The Hunger Junk Food Path

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

02 Jun 2006 04:49 AM

A huge stumbling block in any weight loss program is hunger. While that may sound a bit hinky, consider that when you are hungry - your concentration is reduced and distractions are increased. When you are hungry, you begin to think about food - I daresay obsess about it. Hunger leads to mistakes like picking up junk food when you have to run in and pick up a gallon of milk.

Grocery stores don't help in this equation because most of them feature candies, chips and other sugar heavy foods at the checkout stands. They are there because grocery stores understand the power of the impulse buy. While you may not normally grab that bag of extra cheesy Doritos, hunger is a powerful motivator and it can be very hard to ignore the cravings when you're starving.

Don't Go Hungry

Some of the best diet advice comes in the form of not letting yourself get hungry. Nutritionists and other health experts recommend eating six small meals a day - ideally by eating frequently - you don't allow your blood sugar to drop to lows that demand violent hunger pangs. This is also in total opposition to the idea that food is the enemy of a diet. Too often when we struggle with weight loss, we begin to actively dislike or fear food.

Food is sustenance and provides us with fuel for daily living. As has been discussed here in the weight loss blog before, eating less food is not the answer. Eating differently is. Here are a few tips that may help you make better choices when it comes to your daily eating habits:

• 1 oz of butter contains more calories than 10 oz of potatoes
• 1 pound of apples contains the same number of calories as two candies.
• 1 can of soda has more calories than a gallon of water

Do you see a trend here?

You don't need to starve yourself; you need to cut back on the high-calorie foods. Hunger slays diets, it doesn't support them. Eat a little - a lot. Eat healthy portions - measure them by the size of your fist. If you already eat fist-sized portions - cut them down by ¼. You will find that by eating regular, small meals you are far less hungry, far less prone to choosing high calorie, high sugar junk foods and sticking to your diet is a lot easier.

And frankly - who wants to be hungry? When you're hungry, you can be short-tempered, depressed or just plain unpleasant. This affects you and the people around you. So if you haven't had breakfast this morning? Consider grabbing an apple or a bowl of Raisin Bran before you dive into your day - your diet and your stomach will both appreciate you.

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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