Healthy Food Chart

Hunger is a common issue for many dieters and a point in which a lot can struggle. Another difficult point is weight loss motivation. Both these issues in combination can make dieting to look like mission impossible. So what can you do and/or eat to overcome these difficulties.

Question:

I am 37 years old I am 60lbs overweight and I have no drive what so ever. I am trying to put myself on a diet but I get very hungry mid way thru the day to wear I get shaky and feel sick. I eat a breakfast and have fruit for snack but I am constantly hungry. What can I eat that will keep be not feeling hungry?

Answer by Hara Hagikalfa. View more answers in our Weight loss Advice section

I have looked at some of these issues in previous articles so for some points I will only give a brief outline.

• Breakfast is quite an important meal for the day. If you start your day in the wrong foot you will spend all day chasing your feet to get in line. What does that mean in terms of diet and hunger? As I have mentioned before if you have a breakfast full of carbohydrates results in your insulin levels to hit the roof very fast. When all sugar has been absorbed from your blood insulin falls again and your body receives the signal that you need food. The result: you feel hungry, shaky, sick, irritable and so on.

The solution is to eat protein for breakfast. Protein can make you feel full for longer and you have a better insulin response.

• Snacks: If you have to have a snack, again aim for a protein based one or a handful of nuts. Studies suggest that nuts tend to make you feel full and they are also a good source of essential fats. But they are quite calorie dense so keep it to a handful.
• Best carry snacks such as nuts in your bag or have them handy. If you are out and you start feeling hungry you are more likely to get just anything you can find. In addition, the longer you let yourself be hungry the worst you are going to feel. As a result you will again end up eating anything and everything under the sun to satisfy your hunger.
• There is also what they call the ‘emotional’ hunger. The solution for this is trying to modify your behavior and relationship towards food. One of the main ways is try to associate your feelings with other activities rather than food. See also emotional eating
• One area which I haven’t mentioned so far is actually the physiological aspects of being overweight. Adipose tissue (fat) is actually seen by many researches as biologically active and it produces hormones. Many of these are involved in metabolic regulations such as food intake and energy expenditure. One such hormone produced by adipose tissue, is leptin which is believed to be involved in food intake regulation. In simple words one of the jobs of leptin is to make you feel less hungry. Majority of overweight and obese people have high levels of leptin however; they tend to also have leptin resistance which means that they are less reactive to the effects of leptin.

What does that mean in very simple words is that they feel hungry and find it hard to regulate their appetite. Food restriction also can result in levels of leptin to decrease which again wouldn’t help.

In many ways this one of the reasons why many overweight people may find it hard to control hunger and follow diets. Some studies suggest that a low fat diet may help in improving leptin resistance. Do make sure that you do eat essential fats such as olive oil, fish oils etc. but maybe substitute foods high in fat with those with less fat content. I prefer to recommend not choosing low fat versions such as low fat mayonnaise, but choose foods which normally contain less fat (i.e. cottage cheese instead of yellow cheese, lean cuts of meat instead of just eating chicken etc.).

• Use some of the tips which I have included in my article in regards to emotional eating (‘How to control your desire for food’. Tips such as doing others activities or eating smaller portion can help in controlling hunger in general.
  • Persevere. Unless the reason why you could be feeling hungry is based on a different health complain, losing weight should improve things like insulin and leptin sensitivity. So hunger can improve. It is a little bit like the chicken and egg predicament; you need a chicken to make the egg but you need an egg to produce the chicken. However, this does not mean that there is no solution. Following a healthy, low fat but balanced diet and cutting down moderately on calories should help. It may be hard to begin with but if you make a list of things you can do to battle hunger and cravings then it is already made easier.
  • Exercise is one more thing you can add. Exercise does help in weight loss as it does increase metabolism in general and also you burn more calories with exercise (see ‘10 Fitness Tips for Women for more details). Some studies also indicate that exercise per se can help in improving insulin and leptin regulation, amongst other health benefits.
  • Consult a medical professional. As I mentioned above there may be other health reasons why you may feel hungry or have symptoms such as feeling shaky, dizzy, and sick. One such reason could be thyroid dysfunction. However, this is up to a medical professional to carry out the appropriate assessment and tests and include or exclude any other problems. In addition, is always recommended that you consult a medical professional before going on a diet or taking on exercise.
  • Finally, work on your motivation. One point to start from is by actually making a list of why you want to lose weight. Going on a diet because is what you should be doing and going on a diet because you want to and you know why are 2 different things. Find the reasons why losing weight is important to you and why it means a lot to you.

Once you have the list ready place a copy on your wallet, and one on the fridge. When you feel you lose the will to continue look at your list and remind yourself why you are doing it.

• Get a diet buddy or join a club. Studies show that diet clubs can have a high rate of achieving weight loss. This is not because they actually use a more effective diet, but because they have support systems which help people in adhering to dieting and losing weight. Your diet buddy could well be a spouse or your partner. Support coming from the family is as important, effective and valuable as weight watchers.
• Set goals and reward yourself. Set weekly goals based preferably on diet adherence not on pounds lost. Best not reward yourself with food though as it could be creating emotional connections. Example could be that if you manage to follow your diet plan all week (fortnightly or monthly etc.) you will go for a massage, a manicure etc. Set your little rewards according to what you enjoy. See your rewards as saying well done you achieved something, instead of buying yourself out.

There are many fitness tips for women but not all of them work for every woman. In this post our fitness experts have gathered the 10 most important fitness tips for women that can give you optimum weight loss results in the fastest way possible.

Fitness tips for women – Introduction

So you bought the book, joined the club, and read the myriads of articles, tips, and advice pages. You have the diet arranged; however, majority of them say ‘for best weight loss results exercise’. If only it was that simple… Where do you start?

Well some of you may have already bought the gym membership or you are already killing yourself on the elliptical machine and you are nowhere near in looking like a Baywatch babe. What can you do?

Bellow I have listed 10 fitness tips to help you with the Baywatch body quest.

1. Consult a medical professional and the appropriate exercise/fitness professional.

Yeah, yeah, yeah… you heard it all before. No really. Exercise is actually a form of a stress response for the body. Everybody tells you that exercise is healthy and how many health benefits you will get from exercising. Yes you will but it also increases heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure and a number of stress hormones take over your body. Don’t be a casualty. You do need to know if there is anything which could contradict any form of exercise so you can choose the best weight loss exercise or workout to suit your needs.

In addition to a medical professional, the appropriate fitness professional should be able to advise you on a workout, and show you the correct techniques for exercises. I am sure you want to enjoy it and skip heart attacks and injuries.

No pain no gain

The no pain no gain slogan is often used by the fitness fanatics. The body uses pain signals to warm you about something potentially harmful. Pain could be indicating that a specific load/exercise is too much for the body’s structures. There is the principle of overloading the muscles but this is done progressively and it doesn’t mean destroying them. Exercising through pain could lean to injuries or health complaints.

2. Pace yourself and work on your own level.

Maybe you have read about this super high intensity – fat burning army style workout and you want to try it out. No doubt you will get there, but if you never done any exercise in your life then be prepared to be hit by a tone a bricks. Your body is not used to work and as a result your muscles will ache, you will feel sick and maybe be able to only move your finger without being in pain.

The solution? Pace yourself through exercising. Start by walking around the block 2 – 3 times a day instead of running a marathon, or go swimming for 30min; basically do small and light workouts and build on them in time.

You may be thinking that you hardly burn any calories this way, but believe me you do. If your muscles are not used to be doing a lot, walking around the block is hard work for them. Moreover, working on your own level and ability will minimise the risk of injuries.

