Let’s talk – Let’s combat hunger!

Paul, my beloved, said something last week which I disagree with. He was talking about how hungry he was, and then added, but then he’s on a diet, so that’s what is expected. Now I disagree with him on both points.

As far as I am concerned, I’m looking for a lifestyle change, what I eat now, I expect to be eating when (and I do mean when!) I’ve lost weight. Just as I expect to still be doing at least 150 minutes of moderate activity each week.

And I don’t believe anyone should be hungry when trying to lose weight – that’s counter intuitive, and in my case leads to hugely calorific binge eats. Besides, I’m not a masochist – why would I want to put myself through that horrible hungry feeling!

There are loads of us trying lose weight, and we all use lots of different methods. My method is the most boring, eat less, eat well, move more. I only have a limited amount of self discipline, so fasting wouldn’t work for me, and shakes and the like wouldn’t work for me (even though I read how loads of you are doing really well :))

So for anyone who is not on the strictness of the shakes, I thought I would do a little post about how to try and combat those growling pangs!

Just a reminder – I’m no health professional 🙂

Satiety

The feeling or state of being sated.”a molecule that seems to regulate satiety”synonyms:satiation, satisfaction, sufficiency, repleteness, repletion, fullness; More

Protein – it’s recommended we eat 0.8g of protein a day for every kg we weight. Having too much protein is not good for diabetics.

Protein helps you feel full because it changes the levels of our satiety hormones. The body does not store protein, so we are best to eat it throughout the day.

Good sources of protein include: Lean meats (cutting off visible fat), nuts, fish, cooked eggs, beans and pulses.

Fibre – it’s recommended we eat about 30g or fibre a day.

Fibre helps us feel full because it changes the levels of our satiety hormones. It is usually stored in foods that take longer to eat, and are harder for our bodies to break down

Good sources of fibre include: wholewheat serials, oats (jumbo oats are best), wholewheat breads, pastas and brown rice, spuds with skin on, peas, beans, pulses, nuts (unroasted/unsalted), seeds, fruits and vegetables

I have a handful of nuts and an egg every weekday morning, plus fruit, I can go quite happily until about 2pm before I start to feel a bit hungry. I do want more food earlier, but I definitely do not need more food.

Water – UK NHS recommendation 1.2l per day unless hot or exercising – our climate isn’t hot enough for the recommendation to be 2l apparently – though I am still aiming for 2l total fluid consumption

When feeling hungry try to drink some water, it’s likely we might just need a drink rather than food.

There’s also theories advising to drink water before a meal, though some reports state just before a meal, and others state upto half hour before – so a bit confusing.

Mindful Eating – I keep hearing the term ‘mindful’ and i’ll be honest, I thought it sounded a bit hippyish for me, turns out I’m wrong!

I am a scoffer – no idea why, the food doesn’t taste any worse for the waiting, and no-one would dare try to pinch my food! I have made a concerted effort to slow my eating down and enjoying each mouthful. This gives my stomach and brain a chance to talk to each other, stomach letting brain know I’ve had enough.

I’ve also been making sure to listen to those messages, so rather than stuffing myself senseless, I stop when I know I’m satisfied. I’ll admit though, even now, I hate leaving stuff on my plate, it’s easier some days than others. I just keep doing it to try and train myself.

Anyway, there’s my little snippets of information, please do comment any other tips and practices you have 🙂