Eat Mini-Meals to Lose Weight

The standard American diet consists of three big meals each day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. But many fitness and health experts agree that these three big meals - plus whatever snacks we might also eat - may be contributing to our expanding waistlines.

In fact, lean fitness pros have a secret diet strategy that helps them stay slim and trim. Rather than eating three big meals each day, they eat five or six mini-meals!

The concept is not new. In fact, it's very common among fitness enthusiasts. Bill Phillips uses it in his popular Body for Life program, and David Kirsch recommends it for his Ultimate New York Body Plan.

Here are some of the reasons it helps you slim down:

•Your metabolism stays revved. Your body is like a furnace. And if you want it to burn fat, you need to keep it fueled. Feeding the fire often with small meals will help keep your metabolism burning.
•You're less hungry. If you want to eat five or six small meals each day, you'll probably be eating every two to three hours. And when you eat that frequently, you don't have time to get hungry! That means you never "binge" because you're famished.
•You don't overeat. Since you're only eating small meals, you'll portion your food out before you sit down to eat. That means you won't have a huge, heaping plate of food on the table, and you won't overeat!

If you'd like to incorporate mini-meals into your diet plan, try some of these tips to ensure that it works for you:

Eat the right mix: A plain baked potato is not a mini-meal. You need a mix of protein, carbs and fat in every meal, even if the meal is small. The right mix depends on your own personal needs, health goals and exercise habits.