Every day fitness ideas

1. Why not take the kids to the garden or park and play an active game with them. Play with a ball or do some skipping. You will be spending some quality time with your family, have fun and exercise at the same time.

2. Try doing a couple of bicep curls while you are carrying the shopping bags to the car or a couple of squats while you putting the shopping in the cupboards *(make sure you are doing exercise activities in the correct technique and at your own level and ability).

3. If you have stairs in your house why not go up and down the stairs for a couple of times. It will not be that much different than using the elliptical machine in the gym.

3. Make everyday life activities work for you.

Whether it is time, money or convenience going to the gym, running or taking on a sport it is not possible for everybody. That doesn’t mean that you cannot exercise. Use everyday life activities to make up your daily workout. For example use the stairs instead of taking a lift, walk to the shops, walk to work or get off the bus one stop earlier and brisk walk the rest. If you look around your environment and everyday life you can find tones of activities which can be turned into an exercise opportunity.

Use some of the rest of the fitness tips for women (i.e. tips 4 & 7) in combination with your daily activities to get the most of it.

4.  Break the workout in 2 sessions.

Breaking the workout into 2 sessions per day can help in increasing your metabolism. In other words you could be potentially burning more calories. You don’t have to increase the amount of time or exercises you do in a day or do your usual workout twice. Just cut it in half and do one half in the morning and one half in the evening. For example if you go running for an hour a day, go 30min in the morning and 30min in the afternoon/evening.

If you do use the gym and going twice per day is not feasible then do a slightly shorter workout in the gym and go for a brisk walk for your 2^nd daily workout.

One thing you need to be careful is not to overload your body too much. When doing 2 workouts it is easy to fall in the trap of adding more exercises or more time. Too much exercising can place a lot of stress in the body and you could be having the opposite results.

Fitness Tips for Women – 5 more tips

5. Do resistance exercise.

It is often advocated that people burn calories and fat with aerobic exercise and is better for weight loss. The idea is that during moderate intensity aerobic exercise the body burns a combination of glycogen (sugar) and fat whereas with resistance exercise the body burns mostly glycogen. However, studies indicate that in terms of post training results resistance exercise tends to increase metabolic rate and fat burning. One of the reasons is that resistance/weight training increases the body’s muscle mass which is one of the main factors of increasing metabolic rate during rest.

The effect of exercise in using fat and energy (and therefore aiding in weight loss) is not only in terms of how many calories we burn while we exercise but also how many calories we burn once we stopped. Therefore, for best results do add some resistance exercises in your workout.

One important fitness tip: Make sure you warm up. A 5-10min warm up with light aerobic exercises is fine. A lot of people use the treadmill or elliptical to warm up. Don’t skip the warm up and go straight into lifting weights as you could damage your muscles and incur injuries

6. Do resistance exercise first and aerobic exercise second.

We worked out above that it is good to add resistance exercises in your workout. Now plan your workout in that you start with the resistance part and finish with the aerobic exercise.

With resistance exercise the body will be using mostly glycogen (sugar stores) for energy. When coming to do the aerobic part most of the glycogen will have been used and therefore the body will be mobilising your fat stores to fuel the exercise. Needless to say you will be potentially be burning a lot more fat.?

7. You burn what you eat.

A common conception used in advising people is eating carbs before exercise and protein after. The principle for that is that carbs will give you the energy to fuel the exercise and protein is beneficial for muscle building post exercise. Well if you are going to run a marathon you do need to be stocked up with your carbs as you will need the energy. However, for the average daily workout if you pack yourself before exercising with loads of carbs all you will be burning during exercise is sugar. Yes the post exercise fat burning effect does count as well, but if you want to optimise the fat you are using, then avoid overloading yourself with loads of carbs before exercising.

If your diet in general includes a moderate amount of carbohydrates anyway, then that should provide sufficient energy for exercise. Some studies also suggest supplementing with protein before exercise. This is suggested to aid in increasing muscle mass. However, I tend to say that if your diet includes a moderate amount of protein (see also protein diet tips) then that should be sufficient. In addition, not all protein supplements, powders, shake and so on are off good quality, and choosing the ‘best’ can be a mind field.

8. Have a coffee.

Coffee increases the sympathetic nervous activity in the body and in result it can increase the metabolic rate and fat mobilisation. Studies also suggest that it can improve performance during exercise. As a result having a cup of coffee before exercise could potentially help in burning more calories and quite importantly more fat. The intensity and kind of exercise will affect which fuel your body will use more off; look at fitness tips for women 6 and 9 as well.

Be aware: Stimulating the sympathetic nervous system also results in increasing heart rate and having a few stress hormones floating around. Exercise can have the same effect as mentioned earlier, so be aware. Do not drink too much coffee (or a very strong one) as what you don’t want is effects such as palpitations, anxiety etc. If you are sensitive to coffee or if you have any conditions (example high blood pressure) which may be made worst don’t use coffee or consult a medical professional before you do.

9. Alternate the intensity.

Alternating the intensity of exercise can help in using the different energy systems of the body and also different muscle fibres. Alternating the intensity means exercising in high intensity then low intensity then high again and so on. Example run fast for 5min then walk for 5min then run again etc.

The theory behind it is that you use mainly glycogen during high intensity then mobilizing fat as a fuel during low intensity. Some studies suggest that this exercise intensity alternation can increase the amount of fat you burn and potentially can increase the amount of calories you use.

10. Have a rest day.

Last but not least, have a rest once a week. How can rest optimise weight loss? Well muscles recuperate and grow (adapt to the overload of exercise) during rest. To be perfectly honest for all the structures and systems of the body (tendons, nerves, ligaments, cardiopulmonary etc) to adapt to exercise, need rest. If you overload the body and its structures with too much exercise you could potentially get the opposite result. In addition it would increase the risk of injuries and illness.

A day’s rest will help your body to recover and make any adaptations to exercise. This way you can enjoy all the benefits and gains of exercise which extend beyond than just losing weight.

Follow the above 10 fitness tips for women and you are on your way to a healthier body and mind. See also weight loss tips for women for 12 more weight loss tips.

Cindy Lai Fitness

Fitness Guru Cindy Lai is our guest blogger. Her advice is right on.

“Almost everyone tells me that they eat healthy or eat right, but do they really know what consists of a “healthy” meal? A boiled egg, a piece of fruit or a slice of bread? How is that supposed to satisfy your appetite for at least 3 hours? This is nearly impossible unless you have trained your body to go into starvation mode. Instead, your body will constantly go after muscle for fuel, basically eating away at itself. How does this affect your fitness goals? You are guaranteeing a decreased metabolism and what you put into your body next gets stored as fat instead of it becoming a fat burning mechanism.

This is an all too common mistake where many people skimp on good carbs, good fats or lean protein. If your physique is still the same after months or years of unsuccessful dieting, stop dieting and start eating right! If it is important for you to stay on top of your health and fitness goals, you need to look at the big picture. You also need to make time to eat a proper meal. Below are some easy suggestions for a better balanced breakfast.

