Quick Fix - Lose Weight Without The Hunger

A series of short, to-the-point chats with the industries best. No intro, no small talk, no wasting your time, just the answers you want & need to ensure you feel, be & look your best.

With Weight Loss Nutritionist, Bec Miller.

EC. Losing weight without the hunger, what are the most important things we need to know?

BM. When you're cutting calories to lose weight and aiming to be in a slight calorie deficit for slow and steady weight loss, it’s important to make sure that you've got lots of protein in your diet. In each main meal, I aim for roughly 20 grams because protein is a macronutrient that really helps to keep you full.

To add to this, it's really important not to fear healthy fats. So many women, including myself, when I was in my early 20s, thought cutting calories meant having to cut out healthy fats because fats are high in calories. When you leave fat out of your meals, you won’t feel full and satisfied for a long period of time. So if you're cutting calories to try and lose weight but you're hungry all the time, thinking constantly about food, sometimes binge at night or get that three o'clock hunger crash - it could be that you're leaving healthy fats out of your meals. When you add fats in moderation (you still want to be a calorie deficit), it can look like a quarter or a half of an avocado or some nuts. It doesn't need to be huge wads of butter or oil but 100 to 200 calories minimum of healthy fats added to salads, dinners, breakfasts (plus protein) can make a huge difference. Taking a 300 calorie meal and making it a 400 - 500 calorie meal by adding fat, is so powerful because that's going to prevent hunger and cause you to eat less as the day goes on.

The third thing is fibre which so many people forget. If you're eating rice paper rolls for example, there might not be enough fibre in that meal and fibre keeps you full too because it slows down your digestion. One of the easiest and quickest ways to add more fibre is to bulk your meals up with lots of vegetables because vegetables contain a lot of fibre. Chia seeds are great too. Chia seeds are really high in fibre. You've got to have protein, healthy fats and fibre in every single meal.

Oh and drink lots of water, especially in Winter, when it’s not as easy to do. When you're dehydrated, your body tricks you into thinking you're hungry when you might not be. Also, before you even think about food, the biggest thing to focus on is sleep, which includes your alcohol consumption the night before. Alcohol can disrupt your quality of sleep so you wake up not feeling as refreshed. When that happens, hunger increases and it actually increases specifically for higher sugar, higher carb foods. So, If you really want to lose weight and don't want to feel starving all the time, you've got to focus on sleep as well.

EC. In your opinion, what’s more important to include in a snack - protein or healthy fats?

BM. Aim to include a bit of both. It also depends on what you're eating at your main meals too. For instance, I personally eat quite a bit of protein at my main meals. I usually eat two big main meals a day so if I was going to have a snack it would usually include nuts, avocado or some fruit. Some really quick ideas for high protein snacks are boiled eggs and I love using a really good quality protein powder because I've always been a sweet tooth. If I can make snacks that taste sweet, are high in protein, not going to spike my blood sugars and support my gut health, then I love to do that. I’ll often mix protein powder with yogurt and add some blueberries. That’s my favourite snack. If you're someone that likes to drink, stir protein powder into almond milk. I have at least a cup of blueberries every day and they are hands down the best fruit you can eat. They're high in fibre, low in sugar, low in calories and taste amazing. Nuts are a good snack too.

EC. So, if you’re struggling to lose weight because you’re feeling hungry all the time - check your protein, ensure you're consuming enough fats, increase fibre, drink water, focus on sleep and reduce your alcohol intake?

BM. Yes! I’m not saying cut out alcohol completely but reduce it to one or two nights max. per week.

EC. Bec, what’s your preference - sweet or savoury?

BM. Oh, sweet!

EC. Coffee or wine?

BM. I think I'd have to go alcohol - wine & gin!

EC. Venerdi bread or edamame pasta?

BM. Edamame pasta! I couldn't live without it.

EC. Grill’d or Peko Peko rice paper rolls?

BM. Oh, Peko Peko.

EC. Finally, unsweetened or sweetened Before You Speak coffee?

Oh, I change my mind on this. I go through stages but I'm going to go unsweetened.

Follow Bec Miller on Instagram - @healthwithbec