How to Avoid Feeling Hungry

Sometimes it's inevitable - that undeniable feeling of hunger that hits somewhere around a hour before your next scheduled meal.  You know that eating at the wrong time will throw the rest of your meal plan into a tail spin, which raises the likelihood that late-day cheats will happen.  So, what do you do?  How do you fight back hunger in order to keep yourself on track with your nutrition plan?  Here are a few ideas that should help you avoid the nagging feeling of hunger that sometimes hits between scheduled meals.

• Drink more water.  Truth of the matter is that often we mistake dehydration for hunger.  By keeping a bottle of water handy and sipping from it regularly, the body stays well-hydrated and doesn't give off signals that can be confused with hunger.
• Make sure your meals are balanced.  If your body has the feeling that it's lacking certain necessary nutrients, it will create specific urges to eat.  When your regular meals contain good carbohydrates and lean protiens, your body has more of the stuff it needs to feed and fuel itself.  Further, when you eat complex carbohydrates your body has to work a little longer to digest those foods, which helps you feel less hungry during the brief periods between scheduled meals.
• Take a multi-vitamin.  Similar to having nutritional deficiencies, sometimes your body will send out signals for you to eat because it is lacking a specific vitamin or mineral.  Similar to pregnancy cravings, when your body needs more amino acids, vitamin A, or other minerals, it tells you to eat.  If you're taking a multivitamin while eating well-balanced meals, you've done yourself the favor of being proactive and warding off the hunger before it ever comes on.
• Consume healthy fats.  Our bodies like fat.  That desire to eat a 10-piece nugget meal probably doesn't come from a desire to have protein and fries, it comes from wanting the fat.  Though there's nothing at all nutritious about the fats in a nugget meal, it's worth knowing that not all fats are bad.  Consuming GOOD fats with some of your meals can suppress the urge to consume bad fats.  Good fats come in the form of fish oils, peanuts, almonds, flax seed oil, sesame oil, and olives (among other sources).  I personally eat a cereal with flax seeds.  I eat more fish than the average person and cook my chicken breasts in sesame oil.  Just to be sure, I take a fish oil supplement.  Eating healthy fats can help keep us from eating the unhealthy ones.
• Eat smaller meals more frequently.  If you have a habit of going 4-6 hours between meals, there's almost inevitably going to be a problem with between-meal hunger.  One of the best ways to prevent hunger pangs between meals is to eat smaller meals every 2.5-3 hours.  When you eat according to this 3-hour plan, your body never really has the opportunity to have "down time" - time during which it's not working on digesting a meal.  Sometimes people have told me that eating every 2.5-3 hours is actually harder than eating every 4-6 hours because they feel like they're constantly eating.  When compared to feeling like I'm starving myself, I'll take "constantly eating" every time!
• Bonus tip - If all else fails (but it won't!), chew sugar free gum.  When you chew, your body gets the idea that you're doing something to satiate the hunger.  It also gives your mouth something to work on in place of a bag of chips.  There are so few calories in gum that its effect on your intake is negligible.  Chew and enjoy!

Give these tips a try and see if those nagging hunger pangs don't leave you alone.  I'm fairly certain you'll be pleasantly surprised!

Be well!!

Related Articles:
5 Reasons to Drink more Water
Eating for Fat Reduction

Why Diets Don't Work

Throughout the history of weightingon40.com, I've struggled with keeping certain negatively charged words at a minimum in my writing. One of those words, to which almost EVERYONE has a visceral negative reaction, is 'diet'. In a website like mine, it's nearly impossible to avoid the use of the word 'diet'. The problem is that the word expresses ideas that most of us just disagree with: starvation, elimination, hunger, deprivation, etc. Because of that fact alone, I use the word 'diet' as little as possible.

It's worth discussing, then, why we should avoid using the word:

