TRICKS TO EATING LESS AND KEEPING THE WEIGHT OFF

Keep that HCG Diet weight loss off for good with healthy food choices

Resisting the Urge to Overeat!

I find that most of my patients have some apprehension and fear about going into phase III of the HCG Diet.  The main fear of course is gaining back the weight that had been lost on phase 2 of the HCG Diet!  Clinical studies show that if patients follow phase III as outlined, and stick to a healthy diet with a healthy caloric intake they will most likely keep their weight off. In my practice, I find that patients who do not follow through on phase 3 usually do gain their weight back.

If you want to keep your weight off, I can tell you one thing for sure … returning to old habits is simply out of the question!  I also recommend that patient do not binge, eat mindlessly or even eat when there is no true hunger.   Here are a few things to help you eat well and to not overeat!

I recommend that patients look at their eating patterns!  I find that patients often have times when they overeat during the day and add on extensive amounts of calories. It is important in a world where food is so abundant and plentiful that we can keep these patterns and habits in check!

TRY SOME OF THESE HELPFUL TIPS AFTER YOUR HCG DIET PROGRAM

Eat Protein in the Morning
Unlike many health professionals, I actually recommend people eat when they feel hungry. So, if you are not hungry in the morning … then, bring something healthy with you to work or wherever you go and have it when the hunger signals kick in.  The human design is to eat when the leptin levels get low which will stimulate your brain to send out signals of hunger!  I find that patients who eat protein with each meal feel satiated longer and satisfied throughout the day.  Add in some healthy fats with your meals such as avocado or tahini and you will be able to go longer between meals and cut down on the amount of food that you eat.

Stay Hydrated

Hands down, if patients drink 64 – 100 oz of water daily they will eat less. I find that often times, the signal for hunger and thirst are interchangeable.  I ask patients when they get hungry to drink 16 ounces of water and then check in with their hunger level in 10 minutes and often times, the hunger has gone away.  Water is also super beneficial for the body.  Water nourishes our body on so many levels.

Prepare your Food Ahead of Time

One of the biggest mistakes made with a healthy eating plan is to not have healthy foods prepared and ready to go!  If you do not have something ready to go when you feel hungry, you will begin craving things that might not be the best for your body. Convenient packaged foods are most often made in a factory and really do not deliver any wholesome nutrition.    As a top priority, make sure your fridge and cabinets are well stocked with nutritious food.  Make it easier on yourself by prepping meals ahead of time so they are ready to go when you need them. If ou have a craving for something, eat some healthy food first such as celery sticks or cucumber slices and then see if that craving is still there.

Make Healthy Versions of Your Favorite Treats
On occasion, we all need a nice treat!  You cannot expect to have a rigid diet or you will set yourself up for failure. There needs to be some wiggle room here and there.  It is about keeping great habits most all of the time and splurging here and there.  Often times, there is a healthier version of something you love that you can whip together.  Do not be intimidated by the kitchen.  It is really much easier than you think to cook great meals.  The internet is a great tool for this!

Serve Yourself Less

When making your dinner plate, serve your self about half of what you normally would.  After you eat, ask your self, “Am I hungry.”  If the answer is NO … then, stop eating and realize that the part of you that still wants to keep eating is what you need to work with. I have some tricks for this too that I will discuss at a later time.  If you still feel physiologically hungry, go ahead and have some more and eat until you are satisfied. As a whole, we eat way too much as a culture.  We put more food into out bodies than we need for the functional benefit of our human physiology.

My Fitness Pal or Lose it App
My Fitness pal and Lose it are free apps that can give you an accurate idea of how much you eat. I am not recommending that anyone become a calorie counter.  However, I think it is important to be honest with yourself about how much you eat in one day. This is purely for information !  I find that my patients uncover a lot of good learning by doing this for 3 or 4 days. It is so easy to eat mindlessly and honestly have no clue about the amount of food that you actually consume in 24 hours.  There is also a nice breakdown of macro nutrient (carbs, proteins and fats) intake for you to see!

Distraction can be your Friend
What do you do with a toddler who is focused on something that seems illogical?  You distract them!  In many cases, we have to be our own parent and make the rules.  In many cases, people begin to crave food when they are actually full and if you are honest with yourself, you will know that eating is not a really smart idea for your waist line or your digestive system.  SO … find something else to do — go for a walk, make a puzzle, email some friends, listen to a pod cast, run errands, etc.  Food is not your dictator!

Tune in to Yourself – What do you really Need?

Food is truly meant to nourish us. In some places, people suffer from the pains of going days and days without food.  Here in the US, we have the luxury of being able to suit our cravings on demand.  This is not natural folks.  This is complete dysfunction and this is why two thirds of the USA is overweight.

The food choices you make will either nourish you and fill your energy reserves or add toxins to your body and suck your energy down.  Food will affect both your physical and your mental health.  Be cautious about what is on the end of your fork and love yourself with nourishing bites!

Enjoy!

Categories: HCG Diet Weight Loss, Mindful Eating, Weight Loss