What? Yes, Eat a snack.
Now that we're eating slightly less, our bodies may feel a bit hungry. During the first and second weeks when we are serving up one spoonful less, it will be important at this stage to snack as often as we want, so as to keep the initial cravings at bay. Later, during weeks three and four, the cravings, though still present, would be less intense.
It is important that we do not fail. The h.i.t is approaching, though slowly, and it is vital that we stick with this, as it is the start of our new lifestyle.
The act of snacking is quite healthy. The unhealthy factor however, is what we actually snack on. Here are some snacks to get munching on. A lot of people find that sitting in front of the t.v cries out for a snack or two. Why not go ahead. Cut up two apples into 15 or 20 little pieces and munch away. The many pieces mean that it would take a long time to eat and with all the chewing involved, it is unlikely that we would want anything else after we've finished. It is almost a chore to masticate for 15 minutes non-stop. The crucial factor in this activity is that we are taking part in a most enjoyable past-time - eating, but that which we're devouring is calorie poor. To achieve our h.i.t, we don't care if we're still eating like mad, in fact, we love eating so bring it on! What we do care about is that we're full and happy, but are still able to approach the h.i.t by making wiser choices where food is concerned.
If after the apple chunks, we're still hungry, always keep a large stock of grapes at hand, these are great to snack on as well. Try sunflower seeds and some of the other extensive ranges of healthy nuts on the market at the moment. Ethnic and Indian shops do a wide variety of savoury Pistachio nuts, Channa, and cooked, seasoned lentils of every description. I am aware that they are cooked in oil, but consider in one hand a basic and important food group like lentils and pulses, deliciously cooked in a bit of oil, and a large slice of cake in the other. No contest!
For a sweeter delight, go for a couple of handfuls of dry (without the milk) breakfast cereal like honey-nut cornflakes. Just pop them in a bowl and chew on, while you go about your business.
I find that a glass of water before a snack like this, helps to fill me up too, and I often realize after I'd had the water, that I was actually thirsty and not hungry like my body had lead me to believe. So whenever you feel like a snack, try a glass of water before you start slicing and dicing. Don't forget that fruit juice makes a perfect snack as well, and is one of the five a day portion of fruit and vegetables.
At any rate, fruit is always good to have, whether we're hungry or not. With the hunger sorted, done and dusted, let's see how else our h.i.t is achieved in Kilo 4.
