MEAL FREQUENCY
Understand that your body does not store protein like it does with fat and carbohydrates. The protein you eat will either be used to repair and rebuild or eliminated as waste—it is not stored as fat.
After about three hours, the amino acids taken from your last protein-based meal are no longer in your bloodstream. At this point, your body begins to seek out the amino acids it needs from your lean body mass. Eating every three hours prevents this from happening.
Eating frequently ensures your lean body mass stays intact and that your muscles are not being broken down and used for energy. Remember, the more lean mass you have, the faster your metabolism will be.
Frequent meals also help to control cravings and binge eating. When blood sugar drops and tells you that you’re hungry, it’s usually too late to eat a smart meal. By this time, you just want food and you go after what ever it is that you crave. When you eat strategically, you will never get to this point and you can always have a plan for your next meal.
Frequent meals keep blood sugar levels normalized, which keeps insulin levels at bay. This means you will be burning fat rather than storing it.
Missing a meal is a cardinal sin on the 3-Week Diet. The simple fact of the matter is that when you skip a meal, your metabolism slows down and puts your body into a catabolic state. Never, ever skip a meal! I know it will be difficult to eat 5-6 times at first but you must understand that your body needs amino acids…even when you skip a meal. The key to pulling this of successfully is to have preplanned meals for every day. In the diet portion of the 3-Week Diet, you’ll learn some “secrets” on how to do this effectively.
Meal frequency is a key component to losing weight on the 3 Week Diet. By eating five meals a day as prescribed in the 3 Week Diet, you will significantly increase your metabolism, effectively build lean muscle and increase the amount of fat you burn on a daily basis.