Q: Thanks Doctor. Please, ma’am, how can I lose weight quickly without feeling starved?

A: Hmm, good question. I’m sure a lot of people have wondered this 😀 Oh dear, I wish I had some easy answers to give. But I don’t 😉

First, losing weight quickly is not a great idea as it puts you at risk of dehydration (because when you lose weight rapidly, you essentially lose water weight which so easy to put back on and may also lead to electrolyte imbalance which can interfere with the proper beating of the heart and contraction of muscles), gall stones and even malnutrition as the body is deprived of essential nutrients.

Then, I’m sure you already know this but it bears repeating J Portion control is critical. Reduce your plate size and follow the 50:25:25 rule which is 50% of your plate filled with veggies, 25% (one quarter) filled with complex carbohydrates like beans, wheat meal, local rice etc and the last 25% filled with protein like fish or chicken. When you’ve taken the right portion, take your time about eating. Don’t wolf it all down because you feel very hungry. Take your time and chew every morsel. Beyond being in tune with etiquette 😀 it helps give your brain the time needed for it to receive the signal that the stomach is full. If you eat too fast, you would have stuffed yourself before you feel full. Remember that vegetables form soluble fibre which absorb water and thus give you a feeling of being full for a longer period of time.

You can have 5 meals per day: three major meals and then two snacks. While snacking, eat a handful of nuts, eat some fruit slices dipped in yoghurt or peanut butter, drink a glass of smoothie etc. Please click on the link below for more tips on snacking https://chatwithdrketch.com/2013/04/07/healthy-snacking/

Try to mentally confirm that you’re really hungry whenever you feel the urge to munch on something. Sometimes, it is thirst, boredom or some emotional stress that we are trying to deal with by eating.

Surround yourself with healthy snack and food options so that you are encouraged to do the right thing 😉

Remember that the path to healthy eating/living is long and winding but there’s always a pot of gold at the end of it. The short cuts always bring you back to where you started because they are not sustainable.

Start off today…the first couple of days are often the hardest but if you stick with it, you will feel so much better and be, indeed, healthier 😀

Good night, people 😀