• "Diet" implies a temporary change. People go on a diet for a time in order to achieve a certain goal they have set for themselves. 'Bob' might go on a diet in order to lose 20 lbs, and he's very likely to achieve that goal as long as he stays dedicated to his diet. What then? If 'Bob' ends his diet and returns to his previous patterns of eating, he's very likely to gain the weight back (plus a few pounds). The temporary nature of the diet concept is a major failing.
• "Diet" implies starvation. Truth be told, most people haven't a clue as to what a sound nutritional program should involve. When 'Bob' starts his diet, the first steps he'll take will likely be reducing calories to ridiculously low levels by cutting portions, replacing higher calorie foods with low calorie alternatives, and eliminating between-meal snacks. The body's first reaction to this new plan is to feel hungry and urge 'Bob' via grumbling hunger pangs to eat. Because 'Bob' is steadfast in his diet, however, he ignores the pleas of his body. The diet works in terms of the initial goal (to lose weight), though not because 'Bob' is doing things right; he is forcing his body to consume itself, usually in the form of muscle depletion, to function. After a while, 'Bob' is tired of feeling hungry all the time, so he starts eating more and subsequently gains weight.
• "Diet" involves the wrong type of goal. As Alice pointed out in her article, "Why Do You Train So Hard," people who set weight-loss goals are setting themselves up for failure because that goal has such a narrow focus. My personal goal weight is in the mid-170's (I'm currently 184). I could stop eating today and reach my goal sometime next week, but that's not a healthy plan. A healthier approach is to set a different sort of goal - overall fitness, being able to perform certain activities (running distance, speed, etc.), weight training goals, and the like. With those types of goals, there's no defined end point at which we would psychologically (and physically) stop working to become better. If I can bench press 60lb dumbbells today, I can strive for 65 tomorrow. This is a better goal than saying, "I want to weigh 176 lbs."
• "Dieting" is martyrdom. People like the attention they get when they're on a diet. I've witnessed examples of people who order just a salad at a steak restaurant because they are "on a diet." Everyone in their party 'oohs' and 'ahhs' over the dieter's determination to lose weight, and the dieter's ego is stroked. However, since most diets cannot be sustained over the long term, the dieter eventually falls away from the "plan" and starts eating again. I've discovered that a lot of people notice me now because I'm nearly 40 and in pretty good physical condition. It's a bigger ego stroke (though I'm careful to keep my head on straight over it), and I'm not starving myself (literally) for the attention.
• "Dieting" does not achieve the desired fat-loss result. Dieters are often just people who realize the fact that they have excessive fat and want to do something about it. Their first course of action, then, is to "go on a diet". Since we already know that the "diet" concept usually involves calorie restriction, the first thing the dieter does is stop eating as much. It doesn't take long for the body to realize that there are fewer calories coming in. The body perceives a famine state and shuts down metabolism to conserve energy. Rather than go after fat for fuel, the body resorts to consuming muscle tissue while saving fat for emergencies. The dieter loses weight, but the weight isn't in the form of fat - which is what the dieter wanted to eliminate in the first place. Prolonged occurrences of caloric deprivation can be physically harmful or, at worst, fatal.

While it's sometimes impossible to avoid using the word 'diet', I think it's worth pointing out that we should refer to diet solely as a way of eating and not as a lifestyle choice. Wherever possible, we should refer to a 'nutrition plan', which doesn't carry the same baggage that "diet" does.

Be well!

The Quick Fix for your Diet

Everyone wants a quick fix.  We live in a microwave generation - everything should be ready NOW, should happen NOW.  Pizza to your door in 30 minutes.  Service at the drive thru in 2 minutes or less.  That's just the way we've been trained to think.

That's the reason that supplement companies are raking in billions of dollars a year - people want an immediate solution to their "fat" problem.  They want some super fat-burning pill that will melt away the flab without so much as getting off the couch.  Well, I'm here to be the bearer of bad news - dropping fat takes time.  People don't get fat overnight, so expecting an overnight fix (striking surgery from the list of possibilities) is expecting the impossible.

There are, however, ways to accelerate your fat loss process WITHOUT resorting to taking "fat burner" supplements that are expensive and of dubious effectiveness.  Here are 5 simple dietary changes you can make to speed up the rate at which your body burns calories.

1 - Drink more water.  Research is mixed on the effect drinking water has on fat loss, but one thing I know is this: a person who is focused on drinking water isn't drinking a number of other non-water drinks.  Most people walk around in a perpetual state of dehydration.  A dehydrated body doesn't work optimally to begin with - and that includes dropping fat stores.  A well-hydrated body functions at a higher level, and that's going to be good even if it doesn't burn more calories.  Further, a person who is drinking water isn't drinking a bunch of soda, juice, coffee, and other non-waters, which are nothing more than empty-calorie drinks.  The reduction in calories from drinking water alone will allow fat loss to occur.  Optimally, 8-10 cups of water per day should be consumed.

