6 ways to lose weight without starving

1. Drink water. Cut back on sodium. 97% of North Americans have too much sodium in their diet. That is an overwhelming majority, and I’m sure I don’t need to repeat the health benefits involved in staying well hydrated. Especially, drink a glass of water half an hour before a big meal. Many times, people think they are hungry when they are actually thirsty. Over time, you lose the ability to discern what your body’s signals really mean.
2. Take breaks between bites. It can take a full fifteen minutes for your stomach to register that it’s full. Instead of inhaling back an enormous meal, wolfing it down in no time flat, take breaks between your bites for conversation.
3. Savour each bite. Focus on the taste and flavour of the food. I choose to eat richer, high quality foods, in small portions, and use this tactic. I need less to fill me up and I enjoy my meals much more. They become something that satisfies more than just my hunger – they become an experience of the senses.
4. Eat more often. I am a huge proponent of having 6 meals a day. Once I got into the swing of shopping and packing snacks, or knowing where to go to buy healthier snacks, this became the single biggest proponent of my weight loss. By eating 6 meals a day, you no longer have the between lunch and dinner period, where you feel starving and indulge in those vending machine candy bars. A small handful of plain nuts, some dark, mixed greens, feta cheese, dried cranberries and turkey in a whole wheat tortilla, a box of vanilla soy milk – for a snack. How good does that sound? Little meals like this throughout the day will curb your cravings and keep you energised.
5. Quit eating right before bed. This is a big one. Everything you eat before you go to sleep will store more easily as fat.
6. Make sure you do go to bed! Regular sleep, and enough of it, is super important in any diet. Surprisingly, you burn tons of calories while sleeping. Who knew that the most relaxing thing you can do actually makes you lose weight?

Good luck accomplishing all your health goals in 2009!