Lowfat greek yogurt with almonds and Optimum Slim High Fiber Cereal (Nature’s Path)

(I like the Chobani brand and normally opt for 2% lowfat. I do love the pineapple flavored but do not have it all the time. Other good brands are Fage and Oikos)

1 egg + 2-3 egg whites with spinach and Kashi Go Lean Hot Cereal

Pacific Breeze Almond milk with Optimum Power Cereal (Nature’s Path) + blueberries

Tofu Scramble or Soy patties with spinach or broccoli on 2 slices of Whole wheat bread

2 Slices of Ezekiel Sprouted Cinammon Raisin Bread + Almond Butter

3 egg whites + all natural Al Fresco Apple maple chicken sausage + grated goat gouda cheese in whole wheat wrap. (sausage found only at West Side Market on 14th and 7th avenue)

DeWafflebakers Cinammon and Sweet Potato Pancakes, 2 Slices toasted with melted non processed almond butter (with 4 gms of protein + 4 gms of fiber, this is one of my favorite snacks and tastes like dessert! )

Lisanatti Almond milk Mozzarella – the healthy cheese alternative which goes great with avocado and tomato whole wheat wrap .

Pure Organic bars – vegan friendly and sweetened with fruits and nuts. They come in a variety of flavors such as cherry cashew, blueberry, mixed nuts, chocolate brownie and is a great snack. This is a sweet bar so try one before you buy the box.

unsalted mixed nuts with banana or apple as a snack

Lowfat cottage cheese with pineapple or berries as a snack

The majority of these foods can be found at Whole Foods, gourmet or your neighborhood deli. These are just suggestions of healthy meals to help start your day. Many of these meals may not keep you full for 3 hours throughout your day but are quick ideas for a good breakfast instead of no breakfast. Other ideas are of easy snack suggestions. We all have individual needs so you need to pay attention to what your body is asking of you. You may have higher nutritional needs on the day that you exercise and not so much on the days that you don’t.

The one pitfall you must avoid at all times is to skip breakfast completely. Although you may be used to it or think you can handle your day, you will almost definitely end up bingeing later and sabotaging your efforts. Eat consistently every 3-4 hours while snacks may last 1-2 hours. Fill up on fruits and veggies but don’t neglect your complex carbs (oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potato, whole grains, beans, etc.) along with your lean protein. If you are constantly hungry after your meals, you are lacking some kind of a balance.

In addition, everyone has different allergies and food restrictions as well. Find what works for you. There is no single solution for all. Do some experimenting and re-evaluate how your body responds. Tweak your nutrition according to your daily needs.

Nutrition is often the most challenging and sometimes neglected part of a healthy fitness regimen. As long as you stay healthy in mind and body, you will discover what works best for you. Eat well and eat right.”

Thanks, Cindy! Great advise!

We have already reviewed the most popular weight loss diets and today we add another diet review to our existing collection and this is the flex diet review. Our experts outline and explain what you need to know about the flex diet and help you decide if the flex diet is suitable for you. If you are interested in diets you can also read about the effectiveness of quick weight loss diets.

Review by: Hara Hagikalfa

Introduction

Handsome, male, young doctor?  Check! Eye catching cover? Check! Magical properties? Not very sure about that… Promises weight loss without fail? Of course!

One more well marketed book came in the weight loss world in 2010. The flex diet, as it is called, has been created by cardiologist Dr. James Beckerman, who also acts as an expert in WebMD. As with many other diets before it, it guarantees weight loss and a life change. In its essence the diet claims to provide 200 ways to lose 200 pounds.

The flex diet details

The flex diet is divided into 3 phases which are the ‘today’, the ‘every day’ and the ‘your way’.

The today phase lasts for 2 weeks and the main aim is introducing small changes. It essentially consists of a list of 30 ‘solutions’ which dieters can follow during those 2 weeks. Some of the solutions suggested in the ‘today’ phase are: keeping a diary, taking a multivitamin, getting more sleep, apples, grapes, close the kitchen after dinner, wear a pedometer, don’t use exercise as a punishment, try taking whey protein after exercise, blog, call your doctor, become someone’s coach, follow people who inspire you on twitter do calisthenics and so on.

The every day phase is about making every day changes in diet and lifestyle and lasts 3 weeks; according to the flex diet it takes 21 days for behaviours to become habits. Dr Beckerman recons that there are 5 senses of wellness and changes are meant to be made in each of the senses. The 5 senses are eat, drink, exercise, act, and live and the book provides lists of ‘solutions’ for each sense such as:

Eat – eat breakfast every day, avoid bagels, switch to a healthier cereal, use spreads sparingly, use microwave meals, eat tofu once a week, eat salad most days of the week,

Drink – limit alcohol to once a week, switch to skim, save your starbucks don’t drink fruit juices etc.

Exercise – curls, lateral raises, push ups, the fly, chair dips, split squats etc.

Act – walk after meals, walk your dog, etc

Live – read the labels, in restaurants ask questions, make your Mexican food healthier etc.

The your way phase for infinity and consists by more than 100 lifestyle changes and solutions for every day.  Like the ‘every day’ phase changes are made in the 5 senses of wellbeing.

The advice is to pick 2 solutions from every category to follow. If possible pick more solutions; however, the author explains that not all solutions are for everybody thus and it is a ‘flexible’ diet. Dieters are advised to make the diet and lifestyle changes as it suits them.

Something new? Something borrowed? Something blue?

Has the flex diet got anything new to offer? Well to be honest there is probably nothing you haven’t heard before. It is a collection of all the usual things which majority of weight loss professionals, doctors, nutritionists and so on, have said over and over again until they have turned blue in the face. Make lifestyle changes, follow a healthy diet, exercise and try to do it for life in a way that it fits your lifestyle. No doubt it is the right way to go, but is nothing new I would say.

The book does contain some valuable tips (or solutions as Dr Beckerman names them) which can help in achieving a healthier diet and lifestyle. However, that all it is. It does contain some recipes which dieters can use as a guide and also some workouts. I would not go as far as to call it a diet, but I would call it a weight loss tips guide. It does cost to buy and you could possibly get a lot of that information from a number of free weight loss/health/fitness websites, magazines, newspapers and so on.

To the point. Does the diet work?

The flex diet could be described as the cross between a self help book and a weight loss tips manual. Will it help you to lose weight? In theory if people make simple changes to their diet and life style should be on the right way in losing some weight. However, it feels as if the flex manual fails to see diet, lifestyle and behaviours as a whole one picture and suggests that a couple of remedies will solve all the problems. I would question if choosing 2 tips from each category and nothing else, will necessarily work in achieving weight loss (see example box).

The point I am trying to make is that weight loss is not as simple as choosing 10 random tips (2 from each category). Possibly, if you follow each and every one of the 200 tips in the book then you may see some results.

Each tip is explained and backed with scientific research; however a lot of the areas explained are seen in isolation. I would personally question the validity or effectiveness of some of the things he suggests, but overall there is nothing too extreme. Dr. Beckerman seems to not have taken into account the multiple and interrelated factors which can affect weight, metabolism, and behaviours. He does say ‘make the changes as its suit you’ but I wonder if just that is sufficient to account for individualism and individual needs.

Moreover, not all changes are health appropriate for all the people, not every exercise is safe for everybody (see example box 2) and also research cannot always be generalised.

The author does say inform your doctor as a tip in the 1^st phase and I could not stress enough the importance of seeking the appropriate professional’s advice. Certain people for example those of older age or those who are obese and/or morbidly obese, and those with specific health conditions may need more specialised advice than Dr. Beckerman’s 200 tips. The complexities involved with some specific populations may be they cannot be covered only by just 200 general tips.

Who is it for?

If you are looking for somewhere to start from and are none the wiser in filtering the plethora of tips and information from other sources then you will find the book helpful. Also if you belong in the category of people who don’t like to follow specific diets and are just looking for a couple of ways to make a few improvements, then you may find it helpful as well. If you use the flex manual as a supplement to a weight loss diet and implement a few changes which you feel comfortable with, that may work as well.

