WHY TIME OF DAY MATTERS, AND WHAT DO THEY MEAN BY “PORTION CONTROL”?
When people say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, they aren't kidding. This rule applies no matter what diet plan you follow. A healthy, high-calorie breakfast fuels your body for the day. It helps you lose weight because it fills you up and helps you avoid late-night eating. Throughout the day, your body burns the calories you consumed during breakfast. By contrast, if you eat a high-calorie supper, then partake of bedtime snacks, your body has little or no chance to burn the calories you consume because you’re less active—or even sleeping—at that time of day.
Another good practice to follow is to eat small portions of food approximately every three hours. Some people think that when they skip meals they are helping their weight loss efforts. They are actually doing the opposite. When your body goes longer than eight hours without food it resorts to starvation mode. It starts squirreling away calories because it doesn’t know if you’re going to replenish them! When your body harbors carbs, calories, and fats, none of that will come off your thighs. Skipping meals is a bad idea.
If your schedule doesn’t allow you to eat small, frequent meals, bring healthy snacks with you. Grabbing an apple or a small bag of healthy popcorn will stop you from eating fast food. Frequent meals keep your blood sugar from dipping so that you don't suddenly crave sugars and unhealthy food. Frequent meals also keep a consistent amount of food available for fat burning and energy so that you don't feel sluggish. If you don't eat large meals, your stomach will also be smaller and not feel like a large, hungry pit all day long!
Try exercising in the morning, at midday, or early in the evening—not late in the evening. Doing the latter will energize your body and cause you to have trouble falling asleep. Your body needs adequate sleep to repair itself, and when you exercise earlier in the day, you’ll sleep better, giving your body time to re- energize and repair itself. Rest and sleep are just as important as dieting and exercise!
What would a typical week look like if you were on a carb cycling diet? On Monday you would eat foods from the high-carb list (a healthy lasagna). On Tuesday you would eat from the low-carb list (a low-fat chicken breast). On Wednesday you would eat high carb again (spaghetti), while on Thursday you would eat low carb. Most carb cycling diets include a “rewards” day during which you can eat something like chocolate cake so that you don't feel deprived.
Some studies have shown that a Paleo diet (in which the dieter sharply reduces carbs or avoids them altogether) can cause the body to retain the carbs that it does take in. This might be why, when you lost weight in the past, your weight rebounded once you took in some of your old foods (i.e., carbs).