Note: This information is not intended as dietary recommendations. I am not a registered dietician or nutritionist. I have however kept my body fat under control for the past 30+ years using the information given below.
A client of mine was very honest today and informed me she had a very 'hearty' appetite. She asked if there were any supplements that would help curb the strong cravings. This is a good point so I will address it here.
First off, before I ever recommend a supplement, I try to first establish what simple adjustments can be made. In continuing our conversation, her scenario is typical of most folks. We cook, or go out to eat. We're hungry, and we CHOW DOWN till we're full.
WRONG approach.
So what can we do to improve on this picture? We first must understand how hunger in the body works. So to make it brief, your hunger center is in your brain...not in your stomach. Once you start eating, eventually signals are sent to your hypotholumus (hunger center) part of your brain letting your body know you are being fed. The problem with this is that that process takes 20 - 30 minutes, give or take.
Well we can put away quite a bit of food in that amount of time!
Knowing this, what action can we take to maximize what our goal is? If our goal is weight loss (fat loss) to be precise, we must eat less calories and exercise...right?
So what can you do to help ease your hunger when the food hits your plate? Here it is. About 20-30 minutes before you eat your meal, treat yourself to a half or whole apple. Apples are very healthy, especially with the skin left on. But they also have a very positive effect on helping to curb ones appetite. Don't worry about the carbs...these are healthy carbs. An alternate food to use is a small cup or bowl of your favorite 'hot' soup (preferably not the creamy variety). This has a similar effect.
Then 20-30 minutes later, have your intended meal, but put it on a small side plate, as opposed to the large dinner plates we've all become accustomed to. When you are done with your smaller serving of the healthy meal, stop eating. You should feel satisfied at that point. If not, you will soon.
The is a great way to start eating less at those meals we sit down to. So what about if we go out to an expensive dinner and the serving size is not up to us? Easy...use the same approach. Eat an apple on the way...and take home a doggie bag and have the rest for lunch the next day.
Of course, the best way to approach meals is to break them up into smaller, more frequent feedings than the usual 2-3 HUGE meals each day. Instead, eat 6-8 small feedings of healthy choices of a protein mixed with a vegetable or fruit. Doing this, you will have more energy...never be starving...and will keep your metabolism 'cranking' for the whole day.
This will take a little practice for it to become a habit. Don't be so hard on yourself and just give up on it because you aren't consistent right away. Give yourself a good month to make it work.
After you do this with some frequency, it will become more habitual and you will see pounds of excess, unwanted weight melt off. Your clothes will start feeling baggy. Of course, participating in my 'grueling' but productive workouts will speed this process up quite a bit!
Good luck.
Mike
