A doctor is calling out some popular but problematic pieces of dieting advice.
With nearly 3 in 4 US adults being obese or overweight many among us are thinking about healthy, sustainable ways to slim down.
But according to one expert, there’s a handful of slim-down solutions that could be sabotaging your end game.
“If influencers call breakfast a myth and tell you to save all your calories for the evening meal, that advice keeps you fat, it makes you sick, and it drives your insulin resistance to dangerous levels,” internist Dr. Anette Bosworth said in a YouTube video.
Bosworth took on breakfast skippers who cut carbs and attempt fasting but fail to see their efforts reflected on the scale.
According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a quarter of Americans do without their morning meal.
“Fasting serves as one of the most advanced tools possible to reverse insulin resistance, but many folks do it wrong,” she explained.
A precursor to diabetes, insulin resistance occurs when cells can’t appropriately utilize glucose for energy or storage. As a result, glucose builds up in the blood and the pancreas, the main source of insulin, goes into overdrive to combat rising blood glucose levels.
Bosworth said that for many, skipping breakfast means “saving” calories for the evening meal and indulging in high-fat or keto snacks before bed.
“If experts told you that a calorie equals a calorie no matter what, they lied to you,” she imparted, adding that throwing back a handful of nuts or another type of keto snack around the 9 p.m. mark is hell on your health.
The reason for this dietary downfall, she explained, is the relationship between melatonin and insulin.
Melatonin tells your body it’s time for rest and cellular repair — and it also suppresses insulin activity.
“Your blood sugar spikes a little more than it should have, and it stays higher for a longer period of time than it would have had you eaten that meal in the morning,” she said.
If you eat a steak at 9 a.m., your insulin is ready to process and divert the protein and glucose stores to keep you going all day long. But at 9 p.m., the body is forced to create insulin resistance with that same meal.
Bosworth says when it comes to late night eating, “one bite equals 10.”
To combat the issue, rather than chowing down after the sun goes down, the doc recommends front-loading your caloric intake at the start of your day. That means eating your largest meal when you wake up, since insulin sensitivity and metabolic function peak in the morning and early afternoon.
“Stop saving your calories for the evening. Eat a glorious high-fat, high-protein breakfast. Fill yourself up. Satiate yourself. And then by the time the sun goes down, you should feel completely full,” she added.
Bosworth isn’t the only expert to say not eating can be a bad idea.
“Short term tricks like fasting or skipping meals can scare the metabolism into lowering its metabolic rate,” Dr. Sue Decotiis, a weight loss specialist in New York, previously told The Post.
Eating too quickly, meanwhile, can also mess with your weight loss goals.
“Several studies, including reviews and clinical trials, have shown that fast eaters tend to have higher blood sugar spikes after meals and may produce less of the hormones that tell us we’re full,” Dr. Yesika Garcia, a board-certified endocrinologist at Medical Offices of Manhattan, told The Post.
“This can lead to overeating, weight gain and insulin resistance over time,” she added, “all of which are key factors in metabolic syndrome and diabetes.”
