With swimsuit season just around the corner the emails have been pouring in for quick ways to lose weight and get in shape.  I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you’re looking for a quick fix… you’re not going to find it here.  Permanent weight loss takes time and patience.  There is however, some fine-tuning you can do to tighten up your diet, eliminate excess eating, and be well on your way to a healthy weight.

Tune into REAL Hunger

You should be feeling hungry each time you eat.  If you’re a regular reader of the blog, I know I may sound like a broken record, but when you consistently eat when you’re not hungry, you will gain weight.  Tuning into your true hunger is key.  Using the hunger scale is a great guide to help you identify your true hunger.

The Hunger scale ranges from 0-10.  Zero is extreme hunger… you feel so hungry you might pass out.  The opposite end of the scale is 10.  I call this the Thanksgiving Dinner Syndrome.  You ate some much food you feel physically ill.  Right smack in the middle of the scale is “5″.  This is a neutral feeling.  You’re not hungry or full.  You basically have no desire to eat. When you’re at a five, you should feel hungry in about 2-3 hours.  The key time you should be eating is between a 3 and 4 on the scale.  This is what I call a comfortable hunger.  You feel the grumbling in your stomach and slight hunger pangs.  At this level of hunger you can consciously make a healthy decision on what to eat without letting the hunger control you.  Anything lower than a “3″ and the hunger will control you.  From a “2″ down, you are so physically hungry that it doesn’t matter what you eat, how much you eat, or where you eat.  At this extreme level of hunger it’s common to overeat.  It’s very important to not let yourself get overly hungry. 

Eat Only Until Satisfied

Never eat until you’re full, stuffed, or sick.  Only eat until you’re satisfied.  This means eating until you’ve reached a “7″ on the hunger scale.  This is where portion control comes in.  Only YOU know when you feel satisfied.  You also know how you feel when you ate too much.  A meal that satisfies one person may not satisfy you.  The amount of food you need to satisfy yourself is sort of a trial and error deal.  You need to take your time when you eat.  If halfway through your meal you feel satisfied, then stop eating.

Rules to Get You Started

•       Eat three meals per day and one or two snacks only.  No snacking between meals unless you’re truly hungry.  If you feel hungry between meals, this is a sign you didn’t eat enough at your last meal. 
•       Space your meals 4 hours apart, no longer than 5 hours between meals.
•       Plan your snack when you know you will be going longer than 5 hours until your next meal.
•       Cut off eating after dinner.  This is a way to eliminate mindless snacking or boredom eating.  If you feel a little hungry before you go to bed, chug some water.  You could easily be thirsty rather than hungry. If you’re feeling a little hungry, think back to the time you had dinner.  If you had a light dinner at 5:30pm and you’re hungry at 9pm, you may need a little something to keep you from feeling overly hungry when you sleep… Make sure this is true hunger and not boredom eating… use the hunger scale to gage you’re hunger level.  You want to look for a grumble in your stomach.
•       Avoid “clean the plate syndrome”!  Make it a rule to always leave some food on your plate.  When you eat out at a restaurant, only eat half of what’s served… doggie bag the rest.
•       Exercise!!!!  Do whatever kind of exercise you enjoy!!  Get outside and move your body.  If you’re new to exercise, start out with 30 minutes per day.