When to eat

Eat when you’re hungry
Sounds obvious, right? But most of our overweight clients can’t define the sensation of "hunger." They go by the clock, or they eat to combat loneliness, boredom, frustration or stress.

Slim people eat when their bodies tell them it’s time to refuel with more food. Some describe hunger as a gnawing in their stomach or a feeling of emptiness. Sometimes the stomach rumbles or growls.

If you’ve lost touch with your sense of hunger, it’s a feeling we want you to regain. From now on, every time you want to eat, ask yourself, "Am I hungry?" If the answer is, "I want a break from my desk," or "The TV commercial was very enticing," or "My husband and I just had a disagreement," you probably aren’t truly hungry. You’re being driven to eat by external cues.

Eat regular meals plus a snack or two
Eating frequently does not mean overeating. On the contrary, small frequent meals will satisfy you more than a few large ones. How to do it? Plan to snack rather than grabbing something between meals. Think of snacks as an extension of your last meal or a warm-up for the next. Fresh fruit mid-morning could complement a small breakfast. A side-salad or a mug of soup in the afternoon can be a pre-dinner satisfier.

Eat breakfast
Your body needs fuel in the morning to break the long night’s fast, get it? Eating breakfast puts your body in gear, so you cam actually burn calories faster than if you don’t eat until lunch. Studies have proven that breakfast eaters are leaner, have lower blood pressure and get a wider variety of nutrients daily than breakfast skippers. Research on cognition and dexterity give higher marks to those who eat an AM meal. If a morning meal is not your cup of tea, be inventive -- a sandwich, cottage cheese and fruit, a container of yogurt, even pizza is OK.

Skip the midnight feeding
Your body is more likely to store calories eaten late at night because you are less likely to use up this extra energy with activity. Sometimes a bedtime snack is a holdover from childhood. If you depend on this to feel sleepy, try switching to a cup of herbal tea. Late night refrigerator raids are often triggered by emotions. Examine your motives: Are you really hungry?

About the authors.

Get Skinny the Smart Way is available at your local bookstore or at Amazon.com.