High Energy Weight Loss Program

While many associate dieting with feeling hungry and weak, the truth is that it's possible to lose weight while keeping your energy up. What and when you eat are both important factors in the fight toward weight loss. Making a few extra smart choices will ensure that the scale goes down as the energy goes up.

Eat More Often

• While this may seem like a contradiction, eating small frequent meals throughout the day helps your body in two ways: it controls hunger and cravings (so you end up eating less) and keeps your blood sugar stabilized, increasing energy. As a rule, try eating five or six meals a day, with no more than three hours in between. What's more important, don't skip breakfast, even if you're not hungry. Eating in the morning gets your metabolism going and helps you burn more calories throughout the day. Also, skipping meals gets stress hormones to kick in, as the body's defense mechanism to help you keep going without fuel (food). However, stress hormones are tiring, and you'll pay for whatever energy you get in the morning from them by the afternoon, feeling sluggish and sleepy.

  Eating small meals is crucial because digestion takes a lot of energy. When you eat a large meal, your body has to work harder to process the food, which is why you sometimes feel sleepy after a large meal. Also, eating large meals will keep you full for longer, which can be detrimental. If you don't eat often, your blood sugar will drop, leading to cravings and low energy. By eating small meals often, you will maintain your energy up and your body running.

  Eating more often doesn't mean eating more. For example, instead of having a full lunch of meat, potatoes and salad at 1 p.m., try having just the meat and potatoes, and save the salad as a mid-afternoon snack. Splitting up your meals will usually result in you eating less by the end of the day since you won't be hungry or crave sugars, thus naturally reducing the amount of calories you eat.

Choose Better-Quality Food

• The quality of the food you consume also has an effect on your energy levels. Sugar, white flour and highly-processed products all cause a pique of sugar in your blood, leading to a crash (and a severe decline in energy) just 30 to 40 minutes later. This also leads to cravings, making you eat more. To prevent this, choose foods that keep you full longer and keep your blood sugar stable, including whole grains, proteins, fiber and healthy fats. A small handful of nuts, for example, is a great mid-afternoon snack, as are a yogurt or a whole-wheat cracker with a piece of cheese.

  Сaffeine is somewhat dangerous when trying to lose weight. Although it will give you a boost of energy, it also causes you to crash faster once the caffeine is gone from your system, which always leads to your body craving sugars as a quick pick me up. If you must drink coffee or caffeinated drinks, make sure they are sugar-free, and always have them with a small snack, preferably something high in fiber (like a salad or a fruit) or fat (like nuts) to help you maintain the energy boost for longer.