For the most part, when people say they want to lose weight, they really mean they want to lose fat. It’s no secret that to lose fat, a person needs to eat less calories than his body uses in a day. The most most effective way to do this, by far, is for him to be selective about what he eats.
**Everyone should discuss nutritional choices with their doctor or nutritionist before making dietary decisions.**
Being selective is actually quite easy when you feel satisfied. Think about the last time you stuffed yourself at an all you can eat buffet. You ate lots of your favorite foods and could barely walk when you left the restaurant. Think about how you felt then. You may have been uncomfortable but you were definitely satisfied. You were so satisfied that if I offered you an ice cream sundae, you would respectfully decline. Let’s rewind to before you walked into the restaurant, before you felt satisfied. If I offered you an ice cream sundae, you would be more likely to accept it. They key to being selective about what you eat is to feel satisfied.
There’s a head game and a food game that lead to feelings of satisfaction. The head game is just about getting into a positive belief cycle. A belief is just a repeated thought. Repeat the following thought and it will, in time, become your belief.
“It’s morning and I’m hungry. I can have whatever I want. Right now I want a large glass of water, something high in protein, and something high in fiber.” The hack here is to get feeling satisfied asap after waking up. Sure, you can eat whatever you want after your water/fiber/protein, but you likely won’t want very much.
The most satisfying forms of food are typically water, protein, and fiber. Starting the day with these satisfying foods will make it easy to be selective about what you eat throughout the day.
As you’re drinking that glass of water, think about how good it feels to be hydrated. Think about the water’s unmatched ability to quench your thirst. Feel how satisfying the water is, and appreciate how it is providing you with a boost in energy. Thinking these thoughts will train you to automatically prefer water over sweetened drinks.
A good amount of protein will also lead to satisfaction. 25 grams does wonders. At four calories per gram, 25 grams of protein is about 100 calories. Try this experiment if you’d like. Get a 25 gram protein shake. It should not have more than 150 calories. Drink it, wait five minutes and see how you feel. Later that day, eat one serving of Oreo cookies. It’s about the same 150 calories. Wait five minutes and see how you feel. You’re likely to notice that you feel full after drinking the protein and you feel hungry after eating the sugar. Let that sink in. Protein makes you feel satisfied, meanwhile sugar makes you feel hungry. The science of sugar and satiety is deserving of its own article. Yes, you’ll find it here soon! The takeaway is to get a good serving of protein in the morning. It will leave you feeling satisfied and better able to be selective about what you eat.
**Some people, such as those with pre-existing kidney issues need to limit their protein intake. Everyone should discuss protein with their doctor to determine the appropriate daily consumption.**
Like protein, fiber quickly leads to satisfying feelings. Two servings of oats should have about 8 grams of fiber in it. The best oats are unflavored oats. The stuff loaded with sugar will be purpose defeating. For taste, adding a serving or two of blueberries will help. Yes, blueberries have sugar. The topic of sugary fruits deserves its own read. For now just know that blueberry is better than blueberry flavored oats 😉 Kidney beans require care when cooking, but are also loaded with fiber. Eat two servings of kidney beans, if you can, and you may not be hungry the rest of the morning.
After you’ve had these satisfying foods, go ahead and have some pancakes; if you still want them! The more water/protein/fiber you’ve had, the less you’ll desire those unsatisfying sugary foods.
As for how many calories you should eat in a day, that’s a subject deserving of it’s own article. The most important thing to do now is focus on eating satisfying foods first. It will then be easier to be selective about what foods follow.
-Mike Humphreys