A recent study by the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell has found that people who skip meals or fast are more likely to start their next meal with high-calorie carbohydrates and starches. Not only are these pesky breads and fries a natural enemy of your waistline, they cause you to eat more than you normally would during a meal. 

The way you start your meal has a big impact on what you eat after. Empty calories are called just that because they are not filling and cause you to want to eat more. Along with a tendency to go for high-carb choices after a fast, researchers also found that people who started with starches consumed 20 percent more calories than those that started with more filling vegetables. People who did not fast were twice as likely to start their meal with vegetables and three times less likely to start their meal with starches.

Lead researcher Dr. Tal believes this is just the way your body tries to gain a quick energy boost after an extended amount of not eating. So what does all of this mean to you?

First, try to stop skipping meals. Many of us get caught up in our schedules and have to skip meals sometimes,  but making a habit of it can be rough. Not only are you more likely to make poor food choices after skipping meals, you are more likely to overeat at your next meal meanwhile having slowed down your body’s metabolism from not eating.

Since your body begins to crave carbs after extended periods of not eating, try to control the food around you. Rather than keeping chips and breads around, try to start your meals with vegetables and snack on fruits. Vegetables are much more filling and help you eat less while starches cause you to eat more and get hungry much sooner after a meal.