A little while ago I learned a new term:
"Biphasic sleep"
It was in one of the research papers that I have to go over as part of being a Registered Nutritionist...
It basically refers to a pattern in which the main sleep periods each night is broken into two rough halves.
And it made me laugh because -sometimes- my sleep may be broken into 1/3s, 1/4s or even 1/5s depending on baby, how late I ate / drank and stress.
but I get that telling you to sleep more is simply unhelpful. As you probably already know you should sleep more. But sometimes, life just gets in the way.
And when I was up at 445am reading a research paper the other day telling me how those who slept 8.5 hours or more lost 3 times the body fat compared to those who slept just 5.5 hours..I can see how you might think 'F it' once the Daily Mail get hold of this and twist it to make you believe everything else is pointless if you don't get enough sleep.
So, today, I just wanted to share with you the top 5 reasons you get hungry and how to fix them. Because let's face it, hunger is one of the most common reasons why you don't stick to what you're doing long term and keep the weight off. There are so many hormones and emotions at play. some you can control. Others you can't. Either way, there some things you can do to help you (as well as sleep more):
1) You eat too quickly - Research shows that slower eating and more chewing can alter hormones than tell you that you're full up. It also means your senses are exposed to flavours for longer which can make you feel more satisfied.
Action: Try putting your knife and fork down in-between bites.
2) You drink your calories from juices etc. - Drinking juice / fizzy drinks will mean you add calories in without feeling full up.
Action: Drinking coffee, tea, water, or sugar free drinks will help you lower your calories. Also, despite many ladies thinking that whey protein drinks are for building muscles, they've been shown to be highly effective to help with weight loss and beating hunger
3) Hara hachi bu - this is what the Japanese call 'eating until you're 80% full'. And - well - they seem to do pretty well when it comes to being lean. This is tough. I do get that. I mean, I have a 'habit' of having to leave the table completely full up, whereas Mrs Fruci hates the feeling of being really full. And when I think about it, so do I. When I'm really full up, I feel lethargic, but it's a habit I've had to break out of.
Action: Question yourself as you eat: 'Do I need another bite?" "Is it habit?"
4) You're distracted - We all do it from time to time. Sitting down in front of the TV to eat. Popcorn in the cinema comes to mind...But what if I told you that this could take you further away from your hunger cues and make you eat more...without even feeling like you are? They showed that when distracted, our ability to remember how much we ate was reduced. It also takes longer to know you're full up and you get hungry more quickly afterwards.
Action: Try to eat without the TV on. Be more attentive to what you're eating. Only eat whilst you're sat down.
5) Processed vs whole foods - This one might seem obvious, but it's worth remembering. Vegetables, fruits, meats, potatoes etc. will make you feel more full up than processed foods like crisps and biscuits. Now, there actually a few exceptions. Things like Greek yoghurt and whey protein are actually processed foods, but will help to keep you full up. But you get the message...
Action: Make up 80% of your diet from whole foods (you can include things like yoghurt and whey protein in this) and then leave 20% for processed foods.
Still hungry even after doing the above?
I'm giving away 1 free personal training trials starting next week to help personalise your fitness and food so you can help fight off these hunger pangs...
Click below to get your free week (:
FREE WEEK USING MY SHIFT PERSONAL TRAINING AND NUTRITION SYSTEM
Matt
Fruci Fit
Shift: Helping Busy Ladies Think Differently and Get Their Bodies Back