2 - Eat 6 small meals a day.  I see the looks on a lot of faces now.  "6 meals?  Did he just say 6 meals a day??"  Yep.  6.  Now, let me clarify a bit.  I'm not talking about 6 meat-and-taters meals here with 30 minutes of prep time and 30 minutes of cooking time.  We all have a life, and I'm sure we'd like to leave the kitchen for at least a few minutes out of the day.  A meal is simply a combination of a carb source, a protein source, and a veggie (in at least 2 meals).  My meals are simple: an apple and 1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese is a meal.  1 cup (cooked) oatmeal and 1/2 cup lean ham cubes is a meal.  It's not hard.  I eat a pretty typical dinner - grilled skinless chicken breast, 1/2 cup brown rice or corn, and steamed broccoli for example.  Meals should be spaced about 2 1/2 - 3 hours apart to keep the metabolism and blood sugar levels constant.

3 - Eat spicy foods.  Spicy foods have a tendency to jack up the metabolism.  Ever notice after eating spicy foods that you're sweating?  That's a sure sign your metabolism has ramped up a bit.  I love my spicy breakfast burritos and spicy chicken fajitas, and I make them in such a way that I can actually feel the metabolic rush afterward.  Just a fair warning: people with ulcers or heartburn should look to less-spicy alternatives in their diets.

4 - Don't stop at a drive thru.  Don't go into a restaurant that has a drive thru either.  In the event you weren't aware of this fact, I'm going to give away a trade secret here - the junk you buy at a fast-food joint isn't real food.  It's so processed that any resemblance to real food has long since disappeared.  Back in March or so, I was happily munching on my grilled chicken salad from a nearby fast food restaurant.  Curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to look up the ingredients of the salad.  To my suprise, I found that the "grilled chicken" was a combination of chicken meat, wheat gluten, hydrolyzed proteins, polysorbate 80 and a bunch of other junk.  In my opinion, grilled chicken breast should have 1 ingredient - chicken breast.  Here's the point - you're not eating food when you stop at the border, arches, or the king's.  You're eating crap that will fill you up while starving your body of nutritional content.

5 - Reduce carbs.  Note that I did NOT say eliminate carbs.  A low-carb diet is stupid, non-sustainable, and dangerous.  I know this from personal experience.  The best way to reduce carbs is to cut out white bread, pasta, and rice.  The only carbs I would recommend are those that are found in nature without human modification - raw fruits (preferably organic), and whole grains.  With any reduction in carbs, you should automatically raise the protein intake to make sure you're getting enough calories each day.  Eat your carbs in moderation, giving your body the opportunity to start devouring stored fat as a fuel source.

Applying these 5 simple dietary strategies will get your body primed for fat loss.  Let me be clear, however, that doing these 5 things while sitting on the couch all day will not yield the results most people want - exercise is still a key component of any overall fitness program.

Be well!

Why Breakfast is Important

©Alisdair McDiarmid, Wikimedia CommonsHaving talked with a great many people about fitness - including weight training and nutrition - I've come the conclusion that skipping breakfast is a key reason that people are overweight.  You've possibly heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  While I tend to believe that ALL meals are important, there is a certain degree of truth to the greater importance of breakfast.  Here are a few facts that back up that belief:

• Breakfast is so named because it is literally "break"ing the overnight "fast" - the period of time over which we were not eating.  I personally sleep about 8-9 hours a night.  If I were to go so long without eating over the day, I would be ravenous.  That same idea is no less true overnight, but since we're not active at night, our bodies aren't nearly as demanding for nutrition upon waking - that is, our stomachs aren't growling or cramping from lack of food.  The truth is, our bodies are desperately waiting for food in order to refuel the body first thing in the morning.
• Overnight, our bodies get into a fasted state, which is perceived as a form of stress.  As a result, a hormone called cortisol kicks into action and starts breaking down body tissues.  While this might seem like a good thing to the person interested in getting rid of body fat, cortisol has a very interesting relationship with the enzyme that is responsible for depositing body fat around the midsection, lipoprotein lipase.  The presence of cortisol activates that enzyme, and fat around the midsection stubbornly holds fast.  Eating a nutritionally sound breakfast that includes unprocessed grains (oatmeal), proteins (eggs), and fruit is the best way to bring the effects of cortisol to a screeching halt.
• Eating breakfast wakes up the metabolism, which is beneficial for early-day attention, energy levels, and general attitude.
• Eating breakfast prevents late-day overindulgence.  People who don't eat in the morning incidentally try to make up the lost calories later in the day.  Almost inevitably, they eat more calories later in the day than they would have eaten in the morning hours.  The end result is more calories eaten despite having skipped a meal.  More calories means more weight.
• The National Weight Control Registry conducted a study of people who maintained long-term weight loss.  What they have determined is that those people who maintained their weight loss for at least a year (and sometimes up to 6 years) were regular breakfast eaters.  Breakfast has been clearly linked to weight management and aiding in weight reduction.

