Learn the negative affects of skipping meals. Less is more, right? Yes, if you’re talking about miles per hour when you get pulled over for speeding, but not in the realm of eating.
Whether you’re a celebrity-diet fan or experienced a night of too much booze and Burger King, chances are you’ve heard of the term fasting. Fasting may seem appealing when you’re in a crunch or trying to undo some serious damage, but think twice before you consider it.
Here’s what happens to your body when you skip a meal (yes, just a meal!):
Digestion Disruption
Our bodies are used to having food to digest. When you stop eating for a day or a meal, your body’s digestive system gets thrown off. If you aren’t eating, your body has nothing to digest. Help your stomach do its job- eat regularly!
Cortisol Chaos
By eating throughout the day, you can help keep your blood sugar in check. Skipping meals releases cortisol. Increased cortisol is closely tied to increased abdominal fat.
Mental imbalance
Humans need food to survive, that’s not rocket science. When you skip meals, you can slip into a thought process where you convince yourself you don’t need food. Slippery-sloping into a thought process where food becomes a guilt-trip is a big no-no.
Onset of Overeating
Ever skip breakfast and then realize it’s halfway through the afternoon and you have yet to eat? What likely happens as a result? A huge dinner! Our bodies function best when fed in reasonably moderate amounts at spaced intervals. So slamming a huge dinner not only confuses your body but will likely result in an over consumption of calories.
Fat Foraging
When we skip meals or don’t eat, our bodies go into “freak-out-mode”, aka starvation. Our bodies start to think we won’t be getting food. As a result, your metabolic rate is reduced for the time being.
If these are the repercussions of just skipping meals, imagine the scale of consequences when applying this to a day-after-day fast. The key to lasting weight loss results is investment of time and effort. Fasting may lead to temporary weight loss, but can result in long term damage. Stick to the old-fashioned hard work and healthy eating and you and your body will be much happier.
This article was authored by Michael Volkin, inventor of Strength Stack 52 bodyweight exercise cards and the all new Weight Loss Stack 52.
27 Replies to "The Negative Health Effects of Skipping a Single Meal"
Susie
Twitter: suzlyfe
October 30, 2014 (7:00 am)
beyond the horrific negative scientific effects of skipping a meal, I just don’t understand how people are able to do it. And how people “forget” to eat. There are times when it is difficult for me to procure food, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have it. It just means that I already ate whatever I had brought with me!
o
Cassi
Twitter: lawrtw
March 4, 2015 (2:06 pm)
If you’re wrapped up in a project you can easily forget to eat or even go to the bathroom.
o
Deborah
Twitter: deborahbrooks14
October 30, 2014 (8:31 am)
I wish more people were aware of this. Breakfast especially is so important and sets up the rest of your day of healthy eating.
o
Deborah
Twitter: deborahbrooks14
March 4, 2015 (7:42 am)
oh yes been there done that! So does not work in any positive way and does so much damage!
o
Annmarie
Twitter: fitfoodiemama
March 4, 2015 (8:27 am)
Great info! I am not a meal skipper but I have friends who do and they never listen to me when I tell them how bad it is!!!
o
Pragati // Simple Medicine
Twitter: pragatigusmano
March 4, 2015 (8:47 am)
UGH. This takes me back to younger years when my girlfriends would skip meals to be skinny. It’s crazy how much worse it is to skip a meal vs. eating a healthy one!
o
Janelle
Twitter: Janelle_RWNR
March 4, 2015 (9:18 am)
I could never get into fasting (beyond religious purposes). I need to eat all day long! Actually I’m due for my mid-morning snack right now!
o
Jess
Twitter: hellotofit
March 4, 2015 (9:46 am)
This article is on point! Thanks for posting 🙂
o
Bri
Twitter: runliftyoga
March 4, 2015 (10:02 am)
I have quite a few clients who don’t eat breakfast because they say they don’t feel hungry. I’ve asked them to try, even if it’s just a smoothie. You’ve just fasted for 8 or so hours, it’s so important to put gas in the tank for the day!
o
Cassi
Twitter: lawrtw
March 4, 2015 (2:08 pm)
I’m one that has eaten something for breakfast even though I’m not hungry. For whatever reason my tummy feels funky afterwards. If I do this at a later meal it doesn’t affect me the same way.
o
Cassie
Twitter: cpisone
March 4, 2015 (10:07 am)
I also think it’s kind of interesting that people who skip meals are never skinnier than those who don’t… great points… and great reminders that it’s a good idea to eat 3 meals a day (at least!)
o
Elle
Twitter: eatrunsail
March 4, 2015 (10:36 am)
I am not a regular meal-skipper although I did do a 7-day fast once in my early and silly 20s. I think that all of the hype lately about intermittent fasting is just that.
o
The Frugal Exerciser
Twitter: Laurend1985
March 4, 2015 (1:03 pm)
The only time I would skim a meat is if I had a large late breakfast and I’m not hungry. However, I try to eat 3 meals and an afternoon snack daily. I have had so many clients gorge themselves at dinner-time because they did not eat all day. #wowlinkup
o
Cassi
Twitter: lawrtw
March 4, 2015 (2:10 pm)
I don’t always eat breakfast (not hungry, involved in something at work, etc.) but it’s made up later or throughout the day. At work if I don’t eat something by 10:30ish I just wait for lunch.
o
Heather March 4, 2015 (3:00 pm)
Great points! I already have low metabolism thanks to some hormonal issues to skipping a meal is horrid for me as it slows down my calorie burning power even more. Aside from the fact that I am starving and will most definitely overeat at the next meal.
o
Toni
Twitter: tonee78
March 4, 2015 (4:40 pm)
Great article! I never skip meals because when I do I usually get a massive migraine! Thanks for sharing other reasons why I shouldnt skip them.
o
Margo
Twitter: brooklynfitchik
March 4, 2015 (5:33 pm)
This is a hard lesson I am STILL learning after all of these years. I will sometimes skip meals when I am stressed out and then gain weight. This is a good lesson for us!
o
Kathryn
Twitter: Dancing 2 Running
March 4, 2015 (6:09 pm)
It makes me sad that people who are desperate to loose weight will take extreme measures, like skipping meals. What they don’t realize is how much more harm they are actually doing to their bodies by skipping meals.
o
Marcia
Twitter: teamarcia
March 4, 2015 (7:57 pm)
Great reminder! I think lots of people feel like they’re saving calories by skipping a meal. Not worth it.
o
GiGi Eats
Twitter: dubagee
March 4, 2015 (10:14 pm)
I actually do not eat breakfast and only eat 2 meals a day. It works for me because my stomach is EFFED!! ha! Each to their own 😉
o
Carmy
Twitter: runcarmyrun
March 5, 2015 (12:26 am)
I swear my body holds on to all the fat it can whenever my meals gets skipped in favour of studying 🙁
o
Stephanie (
Twitter: FitMomTraining
March 5, 2015 (7:46 am)
Oh I have been a victim of the mental and cortisol backlash when I skip meals. Especially breakfast. It’s amazing how one meal can throw you off for the entire day.
o
Rachel March 5, 2015 (9:22 am)
Wow! Who knew!? Not me! THanks for teaching me something new today! 🙂
o
Diatta
Twitter: DSTPRL
March 5, 2015 (10:01 am)
Very welcome Rachel.
RFC
Twitter: runfastermommy
March 5, 2015 (11:58 am)
Skipping a meal sounds like TORTURE to me, haha! This is a great reminder, thank you!
o
GinaB March 5, 2015 (3:21 pm)
When you are trying to lose weight it is always tempting to try and convince yourself to miss meals so you can burn fat. #wowlinkup
o
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