It may not add up to much weight loss on its own, but it certainly comes into play if you’re looking to maintain any weight you’re already losing. Jessica Bartfield More Quotes by Jessica Bartfield More Quotes From Jessica Bartfield A lot of our overweight patients aren’t necessarily overeating, but their eating patterns have become so erratic—they have a cup of coffee in the morning and then no real food until late afternoon, they key is to avoid that and keep a consistent schedule, whether that’s three meals a day and a couple of snacks, or five mini meals. Jessica Bartfield health Even though we’re pressed for time, most of us have pretty predictable schedules, so it can help to spend some time on Saturday and Sunday shopping for healthy food, preparing some lunch and dinner items for the week, and deciding which days you’re going to eat what. Jessica Bartfield health There are tons of good options in the freezer aisle, either for individuals or even family-size meals, that can be prepared quickly, or you could buy a rotisserie chicken—take the skin off and slice it on top of a salad, or buy frozen vegetables to serve with it. Jessica Bartfield health I tell my patients the three areas affecting their weight they have the greatest control over is what they eat, how they move, and how they handle stress, stress has a big influence on appetite, food intake, and how the body processes calories, and I think people underestimate that. Jessica Bartfield health