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Looking for tips.

3 replies

Mummabearto7 · 28/01/2019 12:33

Looking for tips on healthy food that will keep me full and to stop reaching for naughty snacks, and help would be great.

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GraceUnderwood · 28/01/2019 12:39

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LakeIsle48 · 28/01/2019 12:40

What???

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maxelly · 28/01/2019 14:22

Hello! I would say pretty much all food can be 'healthy' if taken in moderation. My tips would really be around understanding what your daily intake of calories/nutrients should be for weight maintenance/weight loss and then planning a balanced diet to meet these on a daily basis, in a way that suits you. I'll give you below what works for me but you really need to adapt to your own lifestyle and preferences. E.g. I like my carbs and have some every day (wholegrain where possible) but others find they need to reduce carbs, esp white/refined carbs like white bread and pasta to lose weight.

-Lots of vegetables every day, and some fruit (aim for 5 a day as an initial target, 3 veg and 2 fruit). Every meal should have some veg with it.

-Have a few veggie days a week where your protein comes from lentils/beans/pulses rather than meat - good for the environment and lower calorie generally than meat. Other days have some lean protein (chicken or fish), and keep red meat for more of an occasional treat.

-Try not to snack, especially not spontaneous snacking. Even on fruit or 'healthy' snacks - for me one thing leads to another! So work out the optimal number of meals for you (for me it's 2, lunch and dinner, for you maybe it's breakfast, lunch and dinner or maybe even 5) and get completely out of the habit of eating outside those times. Any treats you allow yourself should be as a pudding/addition to your meals.

-Drink lots of water - it's easy to mistake the sensation of hunger for thirst. If I feel hungry outside a meal time the first thing I do is have a big drink, sipping slowly, and give it 15 mins or so to go down. 9 times out of 10 the 'hunger' sensation abates naturally. I also drink lots of black coffee and herbal teas which are hydrating, warming and basically 0 cal. But if you prefer milky tea or coffee that's OK too, just avoid lots of sugary drinks outside meal times. I also have the odd diet soft drink which doesn't seem to set off any sweet cravings for me, but others find it does so be careful.

-Meal plan, and shop accordingly. Can't emphasise this enough - for lots of reasons, weight loss, reduction of food waste, saving money... Avoid shopping while hungry, and also cooking 'off plan' as you'll naturally tend to reach for easy/high cal options. However (controversially on MN!) I don't think all processed foods are the work of the devil and am happy to incorporate some ready meals or convenience foods into my diet- just do it mindfully, so read the labels and pick lower saturated fat/lower sugar/lower salt options and if you have (for instance) had a sugary sauce with your dinner don't then eat lots more sugary food for afters, it's all about the balance and moderation.

-Develop tactics for dealing with mindless/boredom/emotional eating - craft work or other things which occupy your hands and brain of an evening in front of the telly are good I find, as are ways of 'treating yourself' that don't involve food such as hot baths, nice cosmetics etc. But you need to work out your own triggers for this...

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