If you are looking for a specific diet then this book is probably not for you. If you still have the trampoline, the Wii-fit games, the hand weights or the fitness video sitting along with the last revolutionary diet you bought, well you can try some of the tips in the book and find those who suit you. On the other hand there may be a reason why none of the previous diet and life changes worked. A good start would be to find that reason.

When I get questions from readers I often see them explain that there are certain foods which they are their ‘weaknesses’. These foods are never in the category of vegetables and are more likely to be sweets or takeaways. Moreover, giving up those ‘weaknesses’ is what most people find as ‘the hardest thing to do’. Sometimes it is not certain foods the issue. Is food in general, and some people will describe being hungry all the time and can’t stop

Embarking on a weight loss diet most of the time means restricting or minimising sweets, sugars, junk food, takeaways and so on along with restricting calories and often the amount of food consumed. So how do you control the desire for certain foods if it is ‘the hardest thing to do’?

This article will look at what makes us crave or desire certain foods and food in general and will suggest weight loss tips in controlling the desire for food.

Tip1. I will start the article with the first tip which is read this article. This may sound vain; however I will just say knowledge is power. If you know why you are hungry then you will be more able to deal and control your desire for food. How can you follow some tips if you don’t know why or what is going on?

So to move on, what is going on?

Eating yourself happy

In nature’s terms, hunger is one of the ways for the body letting us know that it needs fuel. However, hunger for the modern human is a lot more complicated than the simple ‘run out of fuel’ terms.

One area in which research has looked at is emotional eating. In emotional eating hunger is not just a fuel signal but is influenced by our emotions.

If we say: ‘Those who have got ‘comfort’ foods for the hard times’ to put their hands up; and ‘those who at some point have said lets go out (or cook) for a nice meal to celebrate’ to put their hands up. I think just about everybody would put their hands up. Emotional eating takes place whether we are happy or sad and it can be connected with getting a ‘good feeling’ or in other words eating yourself happy. If we are sad we can comfort eat to feel better, if we are happy we comfort eat to sustain the good feeling.

Emotional v physical hunger

Physical hunger is considered to start slowly and gradually and is often accompanied by physical symptoms such as headache, weakness, sickness, fatigue, stomach growling etc. The more we delay eating the stronger/or worst hunger and its symptom will become. When physically hungry we do not carve for a specific food but anything will do.

Emotional hunger is considered to start suddenly and people do crave a specific food. In simple words nothing else will do but only that food to satisfy the craving.

The results

The after effect of emotional eating usually has the opposite result from getting a good feeling. Studies do suggest that people don’t actually feel better after comfort eating. They can feel content while eating that specific food but feel bad or guilty afterwards.

This tends to create a cycle in which people emotionally eat to feel better, they feel bad or guilty afterwards so they eat more or eat comfort foods to feel better, they may put on weight and may feel low or unhappy so they comfort eat…..and so on.

Tip 2. Break the cycle of emotional eating.

First recognise if it is emotional hunger or not. Ask yourself: ‘Do I crave a specific food?’ ‘Do I have any other physical symptoms such as stomach growling, fatigue, feeling like I will faint etc?’ ‘If I have a glass of water will it stop my hunger?’

Second keep a food and drinks diary for a week. Include how you feel before eating the food and after. This will help recognise which foods you are most likely to have or crave in combination to which feelings you have and then see how you feel after. Better, worst, unhappy and so on.

Third once you know which feelings are connected with which foods you can start by replacing these associations. For example you crave chocolate when you feel depressed, instead of having chocolate find a different food like fruit or a different pleasurable activity like have a nice bath for when you crave chocolate and feel sad.

Make a list of activities you enjoy and place it on the fridge and have it in your bag. When you get ‘emotional’ cravings look at your list.

Fourth if you can’t beat the craving have a small portion of the food you want. For example, have little bags of small portions of chocolate and have only one small portion.

Fifth if you have an ‘emotional’ craving do something else for 5-10min. Clean the house, go for a walk, phone a friend. Is the craving still there after 5-10min? If you take your mind off a specific thing you may forget about it.

Sugar-insulin hunger

In simple terms carbohydrates are sugars. When eating foods high in carbohydrate content the insulin (hormone which helps absorb sugar from the blood) blood levels rise sharply. Once blood sugar levels have fallen then insulin falls sharply as well. The result is to feel hungry and usually crave carbohydrate based foods. Often enough people who are on high carbohydrate diets will describe as ‘if I don’t eat I will drop’ and can feel irritable. So what happens? They usually eat more carbohydrates.

A lot of the weight loss diets suggest a higher protein – lower carbohydrate intake. If the body is used to a high carbohydrate diet when changing to a higher protein intake and decreasing carbs, the body is not used to it and it will crave for carbs. Although some changes will take place from the 1^st day of changing a diet, it takes approximately 2 weeks for the body to fully adapt. Those 2 weeks can be the hardest to stick with as you can feel tired, crave sugar, and feel irritable.

Tip 3. Be prepared and persevere. Easier said than done, but if you know what to expect you can be more prepared about it and if more prepared then you are more likely to deal better with it.

Tip 4. Eat a protein based breakfast. It will make you feel full for longer and it will help break the sugar – insulin cycle. Cereal is a very common breakfast and high in sugars. If you have a bowl of carbs (simple most of the time) you are setting yourself in for the sugar crave from the beginning of the day.

Tip 5. Opt for complex carbs instead of simple carbs. Studies suggest that foods which have a low Glycemic Load (GL) tend to slow the insulin release in the blood. Eating foods with low glycemic load (GL= Glycemic Index x g total carbohydrate) could promote satiety and thus result in a reduction in energy consumption and weight loss.

Tip 6. Add some vinegar in your food. Some studies indicate that vinegar ingested with food, can promote satiety (make you feel full) and also decrease the glucose response (amount of insulin in the blood in response to eating the food). However, do not start drinking vinegar as if it was water as it can have health complications if over-consumed.

Learned to be hungry

Well we can actually learn to eat more or eat the wrong kind of foods. Maybe that doesn’t come to some people as a surprise; however, these learned behaviours can start as early as birth (if not even pre-birth). For example, research suggests that infants who are being over-fed from birth tend to eat more and have difficulty in controlling their appetite when they grow older.

So maybe you do crave food more because your body has simple learned to eat more. Does that mean that you are doomed? No; the ‘I blame my mother’ is just the easy way out. It is very hard to break habits and/or behaviours which are adopted since birth. However, the body can be conditioned and re-learn behaviours.

Tip 7. As with emotional eating it is about breaking a cycle. Re-associate food with other activities or with healthier foods. If you are trying to follow a weight loss diet and still feel very hungry then try having fruit or vegetables such as carrot sticks. Tips here are in similar fashion with all of the above. Higher protein can make you feel full for longer and it tends to have less calories per gram than high in carbohydrates foods (pasta, bread, pastries etc) and junk foods.

Tip 8. Always consult a medical professional before making any changes to your diet especially if there are pre-existing health complaints or if you have any concerns.

Sometimes uncontrollable hunger or food cravings could be due to hormonal imbalances, diseases, and/or could be a sign of a more serious health issue. It is always best to speak to a medical professional first.

Author: Hara Hagikalfa

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We got the following question from a reader: How can I lose my post pregnancy weight? I gained 50 lbs during pregnancy and gone through a miscarriage. I want to lose my tummy fat but not my girls and need some tips to stay motivated.

