Follow these 5 dinner habits to lose weight
What's the story
If you are skipping your dinner believing that it will help to shed those extra kilos, then stop immediately. Dinner is an important part of your diet and skipping it can negatively impact your health and lower your metabolism. However, it is important to follow healthy dinner habits if you are on a weight loss journey. Here are some dinner habits you should follow.
Context
Here is what our expert says
It is never a good idea to skip meals when trying to lose weight, it increases the chances of bingeing the next meal. A light dinner with fixed calories which is eaten early in the evening is far healthier than a skipped meal. Having dinner two hours before sleeping or lying down is associated with laryngo pharyngeal acid reflux and dry cough.
Skipping meals
Do not skip your meals
Skipping your meals during the day, be it breakfast or lunch, automatically leads to bad dinner habits. You are more likely to binge eat at night since you haven't had anything filling or wholesome during the day. It also increases the risk of insulin resistance and leads to belly fat. Instead, eat small meals throughout the day at regular intervals.
Evening snack
Have a mini snack break in the evening
Most people prefer having their dinner directly after lunch with no evening snacks in between, which is a bad idea. Just have a light mid-meal snack in the evening instead of starving yourself. This will prevent you from overindulging during dinner time. You can have a whole fruit, a handful of makhanas, or a bowl of fresh corn to tackle your hunger pangs.
Dinner time
Have your dinner before 9 pm
Eating your dinner late at night can lead to weight gain and an increase in blood sugar levels as you are likely to binge eat food that are high in sugar and fat. These high-energy foods will also prevent you from falling asleep which will further lead to weight gain. So, have your dinner before 9 pm to burn fat faster and stay healthy.
Light food
Eat light and in moderation
Avoid eating heavy or calorie-loaded foods at night as these can be difficult to digest and can cause gastric issues. You can opt for one-bowl meals for dinners, like a light chicken soup, chickpea salad, or sprout salad that will manage your metabolism. Also, look into your portion sizes to avoid overeating. Eat in moderation and try consuming a fixed amount of calories.
Distractions
Avoid any distractions during dinner time
If you have the habit of watching television or scrolling through your phone while having dinner, then this is exactly where you are going wrong. People tend to consume more food when they get distracted. You are supposed to have your dinner silently without any distractions. This way you will end up consuming fewer calories while improving your digestive functions.