Article By: Johnny Fontana

If I told you that you could eat the exact same food you are eating now, but lose weight and develop a better body composition (body fat %) would you be into that idea? I think it would be really hard to find someone who would say no. I am not telling you to cut out certain foods or start counting your calories. I’m really not asking you to change your diet (the things you eat) at all, just to change when you eat them.

Western civilization (yes, that includes America) has developed some of the worst eating habits known to man. Sure, we typically eat food that is toxic to us, but that is not the point I am trying to make here. What we have done is arranged our eating habits in a way that sets us up for failure. We eat only a few meals per day, each packed with a large amount of food, and typically put off until later in the day. On top of that, we eat a ton of carbs at one time or a ton of fat at other times, which throws our bodies into a scramble.

This post will focus mostly on the bad foods that you eat and when to eat them. I don’t expect everyone to eat great foods all the time, but the trick is learning how to manage them. Here I will examine sugar intake and teach you how to properly eat sugar. Typically we are all-or-nothing-type people, eating loads of sugar at one time. This usually is around dinner or late-night snack time, which I shouldn’t have to tell you, is terrible for you.

All At Once

Nutrient timing is absolutely key to losing weight and getting a better body composition. Since we tend to have a problem with eating way too much sugar, I will use that as an example. Let’s say that you eat 50 grams of sugar throughout your day.  You can actually lose weight and lower your body fat by simply changing what time you eat that 50 grams. Let’s say you are currently eating 15 grams of sugar at lunch, 30 grams of sugar at dinner and 15 more grams for dessert or late snack. These large amounts of sugar later in the day will send your insulin through the roof, which is about the last thing in the world you want to do. On top of that, if your meal is comprised mostly of carbs, then you are in real trouble.

The Long Slow Burn

If you simply switch those 50 grams to 15 at breakfast, 10 for a late-morning snack, 10 at lunch, 10 for a late-afternoon snack and 5 at dinner, you will be in a much better position. By spreading out those 50 grams of sugar, you won’t be getting such an insulin spike. On top of that, by eating sugar earlier in the day, your body will have more time to burn it off.

Sugar & Insulin

I talk about insulin a lot, so if you are confused why I am bringing it up  read here to get a better understanding. By simply spacing out the sugar and putting it into more meals, you will be doing yourself justice. If you know that you are going to eat an entire Hershey’s bar today (not recommended), instead of eating it in one sitting break it up into multiple snacks. Eat a quarter with breakfast, a quarter with a snack, a quarter with lunch and a quarter with another snack.

Notice that I’m saying “with” in the last sentence. The food combinations that you eat will also play a big roll in your body’s ability to properly process the foods. I will get into this topic further in my next part of this series, so stay tuned.

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