Firstly with a pregnancy is natural to put on weight and some of it to be extra fat. Extra fat stored can be up to 2kg in a full term pregnancy (without overeating). The body stores the extra fat to make sure that there is adequate energy for the mother and the fetus. Due to the hormonal changes which take place and all the processes of a pregnancy there would be changes in your breasts and rest of your body such as water retention. Going through a miscarriage can be hard both emotionally and physically. I don’t know how long ago you had the miscarriage but if it was recent you will find that your body is still recuperating and recovering from it.

You mention that you would like to lose weight from your tummy but not from your ‘girls’. In very simple words breasts consist of glands, fibrous tissue and fat. Weight pregnancy and hormonal changes are amongst factors which influence their size. An increase in the size of your ‘girls’ could be a combination of those factors. With losing weight you will lose fat tissue from your girls, unfortunately there is not a way by which you can stop fat from being lost from a specific place. However, as some of the changes may be due to hormonal changes that have taken place in your body due to pregnancy and miscarriage, it may mean that they may keep to a larger size. There are some exercises you can do to condition the ‘chest’ muscles which can slightly give the impression of fuller breasts and also help to keep the ‘girls’ from going south. Moreover, some studies do suggest that the belly area is usually the first place to lose the fat.

Secondly, I would recommend you deal with ‘emotional eating’ as part of your attempt to lose weight. By following just a weight loss diet you may lose weight, but unless you tackle the root of your weight gain or you’re eating behavior, the cycle will keep on happening.

My first suggestion is to allow yourself to heal and recover from the miscarriage both emotionally and physically. Counseling or going in a support group can help to deal with the loss and the emotions of a miscarriage. You may have done this already, or you may have been offered the support you needed to get through the situation. As I am not aware if you have I am including it in my suggestions.

In terms of Weight loss Motivation

This is probably the point in which most people struggle. Regardless to what some diets may promise weight loss does not happen in the speed of light and is not easy. Understandably a lot of people get bored of monotonous diets, may not see radical results fast or lose momentum all together. What can you do?

1. Be realistic and prepared. Even if you starve yourself in the 1^st week you may lose some fat but it will mostly be water, glycogen (sugar store) and some protein. Also if you starve yourself your metabolism will slow down and your weight loss will decrease. Set you weight loss goals in a realistic level. In the 1^st week you may see some results but they may not be huge and you haven’t lost a great deal of fat. The body takes around 2 weeks to adapt fully to changes. Aim for 0.5 – 1kg max of weight loss per week.

If you start a weight loss plan expecting fast miracles or setting your targets too high you will be setting up yourself to fail.

2. Be positive. Start a weight loss plan thinking that you can do this. If you are starting thinking that I cannot keep my motivation and I will struggle then you will struggle as you have set your mind on that tune already.

3. Do you really want to lose weight and why? Have a long thought and debate with yourself if you really want to lose weight and the reasons why. Right those reasons down in a piece of paper. When in doubt read what you written to remind yourself why you are doing it. It will help you be strict with yourself as well.

4. Keep your diet varied. Don’t deprive yourself or go hungry. You can still have a treat or have interesting meals and lose weight. Some specific diets do offer variability. You could use ideas from such diets in terms of menus or as a basis. Such diets are the 17 day diet and the Dukan diet (see also quick weight loss diets). I would not recommend following a very low carbohydrate diet and very high protein at the level these diets recommend. However, they do consist of different phases and in some ways breaking a weight loss plan in small chunks can help with boredom and luck of motivation. You can take the principles and some menu ideas from the diets and adapt it according to what suits you.

See also: Weight loss motivation

In terms of Diet and Exercise

Aim for a higher protein – lower carb diet. An example of such diet is the zone diet or a modified Mediterranean diet. I find the ‘New high protein diet’ book by Dr Charles Clark and Maureen Clark quite good. It has a number of recipes and lists of foods for meals which you can choose from. If you are not a person to follow an organized diet to the letter the book can be quite useful. I got this book in the UK and it is fairly cheap but you should be able to find it through the internet if in a different country. This is a suggestion, as there are a number of high protein recipe books or recipe sites in the internet from which you can pick up meal ideas.

The principles I usually suggest are:

1. Have a protein breakfast it will make you feel full for longer. If you can delay it as well by 30min can help in increasing fat burning. Examples of protein breakfasts: Scrambled eggs, bacon (not fried grilled) a slice of bread or cheese 2 crackers and avocado. Tuna with a bit of olive oil and lemon (or any seasoning you like but not mayonnaise/ketchup and avoid vegetable oils). It may sound like a lot of food but you will be surprised how much sugar and how many calories are hidden in a bowl of cereal. Plus with having carbs for breakfast you can get craving for sugar mid-day and so have snacks.

2. In general avoid takeaways, junk food, deep fried food and refined carbs (i.e. white bread, pasta, pastries sugars, and sweets), fizzy drinks and sugary hot drinks such as milky coffees and hot chocolates. In addition, avoid ready meals, margarine and hydrogenated oils such as vegetable oils and processed foods as they contain trans fats. Trans fat are not only fattening but also are harmful to health.

3. You can choose healthy snacks such as fruit, vegetable sticks, and dry fruit and nut instead of snack bars, crisps, cakes energy bars etc.

4. Eat loads of vegetables and salads with your meals. Example: instead of having a steak with potatoes/chips, have a steak with a nice sauce and salad + 1 slice of bread. This way you can reduce the calories you are eating, don’t feel hungry and is healthier. In terms of carbohydrate rich meals, if you can avoid them for majority of time do. If not then replace refined carbs with complex such as white pasta with whole meal, reduce the portion you are having and add vegetables or salad. Example: Instead of a big plate of pasta bolognaise with cheese, have 1/3 of a plate of whole meal pasta with bolognaise sauce and a big salad or vegetables with a bit of olive oil and seasoning/vinigraite.

5. Don’t skip meals. I would not recommend too many small meals through the day but also I would not recommend skipping meals either. Having 3 meals a day is a good place to be.

6. Reduce your calorie intake. Is not only what you eat but also how much you eat. In order to lose weight you must have energy deficiency. In simple words you should spend more calories than those you consume. This can happen by either reducing your calorie intake or increasing your calorie expenditure (for example with exercise) or both together. Women in average require around 1500 – 2000 calories. Reducing your calorie to around 1200 – 1500 should be within a healthy range. Calorie requirement and calorie expenditure does depend on physical activity, age, built among other factors, therefore do account for any physical activity etc. you may be doing when lowering your calories.

7. Exercises. Exercise does increase weight loss but also is good for health. As I mentioned earlier you could do a few chest exercises to boost your girls. Having an allover body workout for an hour a day, 5 days a week is always best, but is better to do the amount of exercise you feel happy with and suits your lifestyle. If all you want or can fit in your day is 20 min then that is better than none at all. If you don’t like doing standard exercises then you can do simple things such as walking instead of taking a bus, use the stairs instead of a lift, clean the house vigorously, go for a cycle, a run or a swim.

An idea is to join a class or an activity group. A group may provide you with the motivation to carry on with exercising and weight loss especially if you are achieving something new through the group. For example if you joined a swimming lessons group you could remain motivated in participating in the group by learning how to swim. What has been quite popular in recent years is pole dancing as part of exercising. Pole dancing can be very demanding for the body therefore you should be choosing a class which is appropriate for your own level and also exercise within your own abilities to avoid injuries. A class like that could be fun you can socialize and gain new skills and exercise at the same time. These are just examples as you should choose according to your personal likes and needs.

Before you take on any exercise or diet you should consult a medical professional especially if there are pre-existing health complaints.

