Weight Loss Tip #143: Eat when you are hungry and not an hour later

It’s just 4 pm and you are feeling hungry — What do you do?

Firstly, drink a glass of water to satiate hunger pangs as it is a common belief that you are actually thirsty but feel hungry as the hunger and thirst centres as very closely located.

Secondly, wait for an hour or two to eat or till you feel your stomach rumbling growling, which most of us do.

But if it still fails to subside, then is when you start to eat. So if you are hungry at 4, you eat only when it’s 5.30 or six because this is when you realise you are hungry and it is not because of thirst.

In 90% of the cases, this is what we do. But by doing so, you are increasing your overall caloric intake as you tend to eat more at the end of the day, which also sabotages your weight loss goals.

According to Dr Akshat Chadha, Hope and Care clinic, Navi Mumbai, ‘You should eat when you are hungry and not wait for an hour or two to eat food. For example, if you feel hungry at 4 pm, then eat a fruit or a vegetable sandwich which not only satiates your hunger pangs but also keeps your caloric intake in check. Avoid waiting till 5 pm or 6 pm, when you get too hungry, which only causes a drastic drop in the blood glucose level.’ Here are some weight loss snacks that you can carry to office (Slide Show).

This doesn’t mean that you eat every hour or two or whenever you feel hungry. Always keep in mind that moderation is the key. So if you crave sweets or feel hungry in the evening, eating a piece of chocolate or having a seasonal fruit or a bowl of salad is all you need to fill you up and prevent mindless munching and not an entire bar of chocolate or pack of chips. Stay away from eating fried or junk food when you are hungry as not only fails to fill you up but causes unhealthy bingeing  leading to weight gain. Hence, choose your snacks wisely and eat on time. Also, avoid eating these unhealthy and fattening Indian snacks, if you want to lose weight.

Weight Loss Tip #142

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