With the holidays now behind us—though we're still looking forward to the Epiphany cake on January 6th—many feel they've overindulged. You might think skipping a few meals will correct the excess, but nutrition experts agree: this is a false good idea. Rather than shedding pounds, it often leads to weight gain, largely due to irregular eating patterns.
The body thrives on routine and rebels against deprivation. Skipping meals introduces frustration and disrupts established habits. As nutrition expert Florence Pujol explains in her book I Eat and I Am Well: "Eating with a calculator in your head fills your plate with stress. It demands mental control, which ultimately disrupts the body and fosters a conflicted relationship with food." Echoing this, nutritionist Laura Tajan advises in Femme Actuelle: "If you overate at lunch, skipping dinner might seem wise—but it's not. Excess or not, your body anticipates energy at the next meal, per your usual routine."
The result? Deprivation prompts a survival response: your body stores energy as fat, fearing ongoing shortages. Instead, honor your body's signals. If hunger is absent, avoid forcing a heavy meal—a light plate of vegetables can supply necessary energy. To offset prior indulgences, opt for exercise like jogging, a long walk, or swimming laps to burn excess calories.
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