning snack is defined as anything consumed between breakfast and lunch.

The study examined 123 women, all of whom were aged 50 to 75 and classified as obese or overweight. The primary purpose of the study was to help the women lose weight while examining how breast cancer could be affected by diet and exercise.

Roughly 97% of the participants said they ate at least one snack each day. However, only 19% said they snacked between the hours of 10:30 and 11:30am. Meanwhile, 76% said they snacked in the mid-afternoon, or between 2:00 and 5:30pm.

Researchers determined that the midmorning snackers ate more snacks throughout the day on average than the rest of the study’s participants. Roughly 48% of the midmorning snackers ate at least 3 snacks each day, while under 39% of the evening snackers ate the same.

Are Healthy Morning Snacks Acceptable for Weight Loss Seekers?

Absolutely, according to the researchers. McTiernan said that eating a healthy snack with balanced levels of complex carbohydrates, protein and fat in response to hunger, not boredom or a flavor craving, could be crucial to sustained weight loss for many individuals.

The trick, according to the authors of the study, is to know whether you’re actually hungry when reaching for a snack. They said that mindless snacking may offer a feeling of satisfaction during the consumption of the snack itself. However, it won’t curb your appetite at your next meal, meaning that you’ll simply be tacking on more overall calories to your day as opposed to redistributing them among smaller snacks.

The Benefits of Snacking

A separate study indicates that snacking has many benefits for weight loss seekers, so long as they only eat when hungry:

  • In general, snackers have healthier overall diets than non-snackers.

  • Snackers generally consume more whole grains and fruits than non-snackers.

  • Women who eat two or three snacks each day consume more fiber than women who don’t snack.

  • Afternoon snackers eat more vegetables and fruits than those who don’t snack in the time between lunch and dinner.

The Bottom Line

Healthy morning snacks are still perfectly viable options for those on a weight loss program. However, it’s important that you only snack when you’re actually hungry, that your snacks consist of healthy, balanced foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy and lean meats, and that your snacking results in smaller meals, especially at lunch and dinner.

Remember, the only way to sustainably lose weight is to consume fewer calories than you burn on a daily basis. The aforementioned study simply indicates that those who snack between breakfast and lunch are less likely to accomplish this at an optimal rate.

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