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What happens when you are hungry and don't eat?

Low blood sugar causes people to feel irritable, confused and fatigued. The body begins to increase production of cortisol, leaving us stressed and hangry. Skipping meals can also cause your metabolism to slow down, which can cause weight gain or make it harder to lose weight.

piedmont.org - What Happens to the Body When You Skip Meals? - Piedmont Healthcare

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What happens to the body when you skip meals?

Decking the halls can take a lot out of you, but don’t become so frazzled that you start skipping meals. “During the holidays, we are often so hurried we don’t have time to sit down for a meal,” says Haley Robinson, a Piedmont clinical dietitian. “Some people also tend to think that if they skip breakfast and lunch, they will be able to indulge more at holiday dinners without exceeding their calorie limit for the day.” But forgoing food isn’t healthy, and it can actually lead to weight gain.

What happens when you skip a meal?

“First, your blood sugar decreases, which causes interruption in your ability to think straight,” says Robinson. “The brain uses glucose to run efficiently and if there is not enough glucose for the brain to use, your body does not function at 100 percent.” Low blood sugar causes people to feel irritable, confused and fatigued. The body begins to increase production of cortisol, leaving us stressed and hangry. Skipping meals can also cause your metabolism to slow down, which can cause weight gain or make it harder to lose weight. “When you skip a meal or go a long time without eating, your body goes into survival mode,” says Robinson. “This causes your cells and body to crave food which causes you to eat a lot. We usually tend to crave unhealthy foods and all attempts at eating healthy go out the door. When you are that hungry, anything goes.”

Tips to avoid skipping meals

Let’s face it—the holiday season can be hectic. If you are extremely busy, try following these tips:

Eat smaller, frequent meals throughout the day rather than skipping meals.

Always have a snack around like yogurt or a granola bar to hold you over until your next meal. Eat snacks high in protein and fiber. They will keep you full longer.

Plan your meals in advance or prepare them the night before.

Make a schedule for the week to avoid over booking yourself or falling behind. Set an alarm to ring at lunchtime if you are going to be running around all day. Make a lunch date. You cannot skip a meal if you have already made plans with friends or family. Need to make an appointment with a Piedmont physician? Save time, book online.

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What happens if I eat only once a day?

Eating one meal a day can increase your blood pressure and cholesterol. This occurred in a group of healthy adults who switched to one meal a day to participate in a study. If you already have concerns in either area, eating just once a day might not be safe. Eating one meal late can cause your blood sugar to spike.

webmd.com - Is Eating One Meal a Day Safe? - WebMD

The “One Meal a Day” diet, or OMAD diet, claims to help you lose weight by forcing your body to burn fat. It’s a type of intermittent fasting, which alternates between periods throughout the day in which you can eat anything and periods in which you don’t eat at all. OMAD is particularly strict because you don’t eat for 23 hours, then consume all of your calories in a single meal. How It Works Like other kinds of intermittent fasting, eating one meal a day is a way of manipulating how your body finds and uses fuel. When you eat in a more traditional pattern, your energy comes from the food that you eat. When you take in carbohydrates, your body breaks them down into sugars. If you have more sugar in your blood than you need, a chemical called insulin will carry the extra into your fat cells. When you don’t eat for extended periods of time, your body produces less insulin. Your cells still need energy for fuel, so your fat cells release energy to compensate. For this to happen, however, you have to avoid eating for long enough that your insulin levels drop.

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