Tom, If you accidentally pig out or over-indulge at a meal, (a Holiday party for example), are you better off skipping your next meal to keep your daily caloric intake on target, or should you just go ahead and eat your next planned meal and not worry about being somewhat “over” your planned calories for the day?

Michael
Wisconsin, USA

ANSWER:
Hi Michael, That’s a very good question, but I have to admit I did get a little chuckle out of the “accidental” part! Do you ever really “accidentally” eat anything? I think we are all responsible for everything we eat and how much we eat and until you consciously realize and accept this, and take the time to do some proactive meal planning, you will probably continue to have lots of “overeating accidents!”

To answer your question: after you overindulge, I definitely do NOT recommend skipping your next meal or skipping meals the next day to make up for it. I usually don’t even recommend cutting back either, although there may be exceptions where you could manipulate your meal size or macronutrient composition.

I generally recommend returning immediately to your “regularly scheduled meal programming,” because this continues to encourage the maintenance of positive habits such as eating 5-6 small meals every day.

I do suppose whether you cut back could depend on whether you’ve been on low calories a long time, how lean you were already, and on whether you were in a caloric deficit already. If you were in a calorie deficit for the day, then the extra calories might only bring you up to maintenance, not “over” your daily limit, which might not be as damaging as if you were in a calorie surplus.

If you were already very lean or had been dieting strictly for a long time (as in a bodybuilder coming off a competition), a large meal or entire high calorie day might not have any negative effect either. Your metabolism has a way of slowing down if you keep your calories too low 100% of the time.

With occasional (planned) higher calorie days, you’d be using the BURN THE FAT “zig-zag” or “cycling” principle, so eating more in this context can be a positive thing. (Note: You can learn more about this technique in the BURN THE FAT program at www.burnthefat.com). However, there’s a big difference between a planned “cheat meal” or a planned high carb, clean food “re-feed” day and a binge on junk food. Regardless of total 24 hour calorie intake for the day, you could still store body fat after heavy eating if it’s done at certain times and in a certain metabolic state.

Although I do prescribe calorie levels based on daily (24 hr) needs, I believe you should also pay attention to 3 hour “windows” when you’re thinking about adjusting your caloric intake. Calories and macronutrients (protein/aminos, carbs/sugar and fat) are partitioned into glycogen, muscle or fat tissue or burned immediately depending very much on present moment energy and recovery needs and on what’s going to happen over the next 3 hours or so as the food enters your system.

So, if you’re going to be plopping down on the couch to watch football games for the rest of the day and night after that big holiday meal, beware – you might just want to cut back on that next meal a little, especially starches and sugars.

Bottom line: It’s okay to eat small amounts of your favorite junk foods once in a while as planned “free meals,” and it’s a good idea to eat more in general from time to time to keep your metabolism humming along. However, your best bet if you’re really serious about fat loss is to avoid huge meals and avoid bingeing in the first place. ALWAYS practice portion control – even on holidays.

If you ever do slip, don’t beat yourself up, just get right back on the wagon with your next meal and remember, the past is behind you and today is a new day.

Your friend and coach,

Tom Venuto, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
www.BurnTheFat.com

P.S. If you’re interested in burning fat naturally in a healthy, sensible way, then be sure to take a look at Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle – it’s the best place to start your journey: www.BurnTheFat.com

About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (CPT). Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using methods of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com

But is that possible? Actually, it is, as you are about to discover.

Because of genetics, some people burn fat faster than others. But age, body weight, diet, and exercise habits also play a role. As people grow older, their metabolism slows down, mainly because they are losing five or six pounds of muscle each decade, starting in their mid-20s – assuming they do not work to keep it.

What does this mean? Well, for one thing, you will likely be burning 100 fewer calories a day at age 35 than at 25. But there are some fairly easy things you can do to stoke your fat-burning potential and there is no reason why you cannot have the same metabolism in your 30s and 40s, and beyond, that you had in your 20s.

So here are some ways to keep your motor running hot:

1. Strength training – Experts say this is the best way to crank up your resting metabolic rate. As you get older this rate drops, but strength training can rev it right back up again. A pound of muscle burns up to nine times the calories a pound of fat does as it is much more active tissue. You don’t think you have the time to hit the gym? In fact, you can get great results with only two short 30 minute sessions a week. This is so effective that your metabolism will remain in overdrive for hours after the session ends, burning lots of extra calories.

2. Add interval training – A couple of sessions of short burst training each week will provide a great metabolic boost. You can use any cardio activity or bodyweight exercise for 10-20 seconds and slow the activity, or rest, for 1-2 minutes. Repeat 8-12 times.
For example, sprint 10 seconds, and then walk for 1 minute.

2. Don’t overdo calorie cutting – Putting yourself on a low-calorie diet is actually a great way to decrease the likelihood that you will lose any body fat. Your body is programmed to defend your usual weight. So, if you suddenly drop 1,000 calories from your diet, your metabolism will automatically slow down because your body will assume that you are starving and that you need to preserve your existing fat reserves to increase your odds of surviving until the next meal comes your way.

3. Eat breakfast – This may be the most important meal of the day as far as metabolism (and weight loss) is concerned, and breakfast eaters lose more weight than breakfast skippers do, according to studies. Your metabolism slows while you sleep and it doesn’t rev back up until you eat again so take the opportunity to get your motor going as quickly as possible each day.

4. Pile on the protein – Research shows that getting plenty of high quality protein can boost your metabolism, causing you to burn an extra 150 to 200 calories a day. That doesn’t mean you have to live on a high-protein diet, but you should have a serving of protein as the center of each meal. Choose it first and add vegetables etc to that base.

5. Go for good carbohydrates – Such as vegetables and fruits and a small amount of grains that do not create a surge in insulin that promotes storage of fat. Refined carbohydrates like white bread, cakes and cookies etc may drive down your metabolic rate and increase fat storage.

6. Eat all day – Eating five to six mini meals every 2-3 hours rather than three larger meals every day keeps your metabolism humming 24/7 and will also prevent you from going without food so long that you become so hungry you overeat. Try not to let more than four hours elapse between meals and make sure each meal includes protein for an extra metabolic boost.

These six methods of boosting your metabolism are hugely effective and will knock off excess body fat in the quickest possible manner. Try it and see for yourself.

If you need a comprehensive overview of the metabolic regulation fat loss strategies discussed in this article, be sure to check out Carolyn Hansen’s book Hot Metabolism, where she shows you how to take control of your body’s fat burning mechanism for optimum results.