JJ Virgin argues against frequent snacking, claiming that eating every few hours keeps insulin chronically elevated which prevents access to stored body fat. She recommends spacing meals by at least 4–6 hours, drinking water to boost fat burning, and aiming for a 12–14 hour overnight fast to allow insulin to fall and enable fat utilization.
Okay, unpopular opinion. I want you to stop snacking. I know, I know, I know. You've heard from all of the big diet industry gurus that you should be eating every couple of hours so that you're not hungry. That is absolutely the worst thing you can do, and here's why. Every time you eat, what happens? Well, you raise blood sugar, and then your insulin gets pumped out to bring that blood sugar back down. Blood sugar moves pretty quick, but insulin's slow moving. So if you're eating every couple hours, that insulin never has time to come back to normal fasting levels. If insulin's high, the doors to your fat cells are locked. Cannot burn off stored fat for fuel. I don't know about you, but I want to be able to use stored body fat for fuel. I don't want to rely on incoming carbs every couple hours. What you're going to do, you need to give yourself at least four to six hours between meals. Drink a lot of water that helps you burn more fat and boost your metabolism. Ideally a 12 to 14 hour overnight fast. At least those long stretches give your body a time to lower that insulin and access stored fat for fuel. Stop the snacking.