The best way to keep the weight off for long term is to make these changes permanently. If you aim to get through the emotional eating pattern and change your whole behavior of eating then making healthy eating choices will be a lot easier. In addition, following a diet should not be just a remedy for a quick fix but making the changes in our lifestyle towards a healthier way. What I am saying is not that you should diet for the rest of your life. All I am suggesting is to change your food choices towards healthier choices, don’t overeat beyond to what your body needs and keep physically active. This way you are less likely to put on the weight again and decrease health risks, Everybody’s weight can fluctuate in their life time for a number of reasons, and we all go through days of junk food, or that bit extra. Having a general healthy diet your body does get conditioned to want a healthy diet and not too much of the junk food.

I hope my answer is helpful to your enquiry.

‘Emotional’ eating relates with craving specific foods according to our emotions. There are many theories on why people ‘emotionally’ eat such as deal with specific emotions, feel better, to avoid dealing with a situation by eating and so on. It is an individual thing. There is also a difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger. Studies suggest that physical hunger starts slowly and intensifies with time and can have physical symptoms such as stomach ‘growls’, hollow feeling, headaches or nausea and any food will do.

Question:
Hi,
my name is Shantel. Let me start off by telling you I’m in the military and that’s where my problems have stated. I’ve always been an average size 8, 135 pounds; that’s how I was when I entered basic training in April 2010. During basic I fractured my pelvic bone and was put on limited activity. I did what I could to pass basic and then I did what I could to pass Advanced Individual training (AIT) but when I got to my duty station in Fort Drum I started packing on the pounds. Because of how I “pushed through” all my training I’ve also ended up with cartilage tears in my hips, knee problems and back problems and I was again put on limited activity. Right now I’m a size 13 and 170 pounds. I have a hard time giving up my “comfort foods” because of the stress and depression I have because of my weight. My self esteem and motivation are really low at this point and I need help finding a cheap, low impact way to get back in shape.

Answer (by Hara Hagikalfa)

From what I can gather from your email your body has been under a lot of physical and mental stress the past year. The first thing I would recommend you do is take things slowly and give your body a break. Military training can be hard and is not always ‘body’ friendly. One of the aims of military training is to achieve high levels of fitness and prepare people to deal with extreme circumstances. Such training can put considerable strain and stress on the body and it can result in injuries or increase risks. Although is not wise to push yourself through injuries, as you may have discovered, you should credit yourself for showing determination and puling through such hard task.

I gather that while on your basic and advance training you were extremely physically active and you did stay in good shape. If I am right to say when you moved to your duty station your physical activities decreased radically especially with having further injuries and complaints. It is quite natural to put on weight or have decreased fitness levels when stopping exercising, as your body is used to burning larger amounts of calories through physical activity and also with losing muscle mass you can decrease your metabolic rate (rate by which you burn calories).

The points I can suggest that need addressing are your psychological/emotional state and your fitness in respect to the injuries and health issues. Below I have summarized a few weight loss tips and some more information for these things.

In respect to emotional state

Understandably you have been under a lot of stress and strain this last year having to deal with completing your training and all the high demands involved with it and having to deal with all the injuries you had. As I said earlier a good starting point is to give credit to yourself for all your achievements and concentrate in recuperating and relaxing. I understand that you feel down about your shape and you have low self esteem and depression. However, you have achieved a lot of things and have worked hard through this year and a lot of the problems with putting on weight are due to the physical injuries, which by all means are not easy to have to deal. Therefore, you should feel proud of yourself for all you have done and not a lot of people would have gone so far.

Sometimes emotions and eating can create vicious circles. I have put the bellow diagram to explain what I mean.

Diagram 1. A cycle of ‘emotional eating’. ‘Emotional eating’ can be triggered from both positive and negative emotions. A number of theories have been developed to explain the reasons people ‘emotionally eat’. For example ‘emotional eaters’ will eat foods to maintain a positive emotion or to escape/deal a negative.

If there is counseling available in your duty station I would strongly suggest that you do use it. Having counseling does not mean that you can’t cope, or there is something wrong with you. When going through some hard and stressful situations it does help to talk about it. Counselors are professionals and can point you to the right direction in dealing with your feelings and the situation and making changes in a way that friends and colleagues may not have the skills to do.

Keep a diary of all the foods and drinks and calories if possible, you have for a week and right in it the emotions you feel before, during and after you had that food. ‘Emotional’ eating relates with craving specific foods according to our emotions. There are many theories on why people ‘emotionally’ eat such as deal with specific emotions, feel better, to avoid dealing with a situation by eating and so on. It is an individual thing. There is also a difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger. Studies suggest that physical hunger starts slowly and intensifies with time and can have physical symptoms such as stomach ‘growls’, hollow feeling, headaches or nausea and any food will do. Emotional hunger tends to be a craving for a specific food and tends to start suddenly. You can ask questions to yourself to help you such as do I crave a specific food? Do I have any physical symptoms of hunger? Do I feel full but still want to eat that food? If I have a glass of water does hunger subside? (Thirst sometime can feel like hunger).

By keeping a diary you can see when do you eat emotionally, which foods do you chose, what time of the day and what emotions are linked to which foods and do you really feel better or worse? By understanding how you eat and what you eat it will be easier to break the cycle of emotional eating and give up on ‘comfort’ foods.

Tips to break emotional eating

1. To start off substitute ‘comfort’ foods with healthier options. For example if you are craving sugar, chocolate etc sweet foods have a fruit or some dry fruit and nuts. They will still provide you with the sweet taste but the will be a lot healthier and less calorific. Do keep in mind that dry fruit and nuts do contain a lot of calories so just have a handful. If you can’t get over the craving for a particular food then have only a small portion of it. Try to keep comfort foods (i.e. chocolate) in portion small portion bags and if you must have some then have only 1 small portion. It is best to try and dissociate feelings from food slowly. So when you feel you can try replacing the craving with a cup of tea or another activity.

2. This brings me to the next tip. When you feel emotionally hungry try doing another activity which will make you feel good. For example have a pampering bath, or go for a walk, do your hair, read a book, talk to a friend. What will work will be entirely up to you. Whatever you do, try not to linger on the negative emotion or thoughts. For example if you feel low because you don’t fit in a dress don’t start lingering in the thoughts of you wished you looked like you did before, and that you don’t like your body etc. If you don’t fit in the dress plan for things in the future for when you do fit in the dress and do something to take your mind. Make a list of alternative activities that you can do that make you feel good and take your mind of negative thoughts. These could be knighting, gardening, crafts, making a personal journal, making cards, drawing, walking, playing cards etc. An idea could be taking on a hobby. Why not try different classes, languages or flower arranging, or ball dancing (always check with your doctor if a physical activity is recommended for the injuries). Put the list on fridge door and carry one with you, so when you feel like eating pick an activity from the list.

3. Try to deal with the emotions. This is where I will say again that if you can do some counseling then do. There are techniques to self help and self deal with emotions however, due to my knowledge limitations in that aspect I could not recommend one over another or give you that guidance. If you do have access to someone who can advise you further then do. You can replace the behaviors but unless you find the root of what makes a behavior happen it will not disappear. If you feel low you may not comfort eat but unless you find the reason why you feel low and deal with it this won’t change.

In terms of following a diet to lose weight.

Do take one thing at the time and do not overload yourself with expectations and goals. If trying to cut down on comfort food and dealing with cravings is too much doing try to follow a weight loss diet as well at the same time.

