TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 10, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Marie Suszynski, coauthor of But I'm Hungry!, to be released as an e-book on September 15 from Satisfaction Solutions Press, offers five tips for achieving weight loss.
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Use hunger as a guide. You don't have to be starving before you eat, but waiting for the signals from your body to sit down to a meal has been found to lower insulin resistance and lead to less body fat.
Researchers told 89 people to eat at the first sign of hunger (but not before) and compared their blood sugar level and insulin sensitivity to 31 people who weren't trained to listen to their hunger. After five months, those who listened to their hunger signals weighed less than the other group and had fewer risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
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Pick your satiety scale. If you're looking for an ultra-simple way to rate your satiety: use the "three Hs," says Jackie Newgent, R.D., New York City culinary nutritionist and author of Big Green Cookbook: Hundreds of Planet-Pleasing Recipes & Tips for a Luscious, Low-Carbon Lifestyle.
Ask yourself if you're hungry, happy or hurting. You should be hungry before you're satisfied, you're happy when you're satisfied, and you're hurting when you've eaten too much. The goal is to feeling hunger and getting to a happy place, while avoiding hurting by eating too much.
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Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. To avoid being thirsty, drink eight to 10 cups of non-alcoholic, caffeine-free fluid a day. This equals about two liters of fluid. For those refilling 16-ounce water bottles, this is five bottles a day.
Dehydration can mimic the feeling of hunger. As you learn to recognize the hunger signals your body is sending you, think about how much fluid you've had to drink during the day.
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Make all your meals and snacks a satisfying combo of foods. When you eat a meal that has a combination of protein or fat and carbs, the food leaves your stomach more slowly and you'll be able to get to your next meal without feeling hungry in the meantime.
When you pair a protein or a healthy fat with the carbohydrate, the food takes longer to break down. Your blood sugar rises more slowly and falls more slowly, so you stay satisfied longer.
- Work on those emotions. Write down things that you enjoy or that calm you so you have a go-to list to consult the next time you feel you could eat everything in the house. A few suggestions for your list: call a friend, go for a walk, write in your journal, take a bubble bath, get a hug from a spouse or child, jump rope, practice deep breaths, give yourself a manicure, meditate or do a few yoga salutations.
But I'm Hungry is a collaboration of a professional editor, experienced health writer and registered dietitian. Visit our site at http://butimhungry.net/. Contact Sue Mellen at 352-897-4158. sue@butimhungry.net.