Why do people think they shouldn’t skip meals to lose weight? Skipping dinner is a way that many people use to reduce calorie intake. But is this safe? What happens to your body when you fast?

What happens if you skip meals to lose weight? Myths about skipping dinner that everyone should know

1. What happens to your body when you skip meals to lose weight?

Every time you skip a meal, the glycemic index begins to decrease. This can affect your ability to think, memory problems, and daily activities.

In addition, hunger makes you feel irritable and reduces your ability to self-control. Moreover, many studies have found that fasting will change circadian rhythms and disrupt eating habits. Thus, the body’s metabolism slows down. This can make it harder to keep weight off and affect your ability to maintain body weight.

2. What are the benefits of intermittent fasting?

2.1 Weight loss

Some studies found that people who applied a 12-week intermittent fasting method lost 3.6% of their body weight. In addition, fasting combined with exercise helps the body burn more calories and visceral fat to promote weight loss and reduce inflammation.

2.2 Improve cardiovascular disease

Decrease LDL (bad) cholesterol, increase HDL cholesterol (good), and improve vascular problems, which can lead to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

2.3 Improves neuropathy

Intermittent fasting can help boost brain health, improve memory, and prevent neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and stroke.

2.4 Improved insulin sensitivity

Intermittent fasting can help lower fasting blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity.

2.5 Anti-aging prolongs life

Boosts your immune system and protects the body from oxidative stress – one of the causes that promote aging and chronic disease.

3. Risks of intermittent fasting

Besides the above benefits, intermittent fasting can also cause some people to experience some symptoms such as discomfort, hunger, fatigue, dizziness, and headaches. These symptoms often appear in people who start to apply this method.

Moreover, intermittent fasting is not suitable for everyone, especially children and pregnant, breastfeeding, or people with health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and eating disorders.

4. Should you skip meals to lose weight?

The most common principle of losing weight is to create a calorie deficit – “the calories in” less than “the calories out.” So, skipping dinner can reduce about 1/3 of the calorie intake during the day and help you reach your weight-loss goals. However, this method is not suitable for all people.

Moreover, while sleeping, your body still burns calories and consumes energy. For example, a person weighing 55kg will burn about 38 calories per hour during sleep. If your sleep duration is about 7–8 hours, the total number of calories you burn each night is about 266-304.

In addition, skipping meals can make your body feel hungry and crave more the next day. Many people wake up in the middle of the night to eat… So, do not skip meals to lose weight, since it’s an ineffective way, even a risk of gaining weight and affecting health.

Any method for losing weight will not be suitable for all. Because what may be good for one person may not be suitable for another and vice versa.

5. Side effects of skipping meals for weight loss

5.1 Sleep disorders

Going to bed on an empty stomach can make it hard to fall asleep, and not getting enough sleep can cause fatigue and distraction. Moreover, a long-term lack of sleep also makes your body unable to regenerate positive energy and is always in a state of fatigue, which leads to sleep disorders.

5.2 Risk of stomach disease

The stomach is one of the organs that keeps on working continuously, even when you are resting or sleeping. Therefore, if the stomach is empty, it tends to secrete more acid. This prolonged condition can increase the risk of stomach diseases and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

5.3 Memory loss

Sleeping on an empty stomach causes insomnia and leads to memory impairment. Furthermore, fasting dinner can cause a decrease in blood glucose levels.

Blood glucose levels tend to decrease during exercise or physical activities throughout the day. So, when you skip meals to lose weight, glucose levels are significantly reduced and cause the brain to get insufficient fuel.

Furthermore, if this condition persists, it will cause brain decline, forgetfulness, and trouble concentrating, which can cause memory loss and impaired cognitive function.

5.4 Weak immune system

Skipping dinner, the body doesn’t have sufficient nutrients, which can cause hypoglycemia. In addition, when the body lacks nutrients, it leads to a deterioration of the immune system. The body’s resistance is weakened and much more vulnerable to infectious diseases.

5.5 Muscle weakness

Skipping meals after exercise is a bad idea. The exercises can help burn many calories and proteins in your body. So, if you don’t get enough calories and protein from foods, you will have difficulty recovering and growing muscles after a workout.

5.6 Premature aging

When your body lacks nutrients, especially vitamins, and proteins, it can cause dryness, wrinkles, and premature aging.

5.7 Metabolic disorders

When you are hungry or skip meals, the body’s metabolic system also changes, which is why the body does not burn extra calories, causing excess calories to be stored as fat. Therefore, skipping meals not only disturbs your metabolism but also gains weight.

5.8 Increase the risk of type 2 diabetes

Skipping dinner is one of the most common causes of hypoglycemia, which causes blood glucose levels to drop below normal levels. Overeating can cause stomach pain, but skipping dinner will cause nighttime hypoglycemia. Glycemic fluctuations will worsen the condition for people with diabetes.

5.9 Weight gain

Consuming more calories than the body burns will cause your body to store the extra calories as fat, leading to weight gain. Therefore, nutritionists also advise that instead of eating 2-3 main meals, you should divide the meals into six meals a day.

6. Tips for weight loss

The above information shows that skipping meals may negatively impact your health and weight loss. It is recommended to eat a balanced diet to provide the body with good energy throughout the day.

The best time to eat dinner is three hours before going to bed. This helps your body have enough time to digest and absorb nutrients. In addition, combined gentle exercises will burn more calories and help digest food faster.

It is recommended to eat healthy foods from five main food groups: vegetables and legumes, fruits, cereals and cereals, lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, yogurt…

Limit the gas-producing foods during digestion, such as corn, sweet potatoes, and green beans, or irritating foods such as peppers, garlic, and onions…

In addition, you also need to build a suitable fitness regimen for your weight-loss goals. Exercise will help you burn calories, improve your mood, strengthen your bones, and prevent the risk of many chronic diseases.

Moreover, to promote fat loss, you can combine the right dietary supplements to boost metabolism, burn calories, help you lose weight effectively, and aid in maintaining your proper weight. However, it is necessary to choose safe health products and use them according to the instructions of doctors or nutritionists.