As for the food question, hunger is complicated. We often need fuel before many of us overweight folks "feel hungry" as we've come to understand it. (Same thing with our perception of "full.") I think it is often very helpful to eat on a schedule for a while to get back in touch with our bodies and the subtle signals we may be missing. Also, eating on the right schedule can help rev up our metabolism. You don't have to eat a LOT each time, but making sure you eat breakfast, and make sure you have at least 75-100 calories every 3 to 4 hours -- even if you don't feel "hungry" as you currently understand it -- can go a long way to retrain your body, keep things like blood sugar and insulin on an even keel, and keep that metabolism humming. Below is my typical food schedule. After I had eaten this way for a few weeks, I really started to understand when I needed fuel, and how much better I felt all day long eating a little food every few hours vs. eating 1 or 2 or 3 larger meals. (The calorie amounts are just rough averages, they vary from day to day, as do the exact times.)
8:30 - breakfast (300 calories)
11:30 - lunch (400)
3:00 - snack (150)
6:00 - dinner (450)
8:00 - snack (200)
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