Solving my hunger problem

First of all, sorry for not posting for such a long time! I was busy with religious rituals - the Jain 'Paryushan Parv'. Eight days of special rituals including the last day of fasting in some form.

Coming to today's post, I had a weird problem till some time back. I used to feel hungry all the time. I would have my breakfast at around 8:30 in the morning and would feel hungry by about 11 and I would need to have some snack. By 1 o'clock, I would feel hungry again. Lunch would happen then. By 4:30, I would get hungry again. I ended up snacking quite a lot. Most of these snacks would be unplanned and so, unhealthy!

Well, I could fix this by planning to have a snack every 3 hours and making it healthy. But then, doing that is not an easy task. Planning two snacks every day apart from your usual meals can be more difficult than you can imagine. And I am one hell of a fussy guy when it comes to food. I cannot eat the same things for more than one day at a time. If I snack on something one day, I need something else the next day!

Another problem was my reputation. My office has glass walls that are all see-through. Anything I do is visible to everyone. Taking out a box every couple of hours and eating is not at all good for your image. Believe me. At a previous company I worked for, I got told in an anonymous manner (in a Fishing Pond game) to give my mouth rest at least sometimes. And it was not from talking.

So, I had to find a way to control the frequent hunger pangs I was having.

I consulted the NephroPlus Chief Dietician, Akhila a couple of months back and told her about this problem. She suggested I maintain a food diary. I did so religiously for a week. She then studied it and suggested that I include more protein in every meal. Protein offers satiety and does not let you feel hungry too soon.



I started doing that. I consciously started including protein in my meals. It wasn't too difficult despite me being a vegetarian. Milk in the morning, dal in the afternoon and so on. This really helped. Whenever I manage to include adequate amount of proteins in my food, I find that I feel hungry much later.

This is good tip for those who feel hungry often. Include protein in your meals. Protein lasts much longer and hey, it also improves your albumin which is very important for your overall well-being and longevity!

Comments

Jaya said…
Haha...been there...done that :-)) Adding egg whites for b.fast helps too. I try to add "sundal" in my dinner too.
Karan Shah said…
Try protein smoothies..Whey protein..not sure if protein supplements help but look into it.