Does breakfast make you hungry?
When you eat breakfast in the morning do you find you are hungrier throughout the day? I recently had someone comment that this was what they experienced and for that reason they choose not to eat breakfast.
So, let’s address why this may happen and what you can do if you find eating breakfast increases your hunger.
First of all, there are two potential reasons breakfast can increase your hunger later in the morning.
1. Higher metabolism
When you do not eat breakfast the body naturally adapts and conserves energy by slowing your metabolism and decreasing hunger. This adaptive function can lead to bad habits of not eating breakfast then also skipping lunch because you just don’t feel hungry and not eating your first meal until the middle of the afternoon. The major benefit of eating a healthy breakfast is to jump start your metabolism so you burn more calories throughout the day to promote weight loss. This elevated metabolic rate may cause feelings of hunger mid-morning. It is okay to satisfy this hunger with a small snack, such as a handful of mixed nuts.
2. High carbohydrate breakfast
3 Tips to Stop Emotional Eating (Before it Sabotages Your Next Weight Loss Plan!)
Have many diets have you tried . . . and failed? Are you ready to stop the dieting roller coaster and gain control of what makes you overeat?
Emotional eating is one of the major causes of overeating, weight gain, and weight regain and one that many traditional weight loss plans and diets fail to address. For many smart, busy women, it’s the root of their overeating problem.
Next week at the Virtual Health Retreat, Dr. Melissa McCreery will explain what emotional eating is, what you need to know about it, and how to prevent it from sabotaging your weight loss plans. She’ll also tell you the steps you can take to take control of your eating and begin to create effective and lasting change in your health and make peace with food.
Here’s a little of what she’ll be covering . . .
- Why diets don’t work and the missing ingredient you need to be effective
- How to identify what you are really craving (if you are overeating, you MUST break this cycle!)
- How to create your own customized blueprint for making peace with food-once and for all
Obesity Rates Have Stabilized
Researchers periodically evaluate data from NHANES (National Healthy and Nutrition Examination Survey). Recently rates of obesity were compared over the past 50 years.
Between 1960-1980 the number of adults who were obese stayed relatively stable. Between 1976-1980 and 1988-1994 data the number of obese adults in the US increased 8 percentage points. Then between 1999-2000 data reported further increases in the number of U.S. obese adults.
Well, the latest research has been analyzed again and the good news is that the percentage of obese women did not significantly increase between 1999 and 2008.
If obesity is not longer increasing, that is great news; but the fact that 68% of U.S. adults are overweight or obese and 32% of U.S. school children are above the 85th percentile BMI-for-age leaves plenty of room for concern.
It’s still critical that individuals who are overweight or obese take steps to lose the extra pounds. Obesity is a major health risk increasing risk for many diseases, including heart disease and cancer.
Overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) between 25-29.9.
Obesity is defined as a body mass index above 30.0.
Don’t know where you fall? Here’s a how to calculate your BMI:
Weight divided by height divided by height x 703 = BMI
Here’s an example:
Height = 64 inches
Weight = 150 pounds
150 divided by 64 divided by 64 x 703 = 25.7 (overweight)
The first step is to evaluate your situation and outline a plan of action. A Mini Diet Makeover will complete this for you – https://www.lisanelsonrd.com/minidietmakeover.html.
Have you been successful losing weight? I’d love to hear your story. You can share your story as a comment below.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
1-A-Week Weight Loss Tips
http://www.weightlosswithlisa.com
4 Benefits of a High Fiber Diet
Current recommendations are to consume 25-35 grams of dietary fiber everyday. Here are 4 benefits you’ll receive from achieving the recommended intake.
1. Lower cholesterol and stabilized blood sugar/insulin levels.
2. Regularity to prevent constipation and diverticulosis (small out-pouchings from the large intestine).
3. Reduced risk of colon cancer.
4. Increased satiety – you’ll feel full when eating less calories and fat to promote weight loss.
Some of the best fiber sources include fruits and vegetables!
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
How to Lower Cholesterol in 8 Simple Steps
http://www.lowercholesterolwithlisa.com
4 Diet Mistakes That Lead to Weight Gain
Aging throws some hurdles into your heart health and weight loss plans. For one your metabolism drops every decade as you age. Here are some mistakes to avoid if you want to see success:
1. Eating the same way you did 10-20 years ago.
Your metabolism (the rate you burn calories) decreases about 2% every 10 years beginning at age 30. If you continue to eat the same amount year after year you will gain weight.
2. Skipping meals.
May temporarily “save calories”, but you’ll quickly replace the calories as hunger leads you to overindulge at the next meal. Skipping meals can also cause your metabolism to slow down.
3. Jumping from fad diet to fad diet.
Fad diet should be synonymous with “bad diet”. There’s no research to back up the claims that eliminating this food or adding that one will cause you to lose weight. Nor will eating at only certain times of the day give you the long term results you seek.
4. Keeping unhealthy snacks within reach.
If you only have potato chips and sweets in your cupboards you are not setting yourself up for success. You must keep fruits and vegetables and healthy high fiber snacks on hand if you are to be expected to include more in your diet.
What are some of your habits that are sabotaging your success? I’d love to hear them. Share as a comment below.
Here’s a link to 1-A-Week Weight Loss Tips – http://www.weightlosswithlisa.com.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Best Weight Loss Plan
http://www.bestweightlossplan.org
Heart Healthy Eating – 7 Salad Bar Mistakes to Avoid
When trying to be heart healthy and lose weight a salad can be a great choice to include as a regular part of your meal plan – either as a vegetable side or the main entrée.
However, a salad can quickly become a weight loss disaster if you make the 7 mistakes below!
Mistake #1 – Selecting iceberg lettuce.
Iceberg lettuce is one of the most common forms of lettuce you’ll find in grocery stores and salad bars. Unfortunately iceberg lettuce provides minimal nutrients (mostly crunchy water). Select dark green, leafy lettuce varieties, such as romaine and endive. Also, greens like spinach and arugula provide added nutrients to your salad mix.
Mistake #2 – Skimping on fresh vegetables.
You can afford to splurge on fresh vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, cabbage, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Fresh vegetables are low in calories and rich in vitamins and minerals.
Mistake #3 – Skipping the protein.
If your salad is your entrée it’s important to add some protein, such as chopped eggs, nuts and seeds, beans, or shredded meat (turkey/ham/chicken/seafood). Refer to How Much Protein Do You Need to Lose Weight? for a review of your protein needs.
Mistake #4 – Choosing a cream based soup.
Soup is often included on salad bars. Cream based soups tend to be high in calories and fat. Opt for broth based soups instead.
Mistake #5 – Loading up on salad toppings
Croutons, sesame noodles, and bacon bits are a few common salad toppings. These topping should be used sparingly. They provide minimal nutrients and are high in calories.
Mistake #6 – Selecting a high fat, high calorie salad dressing.
Now, if you’ve avoided the first five mistakes, you don’t want to ruin your nutritious salad with a poor dressing choice. Opt for vinegar based salad dressings or low fat/calorie salad dressing if available and use sparingly. Tip: Dip your fork in a small cup of salad dressing before every bite instead of pouring the dressing on your salad. You get great flavor with every bite and use significantly less dressing.
Mistake #7 – Making too many trips to the salad bar.
Even if your salad bar includes unlimited trips it’s not necessary to go back multiple times – which can be very tempting. Decide in advance how many trips you’ll make and stick with your plan. Even though a well-balanced salad is a healthy choice, too much of a good thing can quickly turn bad!
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
