As for Meal 1, don’t put it off for too long,
even if you’re not hungry. If you’re not
hungry first thing in the morning, that tells us
that your hormones are off. And one of the
best ways to get those hormones back in line
is to eat something in the morning, when it’s
biologically appropriate.
Ideally, eat Meal 1 within an hour of
waking. It doesn’t matter whether you wake at
6 a.m. for your day job or 3 p.m. for shift
work—wake, then eat.* This is important.
Remember, leptin has a daily rhythm tied
to your eating schedule. Which means that if
you start eating too late in the day, your entire
leptin pattern can be thrown off. Which means
that at night, when leptin should be high, it
won’t be. And cortisol, correlated with leptin
dysfunction, will tend to make you crave more
food. Usually not the good kind, either. Which
means that you’ll be prowling through your