Okay, let’s say you’re being good all day. You watch how much you eat, keep the calories and carbs low, drink lots of water and even… wait for it… EXERCISE! But then it gets to be evening time and you get hungry and blow it. Well, maybe it has to do with when you eat dinner. Those early-bird specials are great but… they’re EARLY. If you stay up till the late news you have a third of your day to go. Even if you eat right after work, there is a lot of time till bed. That’s why you get hungry. So shift your dinner a bit later and you’ll be less tempted. Of course, don’t get too hungry before dinner. Have a hand-full of almonds or macadamias and a big glass of water. It will take the edge off and keep you from wanting bigger portions later. So eat late but don’t over eat.
TODAY: EAT DINNER A LITTLE LATER.
Night-time snacking can destroy the gains… rather… losses that you make during a day of being “good”. This week I’ll share some tips to help you stay on course and skip the desert course. So here goes.
Clean your teeth. Yes good oral hygiene is essential. Bad teeth can lead to all sorts of health problems. So this tip will help you in two ways. Right after dinner brush your teeth with mint toothpaste or swish some sweet cinnamon mouthwash. It will tell your brain you are done eating for the day while satisfying a sweet craving. If you want to insure that you won’t go ahead and eat again anyway, FLOSS. You won’t be tempted to hassle with it and you’ll really impress your hygienist the next time you get your teeth cleaned. As a plus you’ll have a really nice smile when you step on the scale!
TODAY: BUY A NEW TOOTHBRUSH.
You may think that by eating only a couple of times a day you are “dieting” and should lose weight. Well, that’s not how our bodies work. If you starve yourself your body goes into survival mode and actually stores energy the next time you eat. Now how do you suppose it “stores energy”. It recharges your fat batteries, that’s what it does. It slows your metabolism to use less food and puts some away for later.
You should eat five or six small meals a day that are no more than three hours apart. It will kep your metabolism in high gear, your hunger in check, and your blood sugar even. Your mood will be better and you won’t be tempted to overeat at the meals. In other words, eat more (often) to eat less.
TODAY: START EATING SEVERAL SMALL MEALS A DAY.
Add spices to your food to add more flavor. It can help you feel satisfied. It will stimulate your taste buds so you won’t eat as much.
Intense sweets can do the same thing. Those little sugar-free Altoids and other powerful candies can do the same to curb cravings. Those and a hot cup of coffee can keep you going till you can have a protein filled snack or meal.
TODAY: KEEP UP THE FASTER PACE WHEN WALKING
One of the keys to eating less is knowing what it feels like to be full and what it feels like to be hungry. We tend to eat at the same times every day, and eat the same amount of food. But we don’t consume calories the same every day. You may mow the lawn one Saturday, but the next it rains and you sit inside watching TV. If you eat the same amount on both of thoe days guess what happens. Oh, I forgot, it already has.
When you are really hungry your stomach will rumble, you’ll feel sluggish, you get irritable. But think before you eat. How long has it been since you last ate? How much did you eat? How much are you planning to eat? Then get a nice big drink of water. Thirst and hunger are very similar to our brains. It’s not that you are filling your belly with water, you may be giving your body what it wants. The calories would have been bad. You would still be craving, and you would be craving that drink that you should have had in the first place.
TODAY: HAVE AN 8 OUNCE GLASS OF WATER BEFORE YOU EAT.
I ate at one of those “New American Cuisine” restaurants a while ago where the plates are large and the portions are beautiful but small. I’ve also noticed that those places also make a meal an event by drawing out the service over an hour or more. I ate well, though not much and it turned out I was full. It was the perfect demonstration of what you may have heard before. Namely, you won’t feel like you’ve had a satisfying meal until your brain tells you. It turns out that it takes 20 minutes until your stomach sends that signal. So slow down, even take a break mid meal to let the time pass. You’ll find that you will feel full on less. Maybe try eating with someone you like to talk with and share in conversation rather than calories. Your life will be fuller too.
TODAY: SPEND AT LEAST 20 MINUTES EATING YOUR MAIN MEALS.
Call them garbanzo beans, chic peas, or spanish beans but call them part of your diet. They’s really good for you in a number of ways. They are loaded with protein, fiber and polyunsaturated fatty acids. All those things are good for your diet and heart. A surprising bonus is that they actually lower your total cholesterol and (bad) LDL while raising your HDL (good) levels. Eating about 25 ounces per week for 12 weeks is all you need to make this magic happen. That’s not all though. Insulin levels also improved and participants in the study actually lost weight without diet OR exercise. (Imagine how great you’ll do!)
Toss some whole beans on your salads. Puree them with some seasoning and olive oil to make hummus. Add them to three-bean salad. I like them with shredded cheese and a sweet and sour dressing (Splenda NOT sugar) They’re tasty, inexpensive. and filling.
TODAY: ADD GARBANZOS TO YOUR MENU.
Daily Nag, Tips & Tricks | Diet Nag | 
February 4, 2011 6:38 am | 
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