Breakfast does not have to be complex.  My breakfasts regularly consist of instant oatmeal that takes 1 minute to cook in a microwave oven and a couple of cheese sticks.  I also eat high-fiber cereals with skim milk or turkey wraps with tomatoes and a lowfat chipotle sauce.  All of these meals take less than 5 minutes to prepare and can be eaten fairly quickly.  The turkey wrap can be eaten on the road if time is an issue.

The point of the matter is this: EAT BREAKFAST.  There's too much good to be had by doing so.

10 Killer Arm Exercises

Let's face it: few things say "hard body" like some rock solid arms.  Below are some of the best upper-arm exercises that will have people gazing in wonder at the way you stretch your sleeves.

Let's start with biceps:

Hammer Curls - Hammer curls get their name from the way the dumbbell is held while you're performing the curl.  Hold the dumbbells at your sides with palms facing your legs.  Curl the dumbbell toward the shoulder without turning your wrist.  The up-and-down motion of the exercise will mimic the striking blow of a hammer.  A couple things about this exercise (and all curls): on the eccentric (contracting) part of the exercise, do not let your arm reach vertical.  Once the arm is vertical, the bicep is no longer being used to hold the weight.  Similarly, do not completely lower the weight.  Maintain a bit of flex in the bicep at the bottom to keep the muscle engaged in the exercise the entire time.  Do reps of 15, 10, 8, and 5, increasing the weight with each set.

E-Z bar curls - the E-Z curl bar looks like it has a 'W' shape at its middle.  Load on your weight and perform 3 sets of 8 reps.  By the time you get to the last set, your biceps should be on fire.  If they're not, up your weights next time.

Incline curls - sit on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand.  Alternately curl the weight (left hand then right hand) for 3 sets of 8 reps.  By sitting at an incline, there's less chance that you'll use body momentum to lift the weight.  Remember not to lift the weight too high or lower it all the way.

Concentration curls - with a dumbbell, sit on the end of a bench and rest your elbow on the inside of your thigh.  Support your upper body by resting your other hand on your knee.  While performing this exercise, the only part of your body that should be moving is your forearm.  If you twist your hand as you lift (pinky up), you put more emphasis on the bicep.

Pullups - reverse-grip pullups (palms facing you) are best for this exercise.  Grip the bar with your hands approximately shoulder width apart.  Perform 3 sets of as many reps as you can by pulling your chin to the bar.  Avoid swinging up to the bar as it decreases the effectiveness of the exercise.

Now let's work on those triceps:

Cable press - attach the rope attachment to the high pulley on a cable trap.  Pull the weight downward, flexing the triceps at the bottom.  Slowly lower the weight and repeat.  This exercise can be even better if your gym has a single rope attachment rather than the regular two-handed variety.  With the single rope, you can perform the exercise one arm at a time.  Perform sets of 15, 10, 8, and 5 reps, increasing the weight each time.

Overhead press - sit on a chair bench with a single dumbbell.  Hold the weight behind your head by the inside of the weight plates.  Press the weight over your head and slowly lower it to the starting position.  Perform 3 sets of 8 reps.

Dips

Sit on the bench and grip the edge at your side.  Slip your bottom from the bench supporting yourself with your arms.  Bend your elbows, lowering yourself toward the floor.  Press back to the start position.  Perform 3 sets of 10.  To make these more difficult, rest your feet on another bench (as pictured).

Dumbbell kickbacks - hold the weights at your side with palms facing inward. Bend your knees slightly and bend at the waist until your chest is just above parallel to the floor. Press the weight behind you, moving only your forearms. Slowl lower it and repeat the movement for 3 sets of 8 reps.bench while performing the exercise.

Skull-crushers - sounds wonderful, I know!  Lie on a flat bench.  Close-grip an E-Z curl bar and hold it as if you had just completed a bench press.  Bend your elbows and SLOWLY lower the weight to your forehead.  Flex the triceps and press it back up.  Perform 3 sets of 8 reps.

TIPS

• Don't perform every exercise every time.  Choose 2 or 3 exercises, mixing them up every 4 weeks or so.
• Safety first!  If you're not sure how to perform the exercise, talk to one of the staff at your gym for guidance.

Be well!!