Hunger

Hunger is the scourge of weight loss. Are you hungry, or facing and emotional or habitual need to eat.

If you ate within the last few hours, chances are your body is not asking for fuel. Are you depressed? Are you sad? Are you missing something in your life? These are all questions to ask. What about habitual eating? I used to be in the habit of getting a carbonated drink at 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM. This was halfway between breakfast and lunch, and half way between lunch and going home. I was not thirst, I just had a habit. I needed to break this habit.

Will power helps, but lets give you a few more tools to use.

Water: You are mostly made up of it anyhow. Drink it. This helps to keep your stomach full. It keeps you hydrated and everything flowing smoothly inside. Yes you do go to the restroom more. What happens when you pee? You are getting ride of the waste products that your body does not need. Hey, what a great idea!

Keep good food handy: I like to keep bags of fresh fruit or vegetables close at hand. This is easy to do if you are on shore duty. At sea, well this is not so easy. Do not use the vending machine as a substitute. This could be an opportunity to talk with your CoC about having fresh fruits and veggies available between galley hours.

Eat often: Eating every few hours prevents hunger. Need I say more? Just be sure to eat natural foods, not junk.

Exercise: I’ve found that going for a walk, a run, hitting the gym, or play a sport makes me forget that I was hungry. In other words, I really was not hungry.

Try to work these 4 extra tools into your fitness plan and see how it can help you lose weight.