Here’s what happens when you skip meals

You’re having a super busy day at work, a meeting runs late so you don’t get to eat lunch, it’s already 2pm so you figure you’ll wait until dinner to eat. Or maybe you’re racing around after your kids all morning and only have a chance to drink some coffee on the way out the door. Or perhaps you simply don’t feel hungry during the day and end up just eating lunch and dinner. Does any of this sound familiar?

While you might be able to get through the day without eating breakfast or lunch, as I like to say in my clinical work, just because you can doesn’t mean you should. In this article I’ll explore what happens to your sex hormones and metabolism when you skip meals.

Metabolic Changes

Ghrelin is a hormone which signals to your that you’re hungry. When you skip meals, your body starts to produce more ghrelin to try to get the message across that it needs you to get some nutrients in ASAP.

Leptin is a hormone which decreases your appetite and signals to your body to start using fat stores for energy. When you skip meals you start to produce less leptin.

Repeatedly skipping meals over time and you end up with more ghrelin (the ‘please eat, you’re hungry’ hormone) and less leptin (the ‘you’re full, stop eating’ hormone) this translates to increase likelihood of binge eating and difficulty managing weight overtime.

Cortisol

Cortisol is your stress hormone and is released in times of pressure. Cortisol pushes the body into sympathetic mode which is sometimes called ‘fight or flight’. When you skip a meal, your body thinks it is starving and starts to produce more cortisol which in turn blocks leptin. This can lead to weight gain, particularly in the abdominal area.

One of the most common scenarios that I see with my clients is that they are too busy in the mornings to prepare breakfast, so they rely on coffee for energy first thing. First thing in the morning your cortisol is at its highest so when the first food/drink that is introduced to your system is caffeine it can spike your cortisol even more. This can translate to increased anxiety and stress which can last into the afternoon. You can read more about cortisol and weight gain here.

If you find you are too busy in the mornings, try preparing breakfasts in batch recipes like chia puddings, overnight oats, frittatas or a smoothie.

Some Easy Breakfast Recipe Ideas:

https://www.michaellamazzoninutrition.com/blog/healthybreakfastmuffins

https://www.michaellamazzoninutrition.com/blog/hormone-supporting-overnight-oats

Increased cortisol can also disturb your HPA axis, which lead us to discuss how skipping meals impacts your sex hormones.

Sex Hormones

As you know by now you produce more cortisol when you’re skipping meals which puts you into fight or flight mode. When you’re in fight or flight your sex hormones are impacted. This is due to the relationship that exists between cortisol, estrogen and progesterone – in the process of creating cortisol your body uses some of your progesterone which can throw off the delicate balance of estrogen and progesterone.

So, we can see how skipping meals can exasperate symptoms of estrogen dominance, symptoms of which include PMS, bloating, headaches, breast tenderness, irregular cycles, heavy periods, anxiety and a reduced sex drive.

Final Thoughts

Skipping the odd meal here and there can happen, life can get in the way. But if you are noticing a pattern emerging consider taking steps to prevent skipping meals in the future – all the small changes add up! Here are my top tips for avoiding skipping meals:

· Create a meal plan for the week ahead

· Batch cook on the weekends and pack your lunches for the week ahead

· Prepare your breakfasts in batches

· Keep a stash of healthy snacks like nuts and peeling fruits in your work bag/car/desk

Want to discuss working together one on one? Booking a free discovery call is the first step.