In general I would suggest lowering your calorie intake by 500 – 1000 calories to start off. From your food diary you can see how many calories you consume per day. You can make simple changes such as minimizing snacks or replacing them with healthier options, such as fruits, nuts, vegetable sticks or some protein. Try to minimize or avoid completely sugary and fizzy drinks (that includes some ready juices), sugary milky coffees and hot drinks, sweets and biscuits.

Reduce your carbohydrate intake by reducing bread, pasta, potatoes, pastries and rice. Increase the amount of protein you eat such as meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. Some dairy can be very high in fat, do have then but in moderation. You will find that you can reduce your calories without being hungry with these small changes. A steak with a sauce and big salad can still be very tasty but with a lot less calories that if you had chips or potatoes with it.

Have a protein based breakfast. Protein can make you feel full for longer. Carbohydrates can make you feel craving for foods, so if you have protein can also help with craving sugars and comfort food.

Avoid takeaways, fried foods, readymade meals and processed foods they can contain a lot of trans fats. They are high in calories and not the healthiest. You could keep a treat once a week if it is too hard to give them up completely or be quite calorie strict when eating them. If you have to have more than one takeaway per week then has a very small portion. It is not the healthiest way but taking slow steps is better than none at all.

Avoid sandwiches for lunch. If you going to work every day then take a packed lunch. Examples could be an omelet and salad, some tuna and salad or some vegetables and maybe a slice of bread with it, or just opt for a salad, or a baked potato with tuna or soup from the canteen.

In terms of physical activity

Undoubtedly increasing your physical activity/exercise can help with feeling better and losing weight. First do consult your doctor regarding what exercises you can do. I can give some suggestions but you must check that any exercise you take does not contradict with your injuries. I would assume that with your injuries you would have been seen by a physical therapist (such as a physiotherapist) to carry out a rehabilitation program with you. Any exercise you do should be in line with the stage in your rehabilitation. If you have not been seen by a physical therapist then I highly recommend consulting one. I would presume that such services would be available to in your duty station or through the military? It is important that any injuries are rehabilitated accordingly in order for structures to heal properly and correctly and not increase risk for further or future injuries and health complaints.

If your doctor / physical therapist have some further exercises to advice, do as they suggest. Alternatively you can check with them for the following:

1. Pilates is a low impact exercise and it can help with conditioning the abdominal and back muscles. Pilates have been suggested as treatment for back pain. There are not a lot of studies available but those who are do seem to show positive results. They may also be beneficial in reconditioning your hips and upper legs. In rehabilitation for hip cartilage tears exercises which increase hip range of motion can be recommended. Often hip flexions sitting on a gym ball are also recommended. However, it does all depend on which stage of rehabilitation you are and what does your physical therapist will approve. Do not by pass them as you could cause more injury if not appropriate for this stage!

2. Static cycling and not in a high level could be good. Again do check with a therapist that they are appropriate for your knees. Moreover, you can try swimming or hydrotherapy if you can have access to it. Body weight resistance in the water decreases however, you still have the resistance of the water, so you can work out without putting too much pressure on your back, knees or hips.

3. Static upper body exercises. You could do a variety of upper body static exercises given that you do not add pressure to your back. Things such as bicep curls, weight exercises for triceps, chest and shoulders should be safe as long as you perform them according to your level of fitness and ability, perform them correctly, and after a suitable warm up session.

One of the issues with home exercise suggestions is performing exercises correctly and to your own level. If you have access to a trainer, do ask them to show you how to perform the exercises to ensure you know the correct technique. Especially if you have previous injuries as they could be more harm if not at the appropriate level or technique. Sometimes it may be enough to have 1 session with a personal trainer who can shape exercises to a daily program and show you how to do them, and then carry on by yourself. Finally, with starting any new diet it is wise to check with a medical professional especially if there are any pre-existing medical complaints.

I hope this answer is of some help to your inquiry. If you have any further questions please do contact me.

One of the most common weight loss tips is about the importance of having a good breakfast every morning. Despite that many people still do not appreciate the benefits of having a protein rich breakfast.  In this article we explain the role of breakfast in losing weight and provide you with 5 more tips on how to control your hunger throughout the day and also how to make small changes to your everyday diet and enjoy a healthier life.

Question: Hi. I am 16 years old, and in High school. i get up at 5:15 am every morning Monday through Friday. I usually eat breakfast at 6am. My lunch is at 11:30am, and i ALWAYS get so hungry, i end up eating my lunch in class!!! Are there some kind of foods i should eat for breakfast to help me stay more full longer? All i have for breakfast is a buttered bagel and a Cliff bar. Please help. I really need to lose weight. 5 pounds a year is NOT cutting it.

Answer (by Hara Hagikalfa)

Hello and thank you for your question and apologies for any delays in answering.

I must say that you do wake up very early and I am not surprised you are hungry by 11.30 am as it is a long time since 6 am. First of all you are still quite young and developing. Also from what I can see you wake up early and have a busy day at school. So you do need to make sure that you eat adequately and taking all nutrients. My first advice to you would be, don’t opt for low calorie, fad diets, you do need to look after yourself. Bellow I have summarised a few weight loss tips for your enquiry.

1. Protein based breakfast. Having a buttered bagel and a cliff bar will provide you with loads of calories and energy but to be honest there is not much nutrition to it. Basically what you are doing is throwing loads of sugar into your body 1^st thing in the morning. You probably feel a bit bloated and really hyper for a while and then feel hungry, irritable burned out and a feeling that if you don’t eat you will drop, kill someone or cry. If you look into my article ‘Diet tips: carbohydrates and weight loss’ you will see in more detail why that happens. Now what can you do instead? Bin the clif bars highly recommended. Have a protein based breakfast. This is probably one thing that I recommend to everybody. Examples of protein breakfast are:

• Eggs (scrambled, boiled, omelette, not so good fried though),
• bacon or sausages (grilled not fried and try to aim for low fat sausages and of good quality either wise you could be eating just fat),
• Ham
• Cheese, yogurt
• If more taste adventurous smoked salmon,  a tin of tuna (or fresh grilled)

You do have a busy day so do have a good breakfast. You could have 2 boiled eggs with a slice of toast and a couple of slices of bacon or ham. In terms of calories you may be eating the same amount as before but in terms of nutrition is much healthier and better for you. Also protein does make you feel fuller for longer and you will find that you will not be as hungry through the morning. I must warn you though that your body is used to eating high density carbs in the morning so it will miss it when you take it away and replace it with protein. In result you may have cravings of carb foods such as sugar, bread etc. Also you may feel tired at the beginning. Is normal, your body is not used to it and it needs time to adjust. I suggest starting on the w/end so you give yourself time to get used to the changes a little bit before going to school. For your body to adapt completely will take approximately 2 weeks but after the first few days you should feel more settled. In the long term you will feel more energetic and less bloated.

2. Have a handful of dried fruit and nuts mid day. If you do get sugar craving or you do feel peckish before lunch a handful of nuts or a fruit can help to curb it. Nuts are very nutritious and have a lot of the essential oils. However, don’t eat too many as they are rich in their calorie content. A handful should be enough. Alternatively have a fruit, such a banana. Bananas can be rich in sugar but I do find that they are very filling and one banana will not tip the scales over.

3. If you want to continue the good work through the day opt for healthy lunch and dinner. Avoid sandwiches, fried or processed foods through the day. You can look at my articles and previous answers I have given such as Diet Tips: The role of proteins in weight loss to get ideas of how to eat healthier and lose weight safer and healthier. Some suggestions would be to eat more salads and meat and eat fewer carbohydrates such as pasta, bread, potatoes, rice etc. You are young and you do need the energy and nutrition. Fruit and veg are full of nutrients so it is important to include them in your daily diet as much as possible. They also have less calories and help in losing weight or just not gaining weight. Don’t need to starve yourself or become obsessed with weight and calorie counting or watch everything you eat. Enjoy yourself as well.

