Natural Weight Loss and Snacks
We recently read about a study that was reported in an article on Medical News Today with the title: “Weight Loss Undermined By Mid-Morning Snacks” ; we found the title to be misleading. The article opens with the following paragraph:
“Adult females who are dieting in order to lose weight, may find their pounds come off much more slowly if they have a snack between their breakfast and lunch, researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center reported in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. The authors suggest that a dietary weight-loss intervention should carefully consider the effects of timing, frequency, and snack quality on weight loss.”
Even in that first paragraph, they mention snack quality, something which is very important. They included many different types of foods under the term “snack”, in fact they defined a snack as “any food or drink that is eaten or drunk between meals.” This includes sugary, fatty, low-nutrition foods as well as fruits, vegetables, tea, coffee, etc., all of which will affect a weight loss diet differently.
Snacks can help natural weight loss.
The article also quotes one of the researchers: “Snacking could be part of a dieter’s toolkit if they’re eating in response to true hunger. Individuals should determine if they experience long intervals – such as more than five hours – between meals. Adding a snack might help people deal better with hunger and ultimately help them to make more sound choices at their next meal.”
So while the title of the article suggests a blanket condemnation of snacking as part of a natural weight loss program, the researchers did not include that condemnation as part of their findings, but actually suggest that snacking can be a useful part of a natural weight loss plan.
At Simple Natural Weight Loss, we believe that eating nutrient dense snacks are essential to losing weight naturally, and often encourage our readers to eat more than 3 meals daily, to prevent hunger from overcoming their good intentions. If you allow your hunger to develop too strongly, you can trigger binge eating, and eat far more calories than you had planned. It is better to have a healthy snack than to go too long between meals.
Natural Weight Loss and the Holiday Season
We are in the holiday season, past Thanksgiving and coming up on all the holiday parties. Does this mean you have to put your natural weight loss goals on hold? Or that you have to avoid the parties? Or, go to parties, and content yourself with crunching a few celery sticks while you watch everyone else eating all your favorite food indulgences?
The answer to all these questions is “No!” You can get through the holidays and still keep your weight loss goals, and go to holiday parties, and even sample some of your favorite food indulgences. You just need to pay attention. Don’t fill a dinner plate with 2000 calories worth of appetizers, take a small plate, and be very selective about what you want to taste. You can taste anything, but not everything. You don’t want to snack your way through a party eating hundreds of empty calories. Pick one or two of your favorites, and make the rest of what you eat low calorie, high nutrition foods, such as vegetables or fruit.
Be sure to drink plenty of water, especially if you are drinking alcohol. Make the ratio at least 2 glasses of water or club soda for every alcoholic drink you have. Make sure to sip the water (or club soda) slowly; this will help you get through the party without adding too many calories. (Water and club soda have zero calories, alcohol has 7 calories a gram.)
Remember not to go to a party hungry. Eat something before you go that is low calorie, and either high in protein or fiber, so you will feel full longer. (Low fat cheese, or a slice of turkey breast, or some vegetables or fruit will do the trick.)
Put your focus on enjoying spending time with friends and family, and not on eating until you burst, and you will get through the holidays with your natural weight loss goals intact.
You can lose weight naturally throughout the Holidays
