How Eating Earlier in the Day Prevents Binge Eating
Eating most of your calories in the first half of the day can feel terrifying because you’re worried you’ll run out & overeat. It’s particularly hard when you’re used to skipping breakfast and waiting until as late as possible to eat. Here’s what actually happens when you prioritise eating more earlier in the day.
You feel more satisfied and you’re less likely to binge later in the day.
If you’re someone who struggles with afternoon or evening binges, making sure you’re eating ENOUGH calories and carbohydrates earlier in the day is key to preventing your binges.
We often skip the carbs and eat very low calories foods to save calories for idnner but it means that even when we have a large and calorie-dense dinner, we’re hunger again an hour later. This leads to ransacking the fridge, cupboard, freezers and back to the pantry again.
You’re not playing the waiting game until 12pm & trashing your morning productivity.
Let’s not confuse intermittent fasting with waiting to eat until the very last minute when you’re starving. Waiting until lunch to have your first meal and running on caffeine in the morning is really just a binge brewing in the background.
I promise you that you’ll get a whole lot done in the morning and be less stressed in the afternoon if you just have breakfast!
You feel less bloated in the evenings.
That food coma post dinner happens when you end up having a massive meal because you’ve rationalised skimping on your meals earlier in the day. This leads to consistently eating past fullness and consuming energy-dense, high fat foods that leave you feeling sluggish and painfully bloated.
You have more energy, better concentration and subsequently more effective training sessions.
If training performance and strength is important to you, then eating consistently in the lead up to your training sessions is a no-brainer! A few lollies and pre-workout prior to training doesn’t make up for not having a proper meal.
You struggle less with the afternoon munchies & energy slump.
If you reach for a sweet treat around 3-4pm and that spirals into extra chocolates, cookies, a packet of chips and a few muesli bars… that’s a sign you need to eat more earlier in the day.
You feel more in control around food.
Food feels less scarce when you’re not hungry all day. This means you make less impulsive decisions around food and the intense cravings for sugary foods or salty foods are muted.
P.s. If you’re worried that you won’t be hungry, you’re right. For a little while, eating breakfast may feel like a chore. BUT give it a few weeks and you’ll begin to feel hungry in the mornings as your body adapts. Give it a shot and let me know how you go :)
