Don't Wait to Eat: Advice for Healthy Weight Loss

In Allen Bethea's Three Principles for Guaranteed Weight Loss, he asserts that one should eat only when hungry. I disagree.

All calories are not created equal. Some foods qualify as high glycemic and some as low glycemic. High gycemic foods are absorbed into the blood stream quickly, because they contain high percentages of glucose, spiking blood sugar levels and triggering your body to produce insulin. Low glycemic foods are typically more filling, as well, because the body's insulin levels stay constant; when the insulin levels spike, often producing more insulin than needed, the body feels hungry again because it needs more sugar to counter-balance the insulin. With more high glycemic foods, the person continues to yo-yo as his insulin spikes and dips and this, among other things, creates a pattern of over eating. To counteract a high glycemic food, accompany it with protein. 

By waiting until one is hungry, he typically overeats, as food is not digested quickly enough to send signals that he is full. So, rather than eating a 100 calorie snack followed by a 400 calorie meal, the dieter eats a 600-900 calorie meal because he feels hungry. A good rule of dieting is to make sure you don't feel hungry. Eat small snacks during the day. Of course, monitor these snacks.

One rule is the rule of three; whenever you snack, make sure there is fat, carbohydrate and protein present. So, if one snacks and eats a high glycemic carb, he will quickly be hungry again. However, add some protein to the mix, and the feeling of being full lasts. So, rather than eating some fruit, eat fruit with some cottage cheese. 

Another rule is to eat vegetables. "A study of more than 2,000 low-carb dieters found that, on average, the biggest losers were consuming four servings of nonstarchy vegetables a day. That's virtually any vegetable of your choice other than potatoes (white, sweet, or fried), carrots, and corn. (Men's Health). These vegetables increase one's in-take of fiber, which helps a person feel full. 

Great snack ideas are a handful of nuts, celery with peanut butter or cottage cheese with fruit.