One of the most common mistakes people make is waiting to eat until you’re starving. When you’re in this state, your judgment is going to be significantly impaired. As the saying goes, “ready to eat a horse.”
Most likely though, you’re going to reach for something sweet like chocolate or ice-cream, or something salty like chips or crackers. You don’t eat a little. You eat a lot.
One key to preventing this is to eat while you’re moderately hungry. Don’t wait till you’re starving. The scale on the right gives you an idea of when you should eat. You should stay between 3-7. When you eat this way, you stay between 3-7. However, if you allow yourself to go all the way to 1-2, you over do it and wind up at 8-9. This causes a vicious cycle. Remember, it’s okay to eat. The more often you eat, the wiser choices you tend to make.
Here are a few tips on hunger:
- Eat regularly- Starting with breakfast, shoot for 3 meals with healthy snacks in between.
- Have ready available, nutrient dense snacks- Snacks should be nuts, trail mixes, fruit, dried fruit, carrots, protein bars, etc.
- Never buy groceries while hungry- When you go to the grocery store on an empty stomach, rest assured, you’re more likely to buy on impulse. When you buy on impulse, you usually buy comfort foods.
- Drink water- Drinking water may not take away the craving you have at the moment, however, drinking water regularly throughout the day keeps you hydrated. This decreases some of the physiological stresses you may incur, which in turn causes emotional/mental stress.
written by:
Kelly Huggins, NASM CPT CES, A-CPT
Exercise Science, Georgia State University
Fitness/Nutrition Coach
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