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Stay between 3-6 on the hunger-satiety scale

Healthy Habit 1: Stay between 3-6 on the hunger-satiety scale. Eat when you are hungry and stop when comfortable.

0=Starving and 10=Stuffed to the point being uncomfortable, in a food comma. This allows you to quantify the extent of your hunger and fullness throughout the day. Its OK to let yourself become hungry. In fact, thats the natural physiological mechanism that signals you to eat. Problem is, if you get too hunger and allow yourself to reach 0-2 on a scale, they you’ll likely overeat to the point you hit 7-10. Let’s break this starving-binging cycle and back in tune with our natural hunger and satiety signal.

How to do it:
1. Set a goal of eating at least 3 meals per day, evenly spaced apart (3-4 hrs apart). I personally have to eat every 3 hrs and my goal is to contain my meals into 12 hrs i.e. 7am-7pm.

2. Include healthy snacks in between meals if necessary (I eat a yogurt, hummus, or cheese). Keep snacks handy in your bag, backpack, purse. Habitual snacking impedes weight loss, but healthful snacking can do a great deal to prevent overeating. Here a few suggestions; fruit, raw veggies, yogurt, hummus+pita bread, natural peanut butter on wholegrain toast, low sugar cereals (dry or with milk)

3. If you find yourself starving, trying drinking a large glass of water first and then eat slowly to prevent overeating.

4. Mindful eating. Try not to eat while watching TV, driving or working (me!). Distracted eating tends to make us lose awareness of how much we are eating and we may find ourselves stuffed. So sit down at a table, relax and enjoy the peace and pleasure of all those good foods with friends and family or by yourself.

5. Weekly menu: My big tip to all is to plan your weekly meal plan on Sundays including each meal and do your major grocery shopping today. I make 2 entrees on Sundays for Sun-Tues. and then have planned ingredients/menu ready for Wed-Fri.

Here’s a sample dinner menu.

Sunday: Grilled chicken atop Arugula and chickpea salad
Monday: Chicken tacos (leftover grilled chicken)
Tuesday: Vegetarian option (Salad, grilled veggies, Quinoa)
Wednesday: Pesto pasta, salad, veggie
Thursday: Salmon, rice, salad
Friday: Vegetarian option (Salad, veggies, beans)

Life marches on. A few nights ago I invited my daughter to take a walk with me after dinner. After a few minutes into it she asked me why was I in such a hurry. I slowed down and we fell into a nice rhythm walking and talking. Connecting with my teenager on a random school night – a true gift – priceless. No interruptions, no screens, just the evening sounds, footsteps, and connection.

Some of my best conversations, ideas, realizations, and inspirations come when I walk or run. The rhythm, the cadence, the beat seem to bring forward untapped inspired thoughts. Stanford researchers say there’s something to it. They found that walking boosts creative inspiration. They examined creativity levels of people while they walked versus while they sat. A person’s creative output increased by an average of 60 percent when walking. So keep on moving. Your best work is yet to come.