Hungry or just Bored – can you tell the difference?!

Heres some of my top tips on not crashing through your calorie target for the day.

Lets start with the obvious

Food volume ???? over ???? , pick smart choices when selecting food, hyper palatable foods will never give great satiety , leaving you longing for more, then pushing you further into the red of going over calories

Using plentiful amount of greens and veg play a large roll here,

Here’s some tips to use to go lower cal/higher volume with foods

Low fat yoghurt bowls, topped with frozen berries
Use cooking sprays as opposed to butter/oils
Don’t drink your cals via shakes / smoothies etc, eat real food.
Low fat protein sources, white meats etc
Cauli mash over potato mash
Swap unsweetened almond milk for regular milk
Eat your fats, don’t cook with them
Swap noodles/spagetti for spirallisled courgette, carrots , squash etc
Small plate vs large plate, you will fill both regardless choose wisely
Drink Diet coke/sprite etc if getting “cravings”
Swap cream out of coffee and opt for unsweetened almond milk or low fat skimmed milk

BOREDOM? Your more than likely bored, clock watching and generally not busy enough if your mind is occupied with foods and food choices. Tips to combat boredom:

DO something , occupied your self, get busy.
Food variety, you will get bored with the same choices over and over again , add different colours to your plate, different seasoning/spices/ flavourings to your foods if unadventurous with new foods,
Plan your food out , don’t leave cals over to “play” with, you’ll sit there thinking of what I can have with the 400 cals I’ve sparred for later, again occupying your mind with food thoughts,
Budget your cals for when busy/quieter , if you know you have a busy day, have smaller meals when on the go,
Leaving larger quantities of calories for your down time, reducing the risk of going over when board if you consume larger meals during the day leaving less cals for the night time when you know you’ll be less occupied

Some other various tips I use, to avoid mindless snacking/eating

Brush your teeth after meals, a doughnut doesn’t have the same kick with minty fresh breath
Chew some gum , again reducing the desire to eat.
Drink more water, filling the stomach up giving the sense of satiety/ fullness
Eat at the table not in from too the TV, this is lethal mindless snacking in front of the TV will see you hammer cals in with out realising
Clean as you go …..out of sight out of mind ….leaving food out in clear view will again make you want it, when done with it , clear it away !!

Using these tips daily with some mindfulness / planning around your daily routine of eating will see you , enjoying greater volumes of food, feeling less hunger and greater satiety, all while keeping you on track with daily caloric needs.

Larry

If you find tips like this helpful, subscribe to our weekly newsletter or follow me on Instagram @larrydoylecoaching