Strange title, I know but you are about to discover why I decided to give it the title. Yes very tricky subject, that is, how can you really be full for longer than say 3 or 4 hours after eating, I can almost see the frowns on some people’s faces, lol. Alright, I will explain, you know how you get hunger pangs mid morning or late afternoon? What do you do? You reach for a snack which 9 out of 10 is high in fat. I put my hand up, I will eat chocolate, biscuits, cakes, sweets or anything that I can lay my eyes on. We are familiar with the term ‘sugar rush’, having read so many articles on healthy eating I decided to change that. Don’t get me wrong I still have the odd chocolate, hey I am human after all.
According to most of these articles ( I read the ones by the experts not some celebrity) it is not that you are really hungry, it could be that you are just thirsty. They recommend drinking a glass of water which is guaranteed to fill you up for a while. I like putting what I read into practice, having tried it I have found it to be true in most cases. However, there are at times when you are not actually full because you had a light meal. When I get this ‘feeling’ rather than reach out for that a mars bar or biccies, I eat a carrot, a handful of dried fruits, celery, few slices of cucumber, or half a fruit, just make sure it is not banana, I discovered late last year that it has a high calorie content – a whooping 145 calories. I only eat banana as part of my meal, someone suggested I eat half instead, yeah right, like that is going to work, I will go back two minutes later and finish it off, especially if it is on my desk at work, truth be told I like bananas. I have fruits and veggies on hand both at home and at work, I put my carrots, celery or cucumbers in little plastic containers, store it in the work fridge till lunch time. If you don’t have time to cut up carrots, buy the ready available ones in the supermarket, I find it very convenient when I am pushed for time.
On a very honest and practical level, here is what I have discovered works which I will highly recommend if you are really trying to ‘lose the weight’ or just want a healthier life style. Use small plates as opposed to big ones for your meals. Why? Because you are able to finish your food without feeling guilty, i.e., thinking you are wasting food which is often the case when you use bigger plates. In addition, if you think that it is not going to work, here is what you can do: add vegetables like carrots, broccoli, cabbage, potatoes, cauliflower to your meals. For example, if I decide to have chicken curry, I add veggies to the rice just before it is properly cooked, washed down with a glass of water, trust me I am totally stuffed. You can do the same with pasta or any other meal.
Another tip is to make sure you have frozen mixed veggies in your fridge. This is just in case you run out of fresh ones, they come in handy after a long day at work. I know that some people don’t like fruits or veggies, neither did I at first (about a decade ago), now I can’t live without them. I like them for a number of reasons:
- It is good for my digestive system
- My skin
- It’s very tasty, cooked the right way – too soft and it loses all its nutrients.
- It’s very filling.
- It contains essential vitamins notably vitamin C to fend off colds & other ‘bugs’.
I must stress that it is not going to be easy at first, I should know, it was very difficult when I realised that I was going to, have to stop eating Mars bars or biccies with my coffee everyday. But with a lot of determination and God on my side I was able to achieve (continually) this. Please remember it is not going to happen overnight, it is a very slow process, so don’t feel guilty if you are suddenly reaching out for a carrot cake, chocolate or fried chicken. When this happens to me, I cut back the next day, like I said at the beginning I am ‘human’. I will go into more details on how I cut back in my next installment, in the meantime your comments and suggestions will be appreciated. If you have not read my first entry, I will advise you do.
Till next time, have a fabulous week & stay healthy your way.
D
PS: Sorry for non British readers, biccies is biscuits, veggies is vegetables, the Brit in me can’t be helped! Actually I welcome your country’s alternative names for foods, let’s get to know one another’s culture, including your dietary experiences/jokes – please keep it clean!
My Balanced Healthy Lifestyle 