4. Make small changes in your everyday diet. As I do not have more details on your food intake through the day I will give some general examples of how to make some changes. For example have a small bowl of pasta with loads of salad or veg instead of a large bowl of just pasta and bread. Have yogurt and fruit instead of a piece of cake or desert. Avoid drinking too many fizzy and sugary drinks such as coke, milkshakes hot chocolates etc; avoid snacking through the day. Have a big lunch instead of loads of little meals and snacks. Cut down on sugars, starches and carbs have loads of veg. salads, and proteins. I would not go to say have half fat milk or cheese as you are young and need it but do avoid as much as you can trans fats which can be found in fried food, some vegetable oils, processed foods and ready meals, crisps etc.(see also the ultimate list of fat burning foods)

5. Exercise. Will give you energy, increase calorie expenditure and is good for health. You are busy so you don’t need to do too much or you could be overloading yourself. Maybe walk to school and back if in walking distance instead of taking the bus. If time is tight then just do some activities in the w/ends such as go for a cycle, a run, clean the house or wash the car, go roller-skating with your friends. Alternatively just spend 20-30min in the house when you have some time to do a few exercises. If you are taking on exercises to do by yourself always make sure you know how to do them correctly and not injure yourself. Always stick to your ability and fitness level and recommended would be to get advice from a fitness professional. This could just be your PE teacher at school.

6. Finally other things that do help are having plenty of rest and sleep. It is very important for your age, health and development and for weight. If you do take on some exercise have one day at least that you do not exercise and rest.

Always consult a medical professional if you have any concerns or health complaints or have any medical conditions before making any changes in your diet or fitness.

One of the most common weight loss tips is about the importance of having a good breakfast every morning. Despite that many people still do not appreciate the benefits of having a protein rich breakfast.  In this article we explain the role of breakfast in losing weight and provide you with 5 more tips on how to control your hunger throughout the day and also how to make small changes to your everyday diet and enjoy a healthier life.

Question: Hi. I am 16 years old, and in High school. i get up at 5:15 am every morning Monday through Friday. I usually eat breakfast at 6am. My lunch is at 11:30am, and i ALWAYS get so hungry, i end up eating my lunch in class!!! Are there some kind of foods i should eat for breakfast to help me stay more full longer? All i have for breakfast is a buttered bagel and a Cliff bar. Please help. I really need to lose weight. 5 pounds a year is NOT cutting it.

Answer (by Hara Hagikalfa)

Hello and thank you for your question and apologies for any delays in answering.

I must say that you do wake up very early and I am not surprised you are hungry by 11.30 am as it is a long time since 6 am. First of all you are still quite young and developing. Also from what I can see you wake up early and have a busy day at school. So you do need to make sure that you eat adequately and taking all nutrients. My first advice to you would be, don’t opt for low calorie, fad diets, you do need to look after yourself. Bellow I have summarised a few weight loss tips for your enquiry.

1. Protein based breakfast. Having a buttered bagel and a cliff bar will provide you with loads of calories and energy but to be honest there is not much nutrition to it. Basically what you are doing is throwing loads of sugar into your body 1^st thing in the morning. You probably feel a bit bloated and really hyper for a while and then feel hungry, irritable burned out and a feeling that if you don’t eat you will drop, kill someone or cry. If you look into my article ‘Diet tips: carbohydrates and weight loss’ you will see in more detail why that happens. Now what can you do instead? Bin the clif bars highly recommended. Have a protein based breakfast. This is probably one thing that I recommend to everybody. Examples of protein breakfast are:

• Eggs (scrambled, boiled, omelette, not so good fried though),
• bacon or sausages (grilled not fried and try to aim for low fat sausages and of good quality either wise you could be eating just fat),
• Ham
• Cheese, yogurt
• If more taste adventurous smoked salmon,  a tin of tuna (or fresh grilled)

You do have a busy day so do have a good breakfast. You could have 2 boiled eggs with a slice of toast and a couple of slices of bacon or ham. In terms of calories you may be eating the same amount as before but in terms of nutrition is much healthier and better for you. Also protein does make you feel fuller for longer and you will find that you will not be as hungry through the morning. I must warn you though that your body is used to eating high density carbs in the morning so it will miss it when you take it away and replace it with protein. In result you may have cravings of carb foods such as sugar, bread etc. Also you may feel tired at the beginning. Is normal, your body is not used to it and it needs time to adjust. I suggest starting on the w/end so you give yourself time to get used to the changes a little bit before going to school. For your body to adapt completely will take approximately 2 weeks but after the first few days you should feel more settled. In the long term you will feel more energetic and less bloated.

2. Have a handful of dried fruit and nuts mid day. If you do get sugar craving or you do feel peckish before lunch a handful of nuts or a fruit can help to curb it. Nuts are very nutritious and have a lot of the essential oils. However, don’t eat too many as they are rich in their calorie content. A handful should be enough. Alternatively have a fruit, such a banana. Bananas can be rich in sugar but I do find that they are very filling and one banana will not tip the scales over.

3. If you want to continue the good work through the day opt for healthy lunch and dinner. Avoid sandwiches, fried or processed foods through the day. You can look at my articles and previous answers I have given such as Diet Tips: The role of proteins in weight loss to get ideas of how to eat healthier and lose weight safer and healthier. Some suggestions would be to eat more salads and meat and eat fewer carbohydrates such as pasta, bread, potatoes, rice etc. You are young and you do need the energy and nutrition. Fruit and veg are full of nutrients so it is important to include them in your daily diet as much as possible. They also have less calories and help in losing weight or just not gaining weight. Don’t need to starve yourself or become obsessed with weight and calorie counting or watch everything you eat. Enjoy yourself as well.

4. Make small changes in your everyday diet. As I do not have more details on your food intake through the day I will give some general examples of how to make some changes. For example have a small bowl of pasta with loads of salad or veg instead of a large bowl of just pasta and bread. Have yogurt and fruit instead of a piece of cake or desert. Avoid drinking too many fizzy and sugary drinks such as coke, milkshakes hot chocolates etc; avoid snacking through the day. Have a big lunch instead of loads of little meals and snacks. Cut down on sugars, starches and carbs have loads of veg. salads, and proteins. I would not go to say have half fat milk or cheese as you are young and need it but do avoid as much as you can trans fats which can be found in fried food, some vegetable oils, processed foods and ready meals, crisps etc.(see also the ultimate list of fat burning foods)

5. Exercise. Will give you energy, increase calorie expenditure and is good for health. You are busy so you don’t need to do too much or you could be overloading yourself. Maybe walk to school and back if in walking distance instead of taking the bus. If time is tight then just do some activities in the w/ends such as go for a cycle, a run, clean the house or wash the car, go roller-skating with your friends. Alternatively just spend 20-30min in the house when you have some time to do a few exercises. If you are taking on exercises to do by yourself always make sure you know how to do them correctly and not injure yourself. Always stick to your ability and fitness level and recommended would be to get advice from a fitness professional. This could just be your PE teacher at school.

6. Finally other things that do help are having plenty of rest and sleep. It is very important for your age, health and development and for weight. If you do take on some exercise have one day at least that you do not exercise and rest.

Always consult a medical professional if you have any concerns or health complaints or have any medical conditions before making any changes in your diet or fitness.