Try Small, Frequent Meals When the Weather is a Scorcher

Some people lose their appetite when the weather is a scorcher, but nutritionists say we should still eat small, frequent healthy meals even when it’s hot, hot, hot. Why not take advantage of your inclination to eat less this summer by exploring a plan that has you losing weight while eating healthy? Eat small, balanced meals every three hours repeatedly and you will reset your body’s fat-burning potential. As a result, your metabolism remains working at warp speed and continually burns fat throughout the day.
 
That’s the thinking of fitness expert Jorge Cruise, and he explains his theory in his book The 3-Hour Diet. He maintains that sticking to the typical three-squares-a-day routine encourages your body to store fat. Cruise says that old schedule signals the body to conserve calories and burn muscle before fat.
 
His diet calls for five small meals daily starting with breakfast within an hour after waking up. The strict timetable cuts off eating three hours before you go to bed. Cruise allows carbs and even dessert as long as you stick to recommended portions averaging 400 calories for meals, 100 calories for snacks and 50 calories for a tiny dessert. You would consume about 1,450 calories in one day. Visual hints can remind you of recommended portions: a serving of carbs should be the size of a Rubik’s cube, proteins and meats would be a deck of cards, and salad dressing and other fats should be no more than a water bottle cap.
 
The plan keeps your blood sugar levels steady, resulting in fewer hunger pangs and more energy, according to Cruise. Research supports his claim that eating more frequently and less at each sitting can help in hunger management. The fitness expert maintains his strategy helps flatten your abdomen by holding down cortisol levels.
 
Cruise says you can expect to lose as much as 10 pounds in the first two weeks. After the initial loss, look for a drop in weight of two pounds each week. Your body will be burning fat, not muscle tissue, says Cruise.
 
The 3-Hour Diet offers meal plans that provide a balance between fats, carbohydrates and lean proteins. Meat, fast food and frozen foods within the recommended limits are included in this plan as long as you stick to the prescribed intervals. Cruise favors extra-virgin olive oil or flaxseed oil.
 
Some planning is needed if you’re going to succeed at the 3-Hour Diet schedule of a 7 a.m. breakfast, 1 p.m. lunch, two 100-calorie snacks and dinner three hours before bedtime. But you won’t have to count calories.
 
Many thanks to WebMD for their suggested recipes built around the 3-Hour Diet. You can also consult a companion, The 3-Hour Diet Cookbook, for more recipes tailored to the recommended portion sizes.