When you are moving through a transformation stage, it takes a lot of energy to navigate all the changes you are facing. Successfully managing your energy is a must in high change situations like these.

Eating smaller meals every 3 hours boosts your energy. Additionally, it lowers your cholesterol, keeps your blood sugar on an even keel and increases your metabolism -- helping your lose weight.

After you eat a meal, the food is broken down into sugar which provides you with energy. It takes about 3 hours for this process to be complete -- for your blood sugar levels to go up and then to fall.

If you want to keep your blood sugar levels even -- supplying you with the right amount of energy throughout the day -- eat a small meal every 3 hours and you will prevent the falling blood sugar levels, and the sagging energy that comes from the fluctuations of blood sugar. If you eat small meals every 3 hours you keep your blood sugar levels steady. When your blood sugar levels are steady your energy and mood stay steady and more balanced throughout the day.

It is easy to upset the balance of blood sugar -- and thus energy and mood -- by skipping meals or waiting too long to eat. When blood sugar levels are normal, you feel good and energized. When blood sugar levels fall, your energy and your mood drop. Eating a healthy diet every 3 hours helps to positively alter your brain chemistry and stabilize your moods.

When you eat a large meal every 5-6 hours, you provide a lot of fuel all at once in your system -- and set the stage for more dramatic blood sugar imbalances. The excess energy does not get used up and instead gets stored as fat. But more frequent, smaller meals delivers your body adequate, manageable amounts of fuel spread evenly over the course of a day.

How to do it:

You can eat six equal sized smaller meals. (The simplest way to get started is to take your normal, well balanced breakfast, lunch and dinner and divide each in half, eating half at regular meal times and half 3 hours later.)

Or

You can eat three smaller meals with three snacks

In the "Eating every 3 hours plan," sit down in a relaxed, pleasant environment every three hours and have some combination of protein, high fiber complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Then you stop eating for 3 hours.

Eating smaller meals every 3 hours is not the same as "grazing" throughout the day. Grazing throughout the day -- eating small amounts almost continuously throughout the day -- can actually lead to spikes in your blood sugar and low energy and moods.

A meal or snack is composed of some combination of the important food groups -- protein, high fiber complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, vegetables, fruit, and whole grains.

The protein will help you stay alert and energized -- plus help you feel full.

The fiber will help you feel full.

The complex carbohydrates and whole grains will digest slowly and deliver you a steady supply of energy for the next 3 hour spurt.

The fat --which digests slowly will deliver you a burst of energy long after you have eaten it.

The vegetables and fruit will help you feel energized and full of pep.

When eating every 3 hours you have to be mindful of portion control -- you don't want to increase your calories. Instead, start eating normal portions -- and even splitting a normal portion into 2 meals. Supersize portions can often be split up into 2 or even 3 meals.

Because you will be eating so frequently, you will need to pay attention to quality eating. It helps to plan your meals and snacks ahead of time. You can even go so far as to get them ready ahead of time and place them in handy containers.

After a week or so of eating every 3 hours you will experience so much more energy and feel so much better that any inconvenience or fear about changing will be transformed into eager anticipation of the day's culinary delights.

Healthy snack suggestions:

Pistachios and a piece of fresh fruit

Cheery hazel nut butter on a piece of banana

Hard boiled egg and a spoonful of tabbouleh

Shrimp with cocktail sauce or salsa

Sliced turkey with veggies, grainy mustard and tortilla

Ham wrapped around cooked asparagus spears

Deviled egg and celery sticks

Diced ham and canned white beans drizzled with olive oil and mustard

Slice of mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil drizzled with olive oil and red wine vinegar

1/ 2 cup of ricotta cheese with berries

1/4 cup Roasted red pepper humus on 1/2 whole wheat pita bread toasted

Cashew butter on apple slices

Nuts and dried fruit -- trailmix

Canned salmon drizzled with lemon on rye crackers

Yogurt with honey and sliced almonds

Guacamole with rice crackers or corn chips

Sliced tomato, grainy mustard, and low fat cheddar cheese on whole grain bread, melted in the broiler

Hard boiled egg, 2 rye crisp crackers, 8 ounces of tomato juice

1 cup of 1% milk or soymilk, and 1 whole grain oatmeal raisin cookie

Cottage cheese or ricotta cheese dip